Splice the Main Brace

Splice The Main Brace A sailing ship's main brace is a rope attached to its main spar. Splicing it (making a connection in it by interweaving strands) would have been a particularly onerous task, and the phrase probably arose from the custom of awarding sailors who did it...an extra ration of rum. Our retirees have had to stay at home more often than usual, cancel vacations, stay out of restaurants and away from ball games and distance themselves from parents and grand-children and many other stressful things. Besides serving as chapter officers for the last four years and having to keep our members together by changing meeting times and places, our members have supported us all the way. So to all of you who have been patient with us and have gone the extra mile to stay informed, involved and active and continue in our purposes of bettering the communities in which we live, furthering the policies of our union and participating in political and legislative actions…please give yourselves a pat on the back and take a well deserved break and then go and...Splice the Main Brace!

Vote him Away!

Voting During COVID-19

Voting During COVID-19

Casting your ballot in-person on Election Day might be how you’ve always voted. However, we’ve also never seen a global health pandemic like the coronavirus, which could in all likelihood be a real obstacle to in-person voting come the November election. Luckily, that does not mean you should expect any difficulty in voting.

Did you know that in 36 states you don’t even have to turn out to the polls on Election Day to cast your ballot? Instead, a growing number of states are going to great lengths to protect voters, expand access, and ensure everyone can vote regardless of who you are or what your barriers to in-person voting are.

Making voting easier for everyone isn’t a partisan issue. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have been elected in states that allow for no-excuse/absentee mail balloting.

If anyone wants to make the false claim that “convenience voting” favors a particular political party, then they aren’t being honest. “Convenience voting” favors voters. Period. It can be confusing to think about all the different ways Americans vote. But, finding out how you can vote most easily isn’t difficult at all!

In fact, the USW has developed an easy online tool for our members and families to find out more information about voting in your state. You can link to this tool and search for your state by going to www.uswvoices.org/state-voting-information

If you have any difficulty using the above link for any reason, you can call the Int’l SOAR Office toll-free at 866-208-4420, and we would be happy to assist you.

Julie Stein, SOAR Director

A Special place in Heaven

I believe there is a special place in heaven for the wives/husbands/partners (WHP) of active and retired union members. You know who you are. You are the ones who have supported, and encouraged, your WHP for many years. Through thick and thin. 

You are the ones who sat at the back of union halls through endless meetings and conferences. You are the ones who waited in parking lots, hotel hallways and lobbies to join your loved one. You are the ones who gladly, without complaint, attended rallies, picket lines, and many tasteless dinners (although those meals were a treat for me as I didn't have to prepare them.)

You are the ones who cheered your WHP when a political bill they were supporting passed. Or a contract ratified. Or a grievance won. And, we were proud. And, we cheered when our loved one was recognized for their sacrifice and service. 

You are the ones who gladly went to parent-teacher night, little league games, and high school events because our WHP had a union meeting or important event. 

When he gave a speech, I admired Leo Gerard for thanking his wife and family for their love, support, and sacrifice through the years he was USW president. Nice!

Take care, be safe, stay healthy! And wear your mask!!

Source: From the Elaine Says column of the May/June 2020 edition of The SOAR Chapter Connection newsletter by Elaine Averill

Our Top Two Issues of Concern

Our Top Two Issues of Concern

Many of you recently attended a USW sponsored town hall meeting to discuss issues that are important to active and retired members regarding endorsement of a candidate in the upcoming election. Also, SOAR and active members filled out a survey to identify their main concerns. It should come as no surprise that a significant number of active and retired members agreed on what the two most important issues were to them. On many occasions I have stated SOAR and the active members of our union share many concerns because they impact all of us during and after our employment with the company end. These results support that position.

The USW has published the results of the top concerns of our members who attended the town hall meetings or filled out the survey. The top concern of those who expressed concern was Affordable Health Care/Prescription Drugs. This issue was identified as the top issue by 87 percent, followed by Retirement Security with 86 percent.

The results of this survey not only help the USW in the selection of candidates to support, but it also shows the close connection between active and retired members in our Union. Just because we have left our employer, there is no reason to leave our Union and no reason for our Union to leave us. While the International fully supports SOAR, many locals do not. They view SOAR simply as a retiree club and see no connection between the groups. We need to stay involved if we expect to have any impact on our level of retirement and we need to form more active and involved SOAR chapters in our union. 

Stay safe, healthy and active.

Bill Pienta, SOAR President

Charlie on Soundcloud

Charlie Averill

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Most Deserving Woman (or Man)

Most Deserving Woman (or Man)

CHARLIE AVERILL·TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2020·1 MINUTE2 Reads

It may be Women’s History month or even International Women’s Day or whatever. However, as far as labor leaders are concerned, I would much rather call it the International Labor Leader Spouse’s Day or whatever might be politically correct. After all, without the support of these wonderful spouses, whether male or female who put up with the meetings and activities of their loved one, where in the heck would we be as a movement for labor progress. They are the ones that really and truly are the ones that go the extra mile in support of the one they love. Now...they are really the people who deserve our recognition, appreciation and honor.

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From the USW International President, Tom Conway

“Your Union, Your Voice” Membership Survey out Now

This is your union, and your voice matters. That's why we're embarking on an effort this year to hear from as many of you as possible.

This is very important to me and our entire executive board. It's especially important as we head into an election that impacts the work we do as a union: bargaining and enforcing good contracts to secure fair wages, dependable benefits, and safe working conditions.

Whether we like it or not, workplace health and safety; wage and overtime regulations; retirement security; and our right to organize and bargain collectively are all tied to local, state, and federal laws and the people making them.

We want to work together to endorse and elect the right people, and that starts with determining which candidates’ values best align with ours as a union. To do this, we need to look at their backgrounds, past voting records, and ask them directly with our candidate questionnaire.

Learn more about how we can get this done and tell us what matters to you by taking our survey -- you can find it all and more on our USW Voices website. (www.uswvoices.org)

In solidarity,

Tom Conway, USW International President

The Squeaky Wheel

We’ve all heard the old saying, “the squeaky wheel gets the grease,” and so we know and realize that  keeping our mouths shut when changes need to be made is just asking for things to stay as they are. Sort of like when the preacher says, “Speak now, or forever hold your peace” before a wedding. What he really means is, “if you don’t object now, then you have no complaints in the future so you can just forget trying to do anything about what’s bothering you.” So...let our USW leadership know what’s on your mind and what’s important to you by taking the survey above. Also, by attending a town hall meeting. To find a location in your area, go to www.uswvoices.org and click on “FIND A TOWNHALL” near the bottom of the webpage. Or, contact your District office to find out more...   Charlie Averill, Emeritus member

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Medicare for All must consider Union-won plans

Democrats' Medicare for All must consider union-won plans: AFL-CIO

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic White House hopefuls should ensure their Medicare for All proposals honor union-negotiated private insurance, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, head of the largest federation of U.S. labor unions, said on Thursday. 

Richard Trumka, President of the AFL-CIO, speaks on the first night of the second 2020 Democratic U.S. presidential debate in Detroit, Michigan, July 30, 2019. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

How to best extend health coverage to millions of uninsured or under-insured Americans has been one of the early issues defining the Democratic nominating contest to take on Republican President Donald Trump in November 2020. 

The issue is increasingly cropping up on the campaign trail as the 20 candidates still vying to become the Democratic nominee compete for support from unionized workers and official endorsements that can lead to critical on-the-ground resources. 

“There’s no question that ultimately we need to establish a single-payer system, but there has to be a role for those hard, hard-fought-for, high-quality plans that we’ve negotiated,” Trumka told reporters at an event hosted by the Christian Science Monitor. 

“You can’t ask the American worker, who sacrificed wages and everything, to simply say: ‘Okay, I’ll accept this plan here,’” Trumka added, noting that some union plans likely provide more benefits than Medicare. 

Progressive U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have favored a Medicare for All approach that would extend the existing, government-run Medicare health insurance program to all Americans, largely eliminating a role for private insurance. Medicare currently serves Americans aged 65 and older. 

Moderate candidates such as former Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Senator Michael Bennet prefer taking a more incremental approach that would create a so-called “public option” allowing people to enroll in a government healthcare plan that would exist alongside private insurance. 

Still others, including U.S. Senators Kamala Harris and Cory Booker, have modified their healthcare proposals, after backing Sanders’ Medicare for All bill in the Senate, to preserve some role for private insurance, even if for a limited time. 

Candidates have invoked union-negotiated health insurance as one reason why a public option is preferable to the Medicare for All proposals offered by their rivals. 

“If you have a generous union-backed plan and you have given up union wages to get that plan, you can keep it,” Biden said last week at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. 

Most national unions, including the AFL-CIO, which is a federation of more than 50 unions that collectively represent more than 12 million workers, have yet to back a candidate. 

Sanders won his first national endorsement this week from the 35,000-member United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America. Biden in April secured an endorsement from the International Association of Firefighters, which has more than 300,000 members. 

Sanders, after speaking to the Iowa Federation of Labor last week, updated his campaign website to show that his Medicare for All legislation would allow unions to renegotiate their contracts in a government-overseen process and seek plans for additional services not covered by Medicare. 

His “Workplace Democracy” proposal now states that there will be a “fair transition to Medicare for All” that will “require that resulting healthcare savings from union-negotiated plans result in wage increases and additional benefits for workers during the transition.” 

Trumka called it a “positive sign” that candidates seem to be listening to union workers and are integrating their feedback into policy proposals. 

“It’s going to generate huge savings for employers,” Trumka said of transitioning to a single-payer system. “The question will be: What happens to the savings?” 

“What we’re saying is our plans, we’ve negotiated hard ... there has to be a way for us to recoup that.” 

Reporting by Amanda Becker in Washington; additional reporting by Jarrett Renshaw in New Hampshire; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Bill Berkrot

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