APRIL
2001
2001
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APRIL
2001 |
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UAW CAP Delegates Lobby for Working Families
Trade, Social Security, education, prescription drugs, and the Bush tax plan were high on the list of issues that UAW CAP delegates took to Congress on Tuesday afternoon. Even a fire that shut down part of the subway system didn’t keep hundreds of delegates from taking those messages to Democrats, Republicans, and their staff members. Newly-elected Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., met with seven UAW Region 8 members from Delaware. “Ergonomics is very important to us,” said Wayne Usilton, president of UAW Local 1212, which represents DaimlerChrysler workers. When trade came up, Carper told the UAW members he was inclined to support fast track legislation which would give President Bush the right to negotiate trade agreements that could not be amended but only voted up or down. But Carper added he wanted environmental and labor standards in these trade deals.
Carper discussed his plan for prescription drug coverage for seniors. There is room to both cut taxes and invest in education, prescription drugs, and other areas, but he criticized President Bush’s plan for eating up the surplus. Carper, the former governor of Delaware, has a long-standing and easygoing relationship with the UAW leaders from Delaware. He has lobbied top auto executives to keep production in his state, and the auto workers fondly remember Carper campaigning at their plant gates not just when he was seeking votes, but also after elections to say thanks. Mel Davis and Linda Nixon from UAW Local 2164 at the GM Corvette plant in Bowling Green, Ky., met with Rep. Ron Lewis, R-Ky., who spent an hour talking with a UAW delegation from Indiana and Kentucky. Lewis argued his case for the Bush tax plan. The UAW members, though appreciative of the time Lewis spent with them, weren’t buying it. “We need day care systems, we need schools, we need teachers,” the UAW members told Lewis. Pablo Valcaral, president of UAW Local 2179 in New York City, and other UAW local leaders met with the resident commissioner of Puerto Rico who, though he has no vote on the floor, has a voice in the U.S. House and a vote in committees. They discussed concerns about the 40-hour workweek, Social Security, and the Vieques Island controversy. “It’s always exciting to meet our representatives,” says Valcaral, who has made three trips to Capitol Hill as part of UAW CAP convention delegations. Kay Pease, UAW Local 2384 in Mattoon, Ill., took her concerns about the nation’s education system. Pease, a secretary who works for Community Unit School District #2, and other delegates met with an aide of Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Ill. “I hit him hard about vouchers,” says Pease. “It’s wonderful for us as working people to go up there and get our voices heard.” Carl Breininger, president of UAW Local 677 at the Mack plant in Allentown, Pa., and other delegates told an aide of Pat Tuomey, D-Pa., how strongly UAW members favor a strong prescription drug program. “All my people are covered,” said Breininger, but “so many older people really need it.” Like others, Breininger appreciates the chance to take UAW issues to Capitol Hill. “It’s great that the American citizens have the right to lobby,” he said.
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