CAP REPORT
Sisters and Brothers of UAW Local 31:
On October 15, as the Occupy Wall Street protests spilled into Time’s Square in New York City, an Associated Press reporter questioned Sandra Fox, 69 of Baton Rouge, LA, while she waited outside to enter a theater to watch the Broadway show, “Anything Goes”. Not far from them, riot police pushed a knot of about 200 shouting protesters toward them, and the reporter asked Fox her impression of the Occupy Wall Street Movement.
“I think it’s horrible what they’re doing,” she said of the protesters. “These people need to go get jobs.”
And this, sisters and brothers, is a prime example of what’s wrong in our country today. The average person has no clue what is going on across our nation as corporate power strengthens and the voice of the individual weakens. We, as proud union members, have the responsibility to educate our families, friends, neighbors and communities to counter the misinformation spread by those who want to silence our collective voice. So, in the spirit of education, here are a few questions and answers that have been raised recently:
Q: What is the difference between the Auto Industry bail-outs and the Wall Street Bail-outs?
A: GM and Chrysler received LOANS, not bail-outs, as a way to remain solvent and save thousands, if not potentially millions of American Jobs. Federal regulations were attacked by foes of the US auto industry as a way to attack the UAW and to a lesser degree, the Big 3. The invested monies will be paid back to the government in full. The result? The American car industry is thriving, and jobs will be added as demand for American cars increases.
The Wall Street bail-outs were free, unregulated cash giveaways to the huge banking and financial institutions. The cash was used to line the pockets of the corporate officers, and not help those individuals who were forced into financial straits by the mismanagement of the banks. The result? Average people are losing their homes as record foreclosures continue to plague the country, and billions of dollars were added to a ballooning debt, a debt that occurred under the presidency of George W. Bush.
Q. What does the Supreme Court’s Citizen’s United ruling mean, and who is “Citizen’s United”?
A. This ruling allows virtually unlimited campaign spending by corporations. Corporations have typically outspent unions by a 15 to 1 margin, but this decision by the high court will increase that unfair rate exponentially. The actual driving force behind “Citizen’s United” is a coalition of corporate partners who want to further their control on American politics.
Q. Is the Americans for Prosperity a labor-friendly organization?
A. Americans For Prosperity (AFP) is the main driving force behind the ultra-conservative Tea Party. AFP wants to abolish worker’s rights, break unions and silence opposing voices. The main people controlling AFP and the Tea Party are billionaire brothers, David and Charles Koch, who have pledged $200 MILLION for Tea Party candidates in the 2012 elections.
Q. Who are the Koch Brothers?
A. David and Charles Koch are the sons of an oil baron, inheriting an empire without ever doing an honest day’s work. They have expanded their bank accounts with Koch industries, which own multiple subsidiary companies, particularly in the paper goods industry. The paper giant, Georgia Pacific, is owned by the Koch Brothers. They are heavily involved in national and state politics, pushing corporate policies over the rights of the average worker. The Brothers are the puppet-master of Tea Party Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin.
Q. Is Herman Cain’s “9-9-9” plan to rewrite the nation’s tax code a good idea?
A. It is a great idea if you happen to be a multi-millionaire and/or own a large corporation. Taxes would go down for those individuals. Taxes would actually increase for almost everyone else. It should be noted that Herman Cain has direct ties to the Koch Brothers and the Tea Party. And Cain is also a corporate CEO himself.
With national, state and local elections just a year away, now is the time to act. Organized labor is financially far behind corporate interests. We will need each member of the UAW to reach out in the communities to spread the word that unions are good for the average worker and the country as a whole. If the corporate interests that have always threatened labor unions gain control of our governments, everything we’ve fought for in the last 76 years can be taken away with the stroke of a pen. It’s our duty to work so that it doesn’t come to that.
UAW LOCAL 31
CAP COMMITTEE
Don Marshall
Tracy Smith
Veronica Franks-Cato
Charles Hall
David Barnhart
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