Republican Colors

The right wingers in the U.S. House of Representatives once again displayed their true colors yesterday as they did their best to persuade their colleagues to vote against requiring Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices with the drug companies to make prescription drugs more affordable for seniors.

All day long they called upon their “free market god” to save the drug company donations in their pockets.

I wish I had a dollar for every time they said "let the free market take care of it." What the heck is a free market, anyway?

It’s funny that we don’t hear them call for the free market when it’s time to hand out no bid contracts, or to provide corporate welfare, or subsidies to their corporate pals.

They’ll do anything to hurt seniors. I think it has something to do with their family values. Or is this what they mean by compassionate conservatism.

Maybe they get it from one of the ten commandments. The one that says, “Honor your father & mother”.

Anyway, the bums lost their argument, and H.R. 4 passed, requiring Medicare to negotiate drug prices with the drug companies.

Find out how your Representative voted on this important issue. If he/she voted against it, fire him/her next chance you get.

I did learn one thing, and I’m glad I did. Not all Republicans are evil. There are a few good ones. Not many, but a few.

Another good thing might come out of the day. The Republicans brought to light how miserable a prescription drug program our veterans have. Maybe they will introduce legislation to fix that program as well.

We’ll see.

Message to U.S. House Republicans

What a sham.
Listening to the Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives speak against raising the minimum wage is simply discusting.
I contend that they are not genuine Republicans.
They want us to see that they are cheap, stingy, and cruel, and mean spirited when it comes to helping the "least of these".
One even suggested that a person who receives the minimum wage, should get a "real job".
Many of this type Republican bit the dust in the last election. If those remaining don't change their ways, they'll also be looking for another job.

110th Congress Takes Office

Press Release

January 4, 2007

Washington, DC -- "I, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God."

With these words, the Members of the 110th Congress took the oath of office today – marking 218 years of uninterrupted elected national government under the U.S. Constitution.

The House of Representatives proceeded to elect its officers:
· Speaker – Hon. Nancy Pelosi (California)
· Majority Leader – Hon. Steny Hoyer (Maryland)
· Republican Leader – Hon. John Boehner (Ohio)
· Majority Whip – Hon. James E. Clyburn (South Carolina)
· Republican Whip – Hon. Roy Blunt (Missouri)
· Clerk – Hon. Karen Lehman Haas
· Sergeant at Arms – Hon. Wilson S. Livingood
· Chief Administrative Officer – Hon. James M. Eagan, III
· Chaplain – Hon. Daniel P. Coughlin

Congratulations Joe Donnelly, Congressman, Indiana 2nd Congressional District

Thanks to USW-Goodyear Strike Supporter

MEMORANDUM

TO: USW-Goodyear Striker Supporter
FR: Leo W. Gerard, International President
DATE: December 22, 2006
RE: Goodyear

On behalf of 15,000 brave workers who courageously battled to last one day longer that the company, their families and more than 30,000 Goodyear retirees and surviving spouses, allow me to thank everybody who contributed to this victory.

We thank the entire labor movement, activist communities and progressive groups from all over North America for its unprecedented solidarity and acknowledge the efforts of fair-minded representatives of the media and financial communities, who took the time to understand the critical issues in this conflict.

As we said from the beginning, this contract campaign went far beyond a labormanagement
dispute. It was a battle to make a company live up to its commitments to past and current employees, and to secure a future for manufacturing in North America.

The support we received from the communities where our plants are located was extraordinary and included efforts by church and community groups as well as public officials, ordinary citizens and local businesses.

We are happy to provide you with some of the highlights from the Tentative Agreement that our bargaining reached with their counterparts at Goodyear Tire and Rubber late today. While no settlement is ever perfect, we all deserve congratulations in successfully working together to resolve the critical issues that confronted us when the bargaining process began.

Thank you again.

Tentative Agreement with Goodyear

USW, Goodyear Reach Tentative Agreement

For Immediate Release December 22, 2006

(Pittsburgh, PA) -- The United Steelworkers (USW) and the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company today reached tentative agreement on a new three year contract that the union said “secures retiree health care benefits and dramatically increases Goodyear’s investments in union facilities.”

“This agreement validates the solidarity of our members and their families, who wouldn’t allow the company to walk away from obligations earned through a lifetime of hard work and loyalty,” said USW President Leo W. Gerard.

“We owe a debt of gratitude,” he added, “to the entire labor and activist communities, which rose with unprecedented solidarity to challenge Goodyear’s assault on our members.”

“By securing solid medical and drug benefits for current members and retirees in the midst of today’s health care crisis,” said Thomas Conway, USW Vice President and the Chair of the union’s Goodyear negotiations, “our bargaining committee was able to drive the proverbial wolf away from the door for tens of thousands of retirees and thousands more workers who are nearing retirement.”

The Tentative Agreement was endorsed by the USW’s Goodyear Policy Committee, made up of local union leaders from the company’s master contract facilities throughout the U.S. Members at these locations will vote at ratification meetings in their communities on December 28.

Although details of the tentative agreement will not be released until USW members at Goodyear have voted in a ratification election scheduled for next week, the union said that the agreement addresses three crucial areas of concern by:

Establishing an innovative company-financed trust of more than $1 billion that will secure medical and prescription drug benefits for current and future retirees;
Enhancing the ability of USW-represented plants to meet the challenges of global competition by having Goodyear triple its capital investments to at least $550 million in those plants; and,
Maintaining affordable, high quality medical and prescription drug coverage for active members and retirees.
In addition, the tentative agreement requires Goodyear to rescind its demand for immediate closure of its Tyler, Texas plant, and instead provides for a one-year period of transition during which workers will have the opportunity to take advantage of sizeable retirement buyouts.

The Tyler plant came out of the 2003 negotiation as the one unprotected facility, but despite determined efforts by international and local union leaders and strong support from the community, plant security could not be won beyond the end of 2007.

“Though we’re not entirely happy with the outcome at Tyler,” Conway said, “we were able to ensure that as long as Goodyear stays in the market for the tires built at Tyler, those tires will have to be produced at USW-represented plants in the U.S. The company simply won’t be able to outsource that work or service this market segment with imports from China or anywhere other than a USW facility.”

“What we achieved would never have been possible if we hadn’t struck.” said Ron Hoover, USW Executive Vice President

Negotiations between the USW and Goodyear began in June of this year. With a contract expiration date of July 22, 2006 approaching, a day-to-day extension agreement was reached that gave both parties the option of terminating the agreement upon delivering 72-hour notice. Lack of progress in bargaining talks forced the USW to delivered notice on October 2 and 15,000 USW members in 16 plants throughout North America struck on October 5.

The ratification vote will be taken following informational meetings at each location. A majority of the majority principle applies meaning that a majority of the locals as well as a majority of the overall membership must vote to accept the Tentative Agreement as the new contract.

The USW represents more than 850,000 members in the U.S. and Canada. Some 70,000 are employed in the tire, rubber and plastics industry.

CONTACT: Wayne Ranick (412) 562-2444

Enough is Enough!

Grinch of the Year

With 52% of more than 10,000 votes cast, Goodyear won the 6th annual online "Grinch of the Year" election sponsored by National Jobs with Justice. Nominated by the United Steelworkers, the company is criticized for forcing 15,000 US workers out on strike on October 5th. Despite concessions given by workers in the last round of contract negotiations that led to a billion dollar turn-around, Goodyear wants to close plants, off-shore jobs, and gut retiree health insurance.

"Goodyear truly is the Grinch Who Stole Christmas from working families this year" said Fred Azcarate, Executive Director of National Jobs with Justice. "15,000 families have been living on strike pay and their savings for almost three months, and their health benefits are set to expire on January 2nd."

Smithfield Tar Heel Division Chairman Joseph Luter III came in second place with 39% of the vote. Smithfield was nominated by the UFCW for paying workers poverty wages, failing to provide adequate medical care to injured workers, and suppressing workers' right to organize a union. The additional 9% of votes went to write in candidates. The most popular write-in candidates were Wal-Mart (winner of the 2005 and 2004 Grinch elections), the Bush administration (2003's Grinch winner), McDonalds, and Starbucks.

The 'Grinch of the Year' awards began locally with Jobs with Justice Coalitions around the country highlighting the greedy grinch in their hometowns. That tradition has remained in many areas with the Valley Park Board of Alderman winning the St. Louis Area Grinch of the Year Award for their anti-immigrant ordinance and Tacoma Macy's Vice President winning the Pierce County, WA Grinch award for promoting credit-card debt, failing to raise most workers' wages for 3 years, shifting health care costs to workers, and yelling at workers for excercising their legal right to organize a union.

Jobs with Justice is a national campaign for workers' rights. Around the country, local Jobs with Justice Coalitions unite labor, community, faith-based, and student organizations to build power for working people.

Source: JWJ

Save The Date!

SAVE THE DATE

FRIDAY, JAN. 19, 2007
AKRON, OH
1:30 P.M.

(specific location, transportation and other arrangements to be announced soon)

USW members on strike at

GOODYEAR TIRE AND RUBBER

will be joined by their

BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
RETIREES AND ALLIES

to bring to Goodyear’s Corporate Headquarters

our fight for

JOBS . . . STRONG COMMUNITIES . . . DECENT HEALTHCARE

For more information,
check the USW website at:
www.usw.org/goodyear

Goodyear Screws U.S. Troops

Production Shortage Affects Military Shipments

Goodyear rebuffs influential congressman

Overview

Although Goodyear continues to claim that it is meeting the military’s production needs, Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee tells the company that with production levels reduced there is a shortage within the military.

Production Levels Reduced By 35%

Yesterday, Rep. Hunter announced a significant shortage of tires for Humvees, the workhorse vehicle in Iraq and Afghanistan. He requested the return to work of 200 skilled union workers in Topeka, Kansas to fulfill military needs that current replacement workers cannot meet.

Goodyear Has Repeatedly Refused USW Offers To Insure Military Supply

The USW has made numerous offers since the beginning of October to work with the company to ensure that the supply requirements of the military are met. Since Hunter’s call for a solution yesterday, the USW has twice offered a solution to the shortage. Not only has Goodyear rejected all USW offers, it has also called into question the veracity of the Chair of the House Armed Services Committee.

Goodyear Risks Ruining Its Relationship With The US Government

Beyond the obvious public relations nightmare created by Goodyear’s abandonment of our service members fighting overseas, Goodyear risks losing the United States government as a future customer by denying production problems and undermining its credibility with elected officials.

For more information on this and other investor concerns, please visit: www.goodyearalert.org

Goodyear Screwing its Investors

Goodyear management provoked a labor dispute with the United Steelworkers by demanding tire building be done by workers making only 42 cents per hour.
Goodyear will not win this fight because the American people won't allow it.
In the meantime, investors will lose their shirts.

Enron......Goodyear.....What's the Difference??

NASCAR Should Buy American

Sweatshop Man of the Year? We'll see.

Dr. Martin C. Jischke became Purdue University's 10th president in August 2000. A Chicago native, he received his bachelor's degree in physics with honors from the Illinois Institute of Technology, and earned his master's and doctoral degrees in aeronautics and astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. A very smart man, no doubt. An educated man at least.

I wonder if he's smart enough to know what's best for his country.

As I understand it, Purdue University students are on a hunger strike while this guy says he needs more time to figure out whether or not to continue to purchase Purdue apparel items which are produced in sweatshop factories.

I hope he makes the right dicision. If not, I hope everyone boycotts Purdue.

Goodyear Investor Alert #6

Yes, We Have No Tires

Strike Impact on Goodyear Customers Grows

• Overview

Since the beginning of the strike Goodyear has been telling its customers and shareholders that it will be able to continue to serve its customers. The Union has cautioned investors that Goodyear’s pre-strike reserves would soon run out and that the Company would lose business and important customers. Public comments by tire dealers can settle this debate.

• Tight Market Even Tighter

According to an article in Modern Tire Dealer this week, in order to get tires, dealers have to “say some prayers and pull some teeth,” and the tires that they are getting are ones that were sitting in the warehouse from before the strike. Goodyear’s largest OTR customer, Purcell Tire & Rubber Co. has not received a shipment from Goodyear since the strike began. Another customer has had to substitute Goodyear tires with another brand.

• Market Share Will Slip

Dealers selling consumer replacement tires have not fared much better. Reports of shortages started almost immediately after the strike began.

On November 22, Kevin Tynan of Argus Research Group told the Fort Wayne Journal that it is unlikely that Goodyear will be able to get to the production level they need to meet demand. “In the near term, if the supply is not there, people will not wait.”

Les Garland, owner of Garland Brothers Tire & Alignment, said in late November that the word “shortage” would be a drastic understatement. “I’m having to bring in other lines just to sell tires. You can not sell from an empty wagon, and the Goodyear-Kelly wagon is empty.”

November was not a great month for Mark White of Discount Tire either, but he anticipates the real problems will start in January and February, when inventories will become depleted. White said that he will recommend other brands when Goodyear tires run out.

• A “Little Bit Of A Shortage”

In November Ed Markey, Goodyear’s spokesman, admitted “In certain sizes and types of tires, there is a little bit of a shortage…” We could quibble about the meaning of the word little, but it is the first shred of truth we have heard from the company about the issue. Some of the states that have contracts with Goodyear got a little bit of truth from the company in October, when Goodyear notified them that as a result of the strike it was invoking the “force majeure” clause of its contracts to supply them with tires. Goodyear did not offer details as to when curtailment would begin, but the letter tells a different story than the one the company tells publicly.

• Word From The Street

Two days ago, Analyst Rod Lache from Deutsche Bank upgraded Cooper Tire & Rubber stock from Hold to Buy. According to Lache: “The Goodyear strike, now entering its 8th week, has also begun to translate into a near term boost to volume.” We take this to mean that Cooper is selling to Goodyear’s customers, and investors seem to agree – Cooper stock has climbed
almost 50% since the strike began.

All of this confirms what reports from the picket line and good common sense tells us must be true: you can not build tires when your tire-builders are standing at the front gate of the plant.
Goodyear may have tires that we do not know about, but unfortunately for Goodyear, their dealers do not seem to know about them either. For more information on this and other investor concerns, please visit:

www.usw.org/goodyearalert

It Takes a Craftsman to make a Tire

USW Blasts J.P. Morgan Analyst

USW Blasts J.P. Morgan Analyst Patel's Misinformation about Goodyear Strike

Union condemns analyst's "shoddy research"

For Immediate Release November 29, 2006

(Pittsburgh, PA) -- The United Steelworkers (USW) today sharply criticized the latest analysis of the USW-Goodyear strike by Himanshu Patel of J.P. Morgan Securities Inc. as a "deliberate attempt to hype the company's stock through promoting Goodyear's campaign to break the union by creating unfounded fears amongst the membership, families and communities."

Yesterday Patel wrote that "a key date for the strike could be January 3, when health care coverage for striking workers is cut off, which could spur increased pressure from union members to reach an agreement."

"Another projection that's dead wrong by a guy who just doesn't do his homework," said USW International vice president Tom Conway. "We want Goodyear to stop stone-walling and return to meaningful negotiations. But the facts are that the real cut-off date is in mid-April. COBRA legislation gives you 60 days to make a decision to continue coverage and another 45 days before you have to make payment."

"The real problem is how consistently inaccurate his forecasts are. They seriously cloud any possibility of a clear-headed analysis of the strike, and how it might be resolved," said Conway.

In October, Patel wrote that inventory and reduced production should provide supply for around four months. Three weeks ago, the Washington Times and others were already reporting shortages. In the same report, he stated that the USW had only one response -- a strike, and that it had already utilized it, completely ignoring the USW's vast repertoire of strategies to pressure the company in other ways.

"What's most disturbing is that this supposed independent analyst talks exclusively to the company and does nothing but parrot their lines," said Conway. "Other more sophisticated analysts take the time to hear the USW point of view. "Patel's willful ignorance causes him to grossly underestimate our resolve and our ability to impact the company, added Conway. "He needs to either do his research or admit that he is nothing but a shill."

CONTACTS: Wayne Ranick (412) 562-2444

Goodyear Investor Alert

Goodyear Akron Rally

Are Goodyear Tires Safe???

Consumer Safety Alert

Will Goodyear tires be safe for your family?

The experienced workforce at Goodyear has been forced out on strike due to the company’s demands to gut their healthcare, close factories and bring in tires made in China and other low-wage countries.

For now, Goodyear is using replacement workers to make tires to be sold here in America.
Why is this important to you?
An independent Princeton University study has linked labor strife, including the use of replacement workers, with the production of defective tires.

The Princeton study examines the causes of the Firestone and Ford recall of 14.4 million tires in 2000. You may remember the rollover accident that caused so many deaths and horrific injuries on our nation’s highways.

These tires were linked by the National Highway Safety Transportation Administration to complaints involving 271 fatalities and more than 800 injuries.

So ask yourself:

Can you afford to trust Goodyear?