December 17, 2007

WE’RE DREAMING OF A JUST WORKPLACE 
(Tune:  "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas")

We’re dreaming of a just workplace

Where every worker's organized.

Where the law protects us

The boss respects us

And no jobs have been downsized.

We’re dreaming of a just workplace

With every union card that's signed.

At this holiday may we find

Solidarity and peace of mind.

We’re dreaming of a just workplace

Where every worker gets their share,

Where the company's profits

Will reach our pockets

And we're all treated fair and square.

We’re dreaming of a just workplace

With each campaign that we begin

And we hope the New Year will bring

Even more than we're imagining.    

Happy Holidays from the
officers and staff
at the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO. 

Not Much Left of the Middle Class

December 5, 2007.  Republican Congressman Ron Paul became the first Presidential candidate to cross the picket line of striking Hollywood writers so he could appear on the ABC show "The View".

Who refused?  John and Elizabeth Edwards and Michelle Obama, the wife of Democratic nominee, Barack Obama have canceled their scheduled appearances.  They respect the striking workers, their picket line, and their strike, now into its 3rd week.  Workers’ Information Network.

   Statistics that disprove the American dream: America's middle class is hanging by an economic thread.

· 31% of total US families who would be considered middle class by income are financially secure.

· 34% of white middle-income families are securely in the middle class, as compared to 26 % of African-American middle-income families and only 18 % of Latino middle-income families.

· 80% of families classified as "middle class" do not have sufficient assets to survive for just 3 months should their income drop.

· 21% of middle-class families have less than $100 per week remaining after meeting essential living expenses.

· And more than 50% of middle-class families have no net financial assets whatsoever.

 The nonpartisan group Demos and Brandeis University developed a "Middle Class Security Index" to measure the financial stability of the middle class, rating five key factors – assets, education, housing costs, budget and health care. Families studies were ranked as either "secure," "borderline" or "at risk." The full report, "By a Thread: The New Experience of America's Middle Class,"  can be found online at http://www.demos.org/pub1514.cfm.

US Health Care:  Measuring a Broken System

· 1993: Canada's national health care system—which operates without a private insurance industry—is held up as a model by progressives and a disaster by conservatives.

· 2007: US system is in collapse—with costs exceeding Canada’s and US infant mortality and life expectancy at birth lagging far behind Canada’s measures of these critical health care measures.*  

· 2008: (We hope) Congress votes for universal health care with a single payer model. 

*“Canada's health system beats U.S. in cost and results.” Ross Eisenbrey, Economic Policy Institute, December 5, 2007.

Retirees Explore Organizing in Iowa

On Friday December 7th, the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO hosted a meeting for unions to explore the idea of organizing an Iowa chapter of the Alliance for Retired Americans (ARA).

The ARA is a nationwide organization, founded in 2001 by unions who wanted to ensure that their members remain active and stay informed in their retirement years.  The ARA is non-partisan and supports elected officials, regardless of party affiliation, who support our agenda and the issues we care about.

ARA’s mission is to ensure social and economic justice and full civil rights for all citizens so that they may enjoy lives of dignity, personal and family fulfillment and security.  A primary objective of the Alliance is to enroll and mobilize retired union members and other senior and community activists into a nationwide grassroots movement advocating a progressive political and social agenda that respects work and strengthens families. The long-term goal of the Alliance is to become the voice for all older Americans.

Benefits to members include but are not limited to: 

· Affordable retiree health insurance coverage to supplement Medicare;

· Discounts on computers, travel packages;

· Car, life, accident, pet insurance;

· Help with issues of money and credit, from a union-endorsed credit card and credit counseling to an online tax service

· Influence on government through action on retiree legislative and political issues at the federal, state and local levels.

Current ARA issues

· A prescription drug benefit under Medicare that is universal, comprehensive, affordable and voluntary,

· Opposing new tax breaks for the wealthy at the expense of programs that help seniors.

· Opposing any form of privatizing Social Security and Medicare.

ARA currently has three million members who work together to make their voices heard in the legislation, politics and institutions that shape our lives. 

Season’s Greetings:  A Special Present (to our Foreign Creditors) from the Bush Administration

Important Notice:  Christmas Presents may be Delayed. Santa’s Workshop has moved to Mexico

The federal budget in 2001 was $1.9 trillion; today, it’s $2.7 trillion.  Under Bush and a Republican Congress, the national debt has soared from $5.8 trillion to
$9 trillion—25% of which is owned by China, Japan and the U.K.  It took 42 presidents 224 years to build up $1 trillion of foreign-held debt.  It’s taken George Bush just 7 years to accumulate $1.22 trillion of foreign debt.

Reminder

2008 Iowa
Presidential
Caucuses
Thursday
January 3

Participate; vote; have a voice in our future.

Republican caucus
7:00 pm

Democratic caucus 6:30 pm

For IFL sample platform resolutions, see IFL website.
http://www.iowaaflcio.org/

Labor Center

in cooperation with the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO,  presents:
2007-08 Courses for Union Members

New Members’ School

An introductory class designed to educate and motivate newer members to become more involved in the local union.

wPresented in English and Spanishw

· Introduction to Union Values and Labor History

· Common Sense Economics:  Why unions matter in

today’s workplace and society.

· Member Activism and Participation:  How union

success in organizing, representation and political
action depends on member involvement.

· Basic Legal Rights and Communication Skills for

New Union Activists