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FIGHT FOR YOUR UNION
Well, little George W. Bush is the 43rd president of the United States.
Now it is time for all union brothers and sisters to become active in
making sure that Social Security, civil rights, workers rights, and the
other social issues we care about are protected.
We should all become more politically active. We should also become more
involved with our union, by fighting for the union way of life.
Behind little George are the same people that were with his father and
Reagan.
Gary J. White
UAW Local 137
Greenville, Mich.
SAFER WORK CONTRADICTION
In my 42 plus years of employment at a spring manufacturer, I have always
been cognizant of safety while working.
But the Safer Work feature in the January issue of Solidarity really
shocked me.
Why is the young woman, with the beautiful flowing hair, allowed to operate
this heavy equipment with moving parts with her long hair unprotected?
M. L. Plocharsky
UAW Local 717
Bristol, Conn.
OUTRAGED BY SUPREME COURT
I am outraged by the Supreme Court rulings on the presidential vote count.
My right to vote has been violated. Justices who repeatedly profess to
support states’ rights hypocritically voted to the contrary.
I have never before been involved in politics, but I can assure you that
from now on I will make every effort to defeat any candidate or political
party attempting to usurp my rights as an American citizen.
Robert N. Wuendsch
UAW Local 508
Lackawanna, N.Y.
HOOVER IS BACK
Like President Yokich, I believe that Bush and the Republicans will pick
away at Social Security benefits and unions.
I think President Clinton will have a great legacy. The people of the
world will miss his “peace and prosperity” philosophy.
George Bush’s legacy will be “don’t count the votes.”
Rex Beech
UAW Local 659
Fairfield Bay, Ark.
AGAINST CREDITS FOR VOTING
Giving tax credits to voters in state or federal elections is asinine.
It would not bring out the “right” people, It would bring out
the “wrong” people. It’s not only a right and a privilege
to vote, it’s an obligation. You might buy your “right”
peoples’ votes, but you can’t buy my vote.
Jere B. Stephenson
UAW Local 1216
Sandusky, Ohio
DISAGREES, TOO
Why should anyone get paid to vote? It is a privilege and a right, not
a money-making process. And just who the hell are “the right people?”
Jack Tiggleman
UAW Local 1485
Grand Rapids, Mich.
95 PERCENT OF 'TAKE HOME' PAY
My March issue of Solidarity states that workers (at DaimlerChrysler)
who are laid off are entitled to 95 percent of their pay minus $12.50
per week. Why don’t salaried members get this sweet a deal? Our contract
states that we get 95 percent of take-home pay (about 65 percent of our
gross) minus $25. So why the discrepancy?
Keith Hassan
UAW Local 412
Rochester Hills, Mich.
Both salaried and hourly DaimlerChrysler workers are entitled to 95
percent of their take-home pay (not gross pay) minus $25. The March story
should have made this clear.
RETIREE THANKS DROP-IN CENTERS
I wish to thank the UAW retiree drop-in centers for the good things they
accomplish. They are angels on earth. Without them, I never could have
gotten the help I needed with paperwork for my insurance problems. They
went to bat for me.
William R. Brooks
UAW Local 1776
Riceboro, Ga.
WOODCOCK WILL BE MISSED
With great sadness I learned of the passing of Leonard Woodcock. I first
met him when I was a very young shop steward in the early 60s. I will
be ever grateful for the way he taught us the skills needed to be good
leaders. His example, along with others, led me to devote my life to the
union, for which I am eternally grateful. Leonard Woodcock’s dedication
and leadership to our union and our nation will be sorely missed.
Tom Whalen
UAW Local 887
Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.
UNIONS WORK
I worked as a secretary at a baking company for 12 years. I saw management
treat people badly. I remember when a man, who ran the ovens, asked for
a 10-cent raise, and they told him no. I asked the president why he said
no. He told me, “We can get anybody off the streets to replace him.”
The man later quit in disgust. The president then hired someone else with
less experience and sacrificed product quality to save a dime. Many of
the products that were made by the new person, with less experience, were
inferior and could only be sold in the thrift store.
The president of the company often said, “If a union tries to come
in here, I will close my doors. I won’t let a union tell me how to
treat people.”
I applaud the unions. I have experienced work both with and without a
union. I would choose the union job every time.
Louisa F. Pomeroy
UAW Local 1604
East Corinth, Maine
DON’T FORGET ABOUT CANADA
When I received the January issue of Solidarity, I noticed a small
article on how Canadian unions backed the New Democratic Party in the
election and that they only got 4 percent of the seats.
I have a problem with this because it is very rare that Solidarity
prints something about your Canadian brothers and sisters. And when you
did put something in, it was negative. We would all like to see a lot
more about Canadian issues in the magazine. We can’t forget you’re
over there. So please don’t forget we’re over here.
Rick LaRue
UAW Local 251
Blenheim, Ont.
Address changes
Please mail address changes and old label to UAW Circulation Dept., 8000 E.
Jefferson Ave., Detroit, MI 48214. Address changes also can be e-mailed to:
uawaddresschange@uaw.net
Include the old address, new address and the numeric identification number
(line above the name on the mailing label).
Letters
We welcome letters to Solidarity. Because we receive so many, we cannot
print them all and we reserve the right to edit for length. Please keep letters
brief and include your name, address, and local union number.
Send to Solidarity magazine, UAW, 8000 E. Jefferson Ave., Detroit,
MI, 48214 or via the Internet: uawsolidarity@uaw.net
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