For That Difficult Worker on Your Christmas List

Wives ask the same question every year; what do you want for Christmas? The refrain is just as predictable, “I don’t know.” Eventually the tool chest fills up and with it the list of gift ideas shrinks.

The Carhartt Made in the USA line features some of our most legendary products. These rugged styles are stitched on American soil for any person that believes in hard work.

Here is a gift idea for the working woman or man on your list that will always be appreciated; Carhartt clothing and accessories. This legendary brand is not only the tops for quality and durability, it is UNION MADE right here in the USA.

The money that working women and men make and spend accounts for 70% of the economic activity in America. The way we spend our money can make a huge difference in the lives of working families. Tax breaks for the rich will never turn them into so-called "job creators." The only thing that creates jobs is increased sales. The way to put more Americans back to work is for those of us with jobs to spend our money on goods and services that put our brothers and sisters back to work. BUY UNION, BUY LOCAL, BUY AMERICAN.

Whether you are getting that special someone a coats, work pants, and socks for both men and women the Made in America line are produced by United Food and Commercial Workers Union - UFCW members in two plants in Tennessee and Kentucky.

These cloths look really good, feel great and wear like iron. My Carhartt jacket has seen years of hard work in the woods clearing brush, plowing snow and fixing the darnedest things you can think of. It has protected me from flying branches, fire, and of course the cold or Wisconsin winters. If you want to make that someone special really happy on Christmas Day, give them a gift of Made in the USA work clothing from Carhartt.

Show Support for MTI

It is time to support Madison Teachers Incorporated (MTI) in their efforts to secure a contract extension with the Madison Metropolitan School District. Attend the special meeting scheduled for Monday, September 24th at 6:00 PM. Come to the Doyle Administration Building, 545 W. Dayton, next to the Kohn Center.

The ruling by Judge Calas last week, voiding much of Act 10 and re-instating collective bargaining for teachers, county and municipal workers, opens a window for employers to reach agreements in good faith with the working women and men whose rights were trampled by the overlords of Fitzwalkerstan. Madison teachers want to work with school administrators and the board to reach an agreement that extends the current contract in a way that benefits the children, while protecting worker rights and holding the line on property taxes.

AFSCME workers were successful earlier this week reaching such an agreement with Dane County. The parties were able to come together in less than three days to fashion a contract extension that contains zero pay increases, will not increase taxes, and preserves the County’s ability to use furloughs and layoffs, if needed. In addition, the agreement contains language that could save taxpayers up to $5 million, if increases in the costs of employment cause the County to exceed levy limits.

Now teachers in Madison want their turn to show the parents and the community that good labor relations trump the politics of divide and conquer forced into place by Governor Walker and the Fitzgerald brothers. They need your help to convince a skeptical School Board that working families support collective bargaining. Please join me at the administration building on Monday evening. Let’s show people across America that here in Wisconsin we don’t do things the Rohm Emanuel way. Workers and management can work together to do what is right for the kids and taxpayers, while protecting the dignity and collective bargaining rights of those who teach.

Labor Day Weekend

Please join me in thanking the working women and men of Wisconsin who are getting their children ready for the classroom once more. This Labor Day, join with me to both remember the sacrifices these folks make every day for their families and their communities.

The American way of life has been under attack for thirty years. You know the symptoms: increasing concentration of wealth, declining wages and benefits, loss of retirement protections. All the while, the economy itself is doing just fine. Income and wealth disparity is as high as it has been since before the Great Depression. The last recession supposedly ended more than two years ago, but you would not know it walking down Main Street.

There is no single answer to our current economic mess. Many of the answers require courage vision from our leaders, which does not appear to be anywhere in sight. We do hold one part of the answer in our hands, or more accurately, our wallets. Retail consumption currently accounts for 70% of all economic activity in America. The decisions we make every time we spend money is critical to the future working and middle class families. The answer is simple: BUY UNION, BUY LOCAL, BUY AMERICAN.

It can take work to find union made products. First stop for every working household should be the Union Label & Service Trades Department of the AFL-CIO website. Find out which contractors in your area are union and patronize them whenever you need repairs or remodeling. Shop at local farmers markets or sign up for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares. Give gifts made by local artisans.

Remember, even though you spend more to for union-made or local products and services, you get so much more. Your money stays in our economy, circulating around and around. That has been the magic of the American Dream. As we grew and flourished in the middle of the last century, we plowed that money back into buying the goods and services we produced. That virtuous cycle it the essence of a strong economy.

We cannot, as individuals, change the world; but only individuals can do their part. We cannot give our children the America we want for them if we continue to fill our homes with massive amounts of cheap foreign crap. The true struggle for economic freedom in America can only be won when me make smart decisions with our hard earned wages.

Happy Labor Day! BUY UNION, BUY LOCAL, BUY AMERICAN!

The Gathering Storm

In their rush to save the world from economic ruin, ensure universal access to healthcare and protect gay service members, President Obama and the Democrats in Congress missed on vita task. By neglecting to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine, they allowed the right-wing to maintain its most potent weapon against democracy.

It is difficult to imagine the rapid development of the Tea Party absent the propaganda machine that is Fox News. Fair and balance content would have similarly spelled the death of syndicated right-wing shock jocks. Restoring impartiality on the public airwaves could have prevented the (you know what) storm we faced in 2010.

Redistricting is a direct result of progressives neglecting the electoral side of politics and focusing on policy. Sure we were facing the toughest economy in a century. Yes, we had two wars going on a half a world away. The possibility for healthcare reform never looked better than it did in the spring of 2009. Discounting the resolve and tools of the right-wing was a huge mistake. If we ever find ourselves in possession of the levers of power again, we must look to preserving first those aspects of our democracy that form its foundation. My fear is that opportunity may be lost to our generation. The clouds are forming and we are facing down a storm that threatens to extinguish the flame of freedom in America.

Robin Hood in Reverse

Congressional republicans are giving a great imitation of the Prince John and the Sherriff of Nottingham. By now we know that they are dead set on maintain tax cuts for the wealthy. No surprise there; they have always protected the interest of the 1%. What most Americans do not know is that hidden is their budget repair proposal is an average $900 tax increase for middle and low-income families. Yes, the GOP really is robbing the poor to give to the rich.

Their proposal would remove the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit that millions of working families depend on. This cynical effort to balance the budget on the backs of those least able to pay highlights the evil of their unbridled greed.

Yes, there is class warfare being waged in our Nation; and evil republicans are the aggressors. Removing the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit to pay for tax cuts to the wealthy is just cruel.

Americans Want Made in the USA

Big business says, "workers should learn to live on less." Americans say, "quit outsourcing our jobs." An NBC/Wall Street Journal poll shows that most our us who work for a living want to see jobs come back here. A recent Center for American Progress article highlights those feelings.

While the AFL-CIO is right that we want to buy things Made in America, we often work against our own best interests. Three quarters of our economic activity every year is generated by consumers. Fat cats might control 85% of the wealth, but our huge numbers and the ability of the 99% to turn money over many times a year (velocity) makes our spending much more important.

That means you and I must take responsibility for how we spend our money. Stop shopping at retailers like Walmart that import cheap mechandice from overseas. These same retailers use their buying power to force manufactures to exploit their workers. Shop at responsible retailers.

Buy less stuff and pay attention to where it is made. BUY UNION, BUY LOCAL, BUY AMERICAN. Not only will you be protecting your job and those of your neighbors, you'll have less cheap crap cluttering up your basement and garage. No need for garage sales every couple years. Most importantly, you will be doing your part for our economy. A great source of information about responsible shopping is the Label Letter, published by the AFL-CIO Union Label & Service Trades Department.

State and local taxes, like consumer income, gets pumped back into economy almost as fast as it is taken in. We need to tell our elected officials the same message. BUY UNION, BUY LOCAL, BUY AMERICAN. They will listen, if we tell them it is a priority. Lobby your elected offcials. Hold their feet to the fire when they propose contract bidding standards; forcing them to make how they spend our taxes as important as how much much they spend.

How you spend your money matters and how your tax dollars are spend matters too. The jobs you save may be your own.

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