John Edwards: Union man

[Sapphire Blue]

John Edwards: Union man
John Edwards believes a new labor movement is the answer to the country's great divide. Should corporate America be afraid of him?
by Nina Easton, Fortune Washington bureau chief
May 7 2007: 5:53 AM EDT

(Fortune Magazine) -- No one was paying much attention to John Edwards in February 2006, when a historic contest for control of Congress was getting underway and the 2008 presidential race was still a sliver of light on the horizon. But Danny Glover was. He had to. For three days the Lethal Weapon star and the one-term Senator were glued to each other's sides like a pair of mismatched LAPD cops as they traveled across the country to lend support to hotel workers and their unions on the eve of a threatened strike.

At the time, Glover was the veteran of poverty politics; Edwards was still a rookie in training. So Glover, who prides himself on his ability to sniff out poseurs and users, warily scrutinized the carefully coifed politician from North Carolina. "There's real humility and false humility," Glover says. Which was Edwards?

In Boston, he watched Edwards listen to the plight of a single mother, an Italian immigrant who had managed on a hotel maid's pay to raise four children and send each one to college. In Chicago, Edwards took a lesson in the back-breaking work of lifting 113-pound mattresses and changing luxury duvets weighed down by piles of pillows and shams.

In L.A., the former Senator arrived overscheduled and tired, but impressed labor leaders when he readily agreed to squeeze in an extra meeting with a group of kitchen workers on their break.

The rich lawyer with the soft Southern accent bonded comfortably with this unseen servant class. Like a juror on one of Edwards's personal-injury cases, Glover found himself falling under the trial lawyer's spell. As the duo walked into a meeting of 60 African-American community leaders in downtown L.A. to make the case for greater black support of unions, the deal was sealed. "He was able to talk with them, not up to them or down to them," Glover recalls. "Here was a man who sincerely had empathy."

Populist attacks gain political traction

(snip)

"The difference between union and non-union is literally the difference between poverty and middle class," Edwards told Fortune. "Hotel workers, restaurant workers, home health workers, hospital workers - at last count there are some 50 million people who work in the service economy. Those jobs aren't going anywhere else. They have to be done in the United States."

Courting the labor vote is standard procedure for Democratic presidential candidates, but Edwards goes well beyond the usual union-friendly rhetoric; he has aggressively lobbied on behalf of legal changes to make it easier for labor to organize. The testimonials have already begun: "I'm 61, and in my lifetime I don't recall any candidate for President who articulated a belief not just that unions are good, but that they are necessary for what ails society," says John Wilhelm, president of the apparel, textile and hospitality workers' union Unite Here.


Continued @ http://money.cnn.com:80/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2007/05/14/100008849/

Ending Poverty in America

JOHN EDWARDS for PRESIDENT 2008

:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

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Transformational Change For America And The World - JOHN EDWARDS 08

"I'm proposing we set a national goal of eliminating poverty in the next 30 years." - JOHN EDWARDS 08

Silence is Betrayal - JOHN EDWARDS 08

[Blackhatjack]

1. K & R Thanks for bringing this Article to our attention!

Edwards knows that unions must be strengthened if there is ever going to be any parity in negotiating with wealthy employers in this country.

Outsourcing of jobs, and job layoffs, are creating an untenable situation for the American working class. Good for Edwards to address this.

[Bluebear]

2. UNION yes! k/r

[mdmc]

3. I like this new Edwards

sayin all the good stuff. To bad about his Senate / veep run...

[1776Forever]

4. Future of the middle class - some good references

Right on brother - here you go check these out!

David Olvie Feb 18, 2007 reports Toyota's troubles, in Toronto Star Newspaper.

http://www.thestar.com/article/182948

“contrary to public perception, Toyota is not a low-wage producer,” and says that this has in part caused a problem to the bottom line because of the current acceleration of workers pay. Olvie reported the following on this subject, which looks like the end of high wages and benefits for the Toyota workers in the U.S.:

A confidential company strategic plan that surfaced earlier this month warned that Toyota's heady growth – and accompanying hiring frenzy – is pushing up labor costs in North America faster than profit margins. "This condition is not sustainable in the long term," said the document, which Toyota acknowledges is authentic, and which calls on Toyota to curb a forecast $900 million (U.S.) increase in labor costs by 2011 by paying the going rate in each U.S. state in which it has a plant, and no longer tie its pay and benefits to the North American industry average.

And:

Todd Lassa reported April 19, 2007 in Motor Trend Community, Trading places: GM moves out while Toyota moves in Motor Trend Community on line (April 19, 2007) stated the following on this subject that furthers the theory:

http://blogs.motortrend.com/6207834/editorial/trading-places-gm-moves-out-while-toyota-moves-in/index.html

Bottom line is that it's a global market, and automakers are moving to where they can find relatively cheap labor - in the U.S. for Toyota, in China, India and Poland for GM. It's going to be harder to call GM an American company in the coming years if you still scoff at Toyota's efforts to be considered such.

Which leads to:

UAW Website(March 31, 2007)article on Toyota workers in Kentucky demand a share in company's success.

http://www.uaw.org/news/newsarticle.cfm?ArtId=450

The biggest change that will occur from the shifting wages and part-time employees’ to fill full-time positions is the involvement of the U.S. Unions in the negotiations. UAW Vice President Terry Thurman, says (UAW Website, March 31, 2007) the union is devoted to provide “all the assistance we can” to the Toyota workers. The UAW website article (March 31, 2007) entitled Toyota workers in Kentucky demand a share in company's success, goes on to state:

This is all about Toyota workers – their concerns, their interests, and their hopes for the future,” said Thurman, who directs the UAW’s National Organizing Department “They are hard-working auto workers and they’ve helped make this company a tremendous success – and they deserve respect and dignity on the job.” In cooperation with local community and civic organizations, and the national Jobs with Justice Campaign, Thurman said, the UAW is working to establish a Workers’ Rights Board in Kentucky, which will be available to hear personal stories of Toyota workers and recommend appropriate remedies when necessary.

***********

It is everywhere! Not just Toyota, who has been an exemplary company in many respects here in America, but all of our middle-class lifestyles! Our future and those of our children! We are going back wards people and if you think your job is not effected wait a few days! It is time to fight back and demand we keep our sovereignty and our lifestyle! For those who came here for this type of "American Dream" believe this - WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER! It is time to realize we cannot keep bringing in cheap labor for the corporations to give their CEO's millions of dollar bonus's and we cannot keep pushing down the middle class because in the end there will be NO ONE left to buy the products!

:applause:

[waiting for hope]

5. As always...

a pleasure to do a K&R...Thanks! :hi:

[etherealtruth]

6. John Edwards believes a new labor movement is the answer to the country's great divide.

I have been blathring on about this for some time ... Boy, Edwards really does reflect my values and goals

[Yogi]

7. The more I hear from Edwards...

the more I like him.

[Robson]

8. Without labor balance and unions ...we have robber barrons

We need unions for equilibrium. Without them we have the corporatists and financiers controlling the country.

[Sapphire Blue]

9. ..

JOHN EDWARDS for PRESIDENT 2008


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