Labor Leader of the Week: Michael Munger, USW

[Omaha Steve]

http://blog.aflcio.org/2008/01/23/labor-leader-of-the-week-michael-munger-usw/

Lenny Sapozhnikov, AFL-CIO deputy state director for Pennsylvania, recently talked with Michael Munger, president of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 1660, which represents workers at the Wheatland Tube Co., in Wheatland, Pa. Munger recently was elected vice president of the Mercer County Central Labor Council, and last week, he led a rally outside the office of Rep. Phil English (R) as part of the USW’s Protect Our Kids—Stop Toxic Imports campaign.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ds_gAlePbAc

Q: You just wrapped up the Toxic Trade Day of Action on Jan. 16. Tell us more about the goals of this campaign and your own involvement.

Munger: The goal of the campaign is getting tougher trade laws and more stringent safety tests for imports coming into the country. We all heard about the unsafe products coming into the country. Kids are having contact with toxic chemicals in those products and getting sick. We have good safety measures in this country but no one is testing the imports. We want tougher trade laws enacted.

Under the leadership of District 10 Director John DeFazio and John Zanetti, we held rallies all over the state to communicate this message to the public. In our region, we had a rally at Rep. Phil English’s office with the Steelworkers Organization of Active Retirees (SOAR), the Northwest Area Labor Federation, Jobs with Justice and other allies to make the public aware of this issue. We had about 50 people, three TV channels and coverage from the local paper. We are fortunate in this area because all the officers are close friends. Whenever we need to get something done in this area, the unions really step up to the challenge.

FULL story at link.