Tax Cuts for the Rich are Threatening Our Retirement Security

Tax Cuts for the Rich are Threatening Our Retirement Security

The Joint Committee on Taxation, a non-partisan Committee of the United States Congress, originally established under the Revenue Act of 1926, and is Congress’ official estimator of tax legislation, reported that a lopsided 38 percent of the benefits of the tax bill that the president signed in December 2017 (H.R. 1) will go to households making more than $1 million per year (approximately 3 of every 1,000 Americans who file taxes). ¹

Though backers of the law said the tax cuts would pay for themselves, a new analysis by the Congressional Budget Office shows that under the new tax law the nation’s debt could spike by $33 trillion over the next ten years, potentially resulting in another debt crisis. ²

With wages being stagnant for nearly three decades, you might be asking yourself how hard-working Americans are going to find the money to pay for this expensive law which benefits so few.  

The answer – according to some in Congress – cuts to Social Security and Medicare, of course!  As Pennsylvania Republican Senator Pat Toomey explained, “(t)hese big spending programs that are growing faster than the economy,”…“you’ve got to make some curbs.”  That’s easy to say when the people who funded his campaign are the ones seeing the biggest benefit from H.R. 1. ³  

However, not everyone is on board with the idea.  On September 23, 2018, it was announced that 19 U.S. Senators and 140 House members have added their name to a new Expand Social Security Caucus being led by Senators Bernie Sanders (VT), Elizabeth Warren (MA), and Democratic Reps. John Larson and Debbie Dingell of Michigan. ⁴

As union members, we believe every American deserves a secure retirement.  We also understand that Social Security and Medicare are programs that workers have paid into our entire lives.  We won’t forget this when we vote in the pivotal midterm elections which conclude on Tuesday, November 6.  

Sources:

 https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-tax/joint-committee-on-taxation-distribution-tables-confirm-skewed-priorities-of

² https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/09/us/politics/federal-deficit-tax-cuts-spending-trump.html

³https://community.aarp.org/t5/Politics-Current-Events/GOP-Speaker-Ryan-Cuts-OUR-Social-Security-gets-85-000-pension-at/td-p/2045985

⁴https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/406495-more-than-150-democrats-launch-expand-social-security-caucus  

Julie Stein, SOAR Director

There's Power in Unity

You're on Your Own Without a Union

Supreme Court to American Workers: You’re on Your Own Without a Union

In the May 21, 2018 decision in the case titled Epic Systems v. Lewis, the United States Supreme Court, unintentionally, showed that belonging to a union is the only remaining way for workers to fight back against an employer who has violated federal labor laws.  

For nearly 100 years, federal labor laws have afforded all workers the right to collaboratively improve workplace issues and seek redress for mistreatment by their employer.

For union members, this means having a grievance process to address alleged mistreatment by an employer, and the ability to collectively bargain the terms and conditions of our employment.  

For non-unionized workers, “act(ing) collectively” had long included the right of workers to join together and pursue class action lawsuits against an employer who had:  

•    harassed and discriminated against workers based on their race, gender, and  

     sexual identity;

•    intentionally underfunded employee pension plans; 

•    mismanaged employee 401k plans;

•    denied pay to workers they intentionally misclassified, 

•    and more.

However, in their 5-4 decision in May 2018, the Supreme Court dealt a major setback to non-union workers who have been mistreated by their employer.  The court’s decision will allow employers to “bar workers from joining forces in legal actions over problems in the workplace (Supreme Court Deals a Blow to Workers, nytimes.com, 5/21/2018).”

Moving forward, employers can demand that potential employees waive their right to participate in class action lawsuits as a condition of employment.  

Said simply, if you work for an employer who has underpaid, harassed or discriminated against you, or refused to pay you the wages you’ve earned – unless you’re in a union, you are on your own.  

Julie Stein, SOAR Director

The Power of Unity

Alliance for Retired Americans Friday Alert 2-21-14

Headlines:
President Obama Takes the Chained CPI out of his Fiscal 2015 Budget
Volkswagen Workers in Tennessee Narrowly Vote not to Unionize
“Doc Fix” is in the Works, but it may not be a Reason to Celebrate
Listen to the Alliance Point of View on Labor Radio
Come to the Alliance’s Convention, April 28 – May 1, 2014, at Bally's Hotel Las Vegas

President Obama Takes the Chained CPI out of his Fiscal 2015 Budget
In a great victory for the Alliance, White House staff has announced that President Obama’s Fiscal 2015 budget will not include a switch to the chained CPI formula that would limit cost-of-living increases in Social Security and other programs. Alliance members who had worked diligently for months in the hope that the change would not be implemented - and that earned benefits would not be cut – celebrated the news jubilantly. Especially relieved and excited were the thousands of Alliance members who had joined hands at dozens of “Human Chain” events held nationally last July (http://tinyurl.com/kocng72).

“We are thrilled with reports that President Obama heard Alliance members from across the country and removed the chained CPI cut to Social Security and other programs from his 2015 budget,” said Richard Fiesta, Executive Director of the Alliance.

Mr. Fiesta continued, “Now that the pesky chained CPI is out of the way, we can focus on the real task at hand, articulated well by members of Congress like Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), as well as Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA), which is to expand Social Security so that it fits the retirement security needs of today.”

Mr. Fiesta added, “The Alliance for Retired Americans made eliminating the chained CPI our top priority of the past year. We held dozens of ‘Human Chain’ events with thousands of Alliance members all across the country, and are elated that they paid off.” To see the complete Alliance press release, go to http://tinyurl.com/kzpcclw. 

Deficit hawks said Obama's move to shelve chained CPI likely kills any chance of a grand bargain for the rest of his term. In an effort to save $230 billion over 10 years, the President had proposed adopting a new way of calculating benefit increases that assumes consumers don’t always pay higher prices for products but rather substitute with cheaper alternatives. The net result is a lower inflation rate than measured by the conventional consumer price index. For additional coverage, including a Miami Herald article mentioning the Alliance, go to http://tinyurl.com/m2medu5.

Just prior to the President’s announcement, 117 Members of the U.S. House, led by Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-PA), had signed a letter (http://tinyurl.com/mmhbowc) urging him not to include the chained CPI in his 2015 budget, and 16 Senators had signed a letter, spearheaded by Sen. Sanders, urging him not to cut Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid (http://tinyurl.com/l4xjdlu).

Volkswagen Workers in Tennessee Narrowly Vote not to Unionize
Workers at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee narrowly rejected joining the UAW last week by a 712-626 vote. The efforts to organize were met with strong anti-labor threats from Republicans like State Senator Bo Watson, who said that if workers opt for UAW representation, Volkswagen would have a “very tough time” securing future tax incentives from the state.  Outside organizations like the Grover Norquist-led Americans for Tax Reform also swarmed on Chattanooga to influence the vote.

The defeat came as a major disappointment to labor, as there had initially appeared to be an outpouring of enthusiasm, and Volkswagen had officially stayed neutral on the vote. Despite the loss this week, workers may again vote to unionize in a year’s time. 

“The loss in Chattanooga will not halt the efforts of unions and those who support the rights of workers,” said Barbara J. Easterling, President of the Alliance. “The UAW will continue to explore opportunities in the South.” More at http://tinyurl.com/mknpes8.

“Doc Fix” is in the Works, but it may not be a Reason to Celebrate
The nation’s most powerful lobbies for physicians are heaping praise on legislation heading to the floors of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, perhaps within the next month, to address an upcoming cut in Medicare payments to doctors.  The deal, which both the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Family Physicians have called a “bicameral, bipartisan” agreement to repeal the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR), would bring an end to stopgap corrections to dramatic cuts in doctor payments from Medicare in what has been labeled the “doc fix.”

“If this legislation passes, it will make it easier for Medicare beneficiaries to see a doctor,” said Ruben Burks, Secretary-Treasurer of the Alliance. “However, we can’t celebrate without knowing if it will shift more costs onto seniors.”

Listen to the Alliance Point of View on Labor Radio
You can hear Mr. Fiesta discuss current events every Friday at 2:00 PM Eastern Time on The Union Edge radio show (www.TheUnionEdge.com). Charles Showalter hosts. Download a free app for your smart phone or dial 712-432-5866 from any phone, anywhere in the world at any time to listen to the most recent program. You can also hear Mr. Fiesta the second Wednesday of every month on America’s Work Force radio at http://awfradio.com, with host Ed “Flash” Ferenc.

Come to the Alliance’s Convention, April 28 – May 1, 2014, at Bally's Hotel Las Vegas
Join us in Las Vegas as we sharpen our organizing and communications skills for the 2014 elections and beyond! Confirmed speakers now include: Carolyn W. Colvin, Acting Commissioner of Social Security; Liz Shuler, Alliance Executive Vice President and Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO; Linda Chavez-Thompson, former Executive Vice-President of the AFL-CIO; J. David Cox, President of the American Federation of Government Employees; and Jimmy Gilbert, Director of the AFL-CIO’s Union Veterans Council.

Alliance members will elect a president and secretary-treasurer, and community members will elect six community-based board members and the executive vice-president for community affairs. Alliance members whose dues are paid and are in good standing as of February 27, 2014 are eligible to be a voting delegate. Hotel reservations must be made by March 21, 2014. Questions? Contact Joni Jones at jjones@retiredamericans.org or 202-637-5377. Ready to register? Download a registration form at http://tinyurl.com/nqnz97a or register on-line at http://tinyurl.com/prl8box.

For a printable version of this document, go to http://bit.ly/1h6h53o.

Differences Between Union and Non-union Compensation

In 2011 union members were making an average wage difference of $3.51 per hour. That’s a total over $7,300 per year on a straight time basis or over $140.00 per week more for union members.

The benefit costs are even greater. Union members enjoy a $7.11 per hour more ($14.67 vs. $7.56 per hr.) That’s over $14,788 more per year for union members vs. nonunion or over $284.00 more per week in benefits for the union member.

Union members have better retirement plans, insurance plans, holidays, vacations, etc.

The total union member advantage per year on a straight time basis is over $22,000 more per year or $424.00 more per week.

It should not be forgotten that union contracts provide numerous other rights that no cost can cover, like fair treatment, just cause standards protecting employees from unfair, unjust discipline and seniority rights covering promotional opportunities, etc.

Basically, a right at the table and democracy on the job.

Is it any wonder why so many in corporate America and the greedy are so viciously and wrongly attacking organized labor?

http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2013/04/art2full.pdf

USW Calls for Paycheck Fairness

For Immediate Release: May 30, 2012
Contact: R.J. Hufnagel, 412-562-2450, rhufnagel@usw.org

USW Calls for Paycheck Fairness
Mitt Romney as Republican Presidential Nominee Should End Silence

(Pittsburgh)– The United Steelworkers (USW) today called on Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney to end his silence on the Paycheck Fairness Act, a bill under consideration in the U.S. Senate that would provide greater protection to women who suffer because of sex-based pay discrimination.

“In this environment, when more hard-working women are the sole wage-earners for their families, it is particularly vital that we provide them with every tool to fight discrimination by their employers,” said USW International President Leo W. Gerard. “Throughout this primary season, we have seen Republican candidates take aim at women’s rights. It is time for Mitt Romney to end his party’s despicable war on women and support this bill.”
Romney has not responded to repeated media inquiries seeking his position on the bill, which the Senate is scheduled to consider next week.

In contrast, President Obama has voiced consistent support for paycheck fairness. In 2009, the new president made the Lilly Ledbetter Act the first bill he signed into law. That law expanded the rights of women to sue employers for back pay and legal costs in pay discrimination cases. The law now under consideration would expand those rights, allowing compensatory or punitive damages.

Corporations, led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, oppose the bill, arguing it would spawn frivolous lawsuits.

Carol Landry, USW International Vice President at Large, said: “Quite simply, women deserve the same pay as men for the same work. Even when accounting for variables like experience, hours and education, women still only make about 80 cents for every dollar earned by me.”

She added, “This would help put a stop to such discrimination.”

The USW represents about 850,000 working men and women in the United States and Canada in a wide variety of industries, ranging from glass making to mining, paper, steel, tire and rubber and other manufacturing environments, to the public sector, service and health care industries.

###

USW Mobile Alerts Program

 

USW news and information is available on virtually
any mobile phone or handheld device.

GET STARTED!

• Send a text to 47486

• Enter the letters USW

• Hit SEND

By submitting your phone number, you agree to receive mobile alerts from the United Steelworkers Union including up to five SMS messages per month and are responsible for any mobile message or data charges incurred. To opt out, text STOP to 47486. For help, text HELP to 47486.

 Source: usw.org

Remember November

Union Man Dues by Turner R. Corn

Cooper Tire Turns Rogue

More information, contact: Tony Montana, USW – 412-562-2592

Pittsburgh – The United Steelworkers (USW) today condemned Cooper Tire and Rubber Company’s decision to lock-out workers at the company’s profitable Findlay, Ohio production facility, despite the union’s good faith offer to keep working while negotiations toward a new labor contract proceeded.
USW District 1 Director Dave McCall said that he expects the union to pursue unlawful bargaining charges against Cooper with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and added that the union is still committed to negotiating a fair contract in Findlay.

“These negotiations have been hindered considerably by Cooper’s behavior at the bargaining table and the company’s determination to instigate a labor dispute,” said USW District 1 sub-director Patrick Gallagher. “Cooper’s intent to test our solidarity became clear the moment the company refused our offer to continue working until we reached a new contract.”

“Our members are proud of their longstanding relationships with Cooper’s loyal customers,” said Rod Nelson, USW Local 207L president “We urge Cooper management to return to negotiations at once so that these relationships are not strained.”

USW Local 207L represents more than 1,000 hourly workers in Findlay, while USW Local 752L represents Cooper employees in Texarkana, Texas.

The USW represents about 850,000 working men and women in the United States and Canada in a wide variety of industries, ranging from glass making to mining, paper, steel, tire and rubber and other manufacturing environments to the public sector, service and health care industries.

Indiana Doesn't Need Right-to-Work Legislation

By Rich James

Last Modified: Nov 25, 2011 10:00AM

When the General Assembly convenes on Jan. 4, the eyes of the nation may well be on Indiana.

Not because the state remains the best in the nation when it comes to high school basketball, but because there will be an unwarrated attack upon organized labor.

The Republicans, who do the bidding of corporations and other businesses, will seek the passage of a right-to-work bill.

The bill would force organized labor to represent workers who refuse to pay union dues.

The bill also would be a significant step by Republicans to destroy the unions that built America.

The Republicans say right-to-work will clear the way for additional businesses to relocate to Indiana.

Those are the very same businesses that have no desire to deal with unions. They want to drive down workers’ wages and increase corporate profits and power.

Statistics show the average worker in a right-to-work state makes about $5,333 a year less than workers in other states.

Twenty-one percent more people in right-to-work states don’t have health insurance.

And the list goes on.

Do Republicans care? Of course not, although they will try to tell you otherwise. And they wonder why they can’t get the union vote.

Republicans contend corporations have shipped jobs overseas because of the cost of dealing with unions. Don’t buy it. It’s about greed.

Republicans also will tell you that Democrats oppose right to work because of the money that unions contribute to their party.

While there is truth to that, there is a bigger issue involved here.

It is about quality of life for the middle class — a group that has been declining in numbers because of attacks like the one planned by Republican legislators.

The CEO of a company may take up residence on the top floor, but it’s the union folks who laid the bricks, hammered the nails and ran the electricity and plumbing that made it all possible.

Unions aren’t perfect, but they provide quality craftsmanship and are an integral part of a community.

Gov. Mitch Daniels keeps boasting that Indiana is one of the most attractive states in the country for new business.

If that in fact is the case, and I have no reason to doubt it, why the push for right-to-work?

I guess the easy answer is that they can. Republicans control the House and Senate and the governor’s office.

Some say the Republicans want to eliminate the voice of the working man from the political process. Hard to argue against that.

When Republicans introduced legislation to do the same thing early this year, some Democrats walked out for five weeks, preventing a quorum. The bill died.

Might the Democrats skip out again? It’s possible, but I don’t think so. Walking out again might well work against the Democrats.

Staying in the Statehouse while Hoosiers from across Indiana rally in Indianapolis for several weeks could be a political plus for Democrats come November 2012.

And you can bet the vast majority of Hoosier teachers, who saw Republicans take away the majority of their bargaining rights earlier this year, will be at the fore when the unions take to the streets.

Might right to work lure a few more businesses to Indiana? Probably. Might they be worth it? Probably not.

So, why are Republicans going out of their way to rip the state apart when they don’t have to?

Money. Greed. And most of all — arrogance.

Rich James’ column appears on Fridays in the Post-Tribune, A Chicago Sun-Times Publication

Steelworker Retirees Prepare

Gary Gaines, SOAR Coordinator in USW District 7 is shown in this photo presenting the charter for a new SOAR Chapter made up of retirees USW Local 7-669.
The rogue Honeywell company locked out their workers from June 28, 2010 to August 2, 2011 but found out that Steelworkers have staying power and will last one day longer.
By joining SOAR and establishing their own chapter, these retirees will be in a much better position to help their union in the future........a great group of retirees.

Indiana Workers Protest Republicans "Right to Work" for Less

Indiana Workers Will Not Back Down

A Stronger Voice

Finally, An American Jobs Plan Worth Fighting For

Sisters and Brothers,

The proposed American Jobs Act has the potential to create 4.3 million new jobs over the next couple of years – many of them in the manufacturing and other fields that employ our members.

We’ve created an online toolkit at www.usw.org/jobs where you can find fact sheets, talking points, video and other resources to help you find the facts about this proposal.

Obviously, no plan is perfect, and we do not and will not support new free trade agreements with Columbia, South Korea and Panama. We also will examine closely any proposed changes to Medicare and Medicaid before taking a stand on those issues.

But we can’t ignore all the good that in this plan.

The Economic Policy Institute is estimating the president’s plan could create 4.3 million new jobs. And the Alliance for American Manufacturing in a study with the University of Massachusetts-Amherst says that for every $1 billion in infrastructure spending, 18,000 new jobs would be created, including jobs in metals, concrete, cement, glass, rubber, plastics, wood and steel.

Among other things, President Obama’s plan, which adds no new government spending, calls for modernizing schools and investing $50 billion in rebuilding roads, bridges, transit, port, rail, communications and energy systems. That supports a potential 900,000 jobs in many of our core manufacturing industries.

And since we know every manufacturing job pays on average 10-50 percent more than service sector jobs and supports five more jobs in a community, the ripple effect could be huge.

The jobs plan is also a good reason to push other parts of our agenda, including the creation and implementation of a coordinated manufacturing policy that would:

• Establish a national infrastructure bank to leverage capital for large-scale transportation and energy projects.

• Reshape the tax code in a revenue neutral way to provide incentives for job creation and investment. Research and Development tax credits should help firms that not only innovate in America but also make their products here.

• Lower tax rates for manufacturing activity in America and eliminate tax shelters for hedge funds or financial transactions that have no real value.

• Consistent with our international obligations, apply "Buy America" domestic content provisions to all federal spending to ensure that American workers and businesses get the first shot at procurement contracts. 

• Shift some education investment to rebuilding our vocational and technical skills program, which would address looming shortages in the manufacturing sector.

• Refocus the trade agenda by giving American businesses new tools to counter China's currency manipulation, industrial subsidies, intellectual property theft and barriers to market access.

• Condition new federal loan guarantees for energy projects on the utilization of domestic supply chains for construction.


Focusing on manufacturing not only helps solve the need for jobs, but also will lower our trade deficit, which will make it easier for America to pay its bills.
 
We simply cannot continue to allow Congress to do nothing to address our jobs crisis! 

We’ll do our best to help keep you informed, including by keeping the newly created online “USW American Jobs Act Tool Kit” updated regularly. You can find it at www.usw.org/jobs.


In Solidarity,

Leo W. Gerard
USW International President

Are There Empty Chairs Where You Work?

Marchers Rally to Save the Middle Class

On April, 4, workers all over America rallied to support a workers right to have a contract with their employer that allows them to bargain for wages, benefits and working conditions. This was done to protest the many ways that the state governments are trying to remove the last bulkhead between the Wall Street and CEO greed and Americans that have the least, which would eliminate the middle class that unions have provided us.

Here are a few photos of yesterdays actions.

How the World Really Turns

Proponents of taking bargaining rights away from Hoosier teachers for everything except wages and wage related benefits site some of the most idiotic reasons. They complain that contracts in some schools down in Crawford County and East Chicago require a certain temperature for classrooms. Well, duh.....at some point in those schools history, some lame brained administrator thought he's save energy by keep the thermostats set at 50 degrees. Either that, or because of his cold heart, he insisted the temperatures be set at 90 degrees.

Another contract requires that the teachers' lounge be attractive, comfortable and spacious. Why? Because years ago some wild eyed, hippie principal on LSD insisted the lounge walls be painted black. Either that, or he wouldn't allow the stinking walls to be painted even though the plaster was falling off the ceiling.

Other contracts say that if teachers will be layed off, teachers with equal seniority break the tie by using their birth dates in Indianapolis, a blind draw in Munster and a roll of a die in East Allen County. Well, big whoop, that's exactly how it's done in many industries, including the Northern Indiana Public Service Company.

Another contract requires that a classroom carpet be cleaned efficiently. This was insisted on by the teachers because their principal was a pig. Either that, or he was too cheap to purchase a working vacuum cleaner.

Another thing Daniels and his cohorts are trying to do is take away a teachers experience when evaluating them. Well, I'll tell you how teachers in Indiana will be evaluated if all of this anti-worker legislation is passed. The teacher that plays bridge with the principles wife, or goes to church with the superintendant, or talks bad about another teacher, or is good at acting to be a good teacher is the teacher that will get a good evaluation. Simple as that. That's human nature and that's the way the world turns. It's a crock I tell you, a crock. And Daniels and the Republicans know it.

Democrats in the Indiana House are true heroes in doing everything they can to prevent these terrible pieces of legislation from being passed. And the Republicans that authored the bills in question, well, I just can't say here about what I think of them.