(via kileyrae)
The REAL reasons for the Verizon strike.. don’t believe the corporate propaganda.
Dear America,
Today 45,000 Verizon employees received their last paycheck until this strike is over. We understand that in this economy everyone should be willing to give up something for the betterment of our country’s financial welfare. We are more than willing to bargain with Verizon to come up with a fair contract for everyone involved. We are not asking for anything more than what we already have and have had for years!
Verizon has placed ads in papers & on television telling you that they just want us to pay for a portion of our health care insurance premium cost and listing various salaries that we should be thankful for. Verizon has failed to publicly mention the 99 other items they would like for us to give up or that these salaries and benefits that they are posting are inaccurate. It takes a unionized Verizon worker 25 years to gradually earn the amount of vacation time that is in these ads!
Verizon has told you that their land line business is failing, yet they fail to mention that that very business is the backbone network of their FIOS, DSL & Wireless operations. They want you to think that there is no need for a land line because they want their FIOS & DSL to be classified as “internet or data” instead of exactly what they are: land lines. Every cell tower connects to a land line network. Without Verizon’s land line business they would have no wireless business!
Verizon fails to publicly mention that they want to begin increasing the outsourcing of American jobs to other countries by removing all aspects of job security from the contract, to freeze all pensions for current workers and completely eliminate them for future employees, slash sick time, eliminate disability payments for injured workers, eliminate holidays (including Veteran’s Day) and completely gut health care plans for current & retired workers.
Despite making $19.5 billion in profits and paying out $258 million to it’s top 5 executives in the last four years, Verizon wants to take back more than 50 years of collective bargaining and destroy middle class jobs, just like many of the other large corporations!
The President of Verizon makes $55,000 a day, how much does the average American worker make per day?
Verizon has paid $0 in federal corporate income taxes over the last three years, how much has the average American worker paid in federal income tax?
Verizon received nearly $1 billion in tax benefits from the federal government (your money) over the last three years, how much has the average American worker received in tax benefits?
You ask why the workers would be going on strike when we’ve been spoiled and should be thankful we have a job in this economy? I believe what you should be asking is why aren’t there more American jobs being created by American companies? Why are companies being allowed to outsource their jobs when American production is at an all time low and we all know that we cannot grow as a consumer only country! We must produce products here in the United States of America!
We are on strike for all of you, not just ourselves. The middle class stands to lose everything while corporations and a few individuals gain it all. We walk the line for you!
We understand that we may have to give up some things that we have had in the past, but we should not have to give up everything including our job security! All we are asking is for Verizon to sit down and bargain with the people that helped build it. It’s time to bring jobs back to America and end corporate greed!
(This is direct from an IBEW member on strike.)
Happy Friday Courtesy of Wisconsin Protesters Yelling At Scott Walker - Wonkette
“Will the Democrats take this as a chance to go on offense? Will national Democrats take a lesson from Wisconsin Democrats?” —Rachel Maddow.
Outstanding coverage of the FAA shutdown and union rights, plus a look back at Reagan’s firing of air traffic controllers.
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This is a lose-lose-lose situation that can be easily solved if congress comes back into town and does its job. They don’t even have to come back into town. The House and the Senate could through a procedural agreement basically do this through unanimous consent. They can have the fights they want to have when they get back.
Don’t put people and the livelihoods of thousand of people at a risk, don’t put projects at risk, and don’t let a billion dollars, at a time when we are scrambling for every dollar we can get, left on the table because Congress did not act.
I am urging the House and the Senate to care of this. This is an example of a self inflicted wound that is unnecessary. My expectation and I think the America people’s expectation is this gets resolved before the end of this week.”
”“I believe the teachers in New Jersey in the main are wonderful public servants that care deeply. But their union, their union are a group of political thugs.”
I am a union man - @WIunion_posters
Protesting Scott Walker
(Protests in Wisconsin March 19. Pic via Dave Hoefler)
Meanwhile, a fire still rages in the heartland.
You just have to watch this video of a farmer named Tony Schultz in Wisconsin talking to the crowd about what is happening at his local schools and to his own community because of the governor’s tax-cuts-for-corporations, budget-cuts-for-the-people budget:
I found it at this Daily Kos diary, Wisconsin farmer on fire! Awesome video, by strobusguy, who writes,
This video of farmer Tony Schultz speaking captures the feel of the rally today better than anything I’ve yet seen. (But be careful with your volume. The screams and cheers will bust your eardrums!) PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE watch this, and pass it on to everyone.
Wow, the note about the volume wasn’t a joke.
There are a lot of important points made. I keep reminding my fellow Wisconsinites that the scope of Walker’s destruction goes far beyond just that of collective-bargaining rights for unions. His budget plan, which has been shown to favor corporations, the upper class, and his campaign donors, makes significant cuts to many important sectors that a large number of people rely on, some for their very survival, which is absurd considering Walker helped create the mediocre budget crisis. I mean, just look at some of the news coming in from Wisconsin’s largest newspaper, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: More districts now could drop insurance arm of teachers union, Low-income elderly could lose drug plan, Birth control program takes hit in budget (You don’t want abortion but you don’t want birth control either. Nice. Let me know how that one works out.), County employees rush to retire in wake of state budget action, Bus system, county services threatened, Budget trims tax credit for working poor, Wisconsin school districts studying impact of proposed cuts, Walker budget proposal would eliminate Office of Energy Independence, Senate bill would end Milwaukee’s paid sick day ordinance, Budget cuts $834 million from schools, Walker’s proposal cuts UW System budget, Budget would make benefits cuts to Medicaid, W-2, Wisconsin Shares, and the list just goes on, and on, and on.
Tony Schultz did a wonderful job speaking.
Awesome: Wisconsin Firefighters Shut Down Bank That Funded Walker - AlterNet
Chris Matthews’ face expression sums it up perfectly
