Conservative columnist George F. Will never misses an opportunity to distort the facts in an effort to spread untruths about issues of importance to working Americans.

In a January 29, 2010 Washington Post column, Will takes President Obama to task for not mentioning the Employee Free Choice Act in his State of the Union Address. “Unmentioned was organized labor’s “card check” legislation to abolish workers’ rights to secret ballots in unionization elections,” Will wrote. This is a calculated effort to mislead readers about the legislation.

The Employee Free Choice act would not “abolish workers’ rights to secret ballots.” What it would do is eliminate the ability of employers – not employees – to demand a National Labor Relations Board election. Workers would have a choice of “majority sign-up” or an election.

On January 10, Will wrote another Washington Post column that was filled with distortions and misinformation. In that column, he argued that unnamed liberals and AFSCME members were somehow responsible for the budget crisis facing California, ignoring the fact that conservative policies had led the state to the brink of disaster. AFSCME Pres. Gerald W. McEntee wrote to the paper to set the record straight:

Dear Editor:

George W. Will must think that his readers have amnesia. How else to explain his muddled effort to blame liberals for California’s budget crisis (“Fiscal liberalism has tarnished California gold,” Sunday, January 10), while making no mention of Proposition 13 and its impact on the states’ fiscal fortunes? That measure, passed with the enthusiastic support of Mr. Will and his conservative allies, cut property taxes by 57 percent and forced the state to rely heavily on income taxes to fund vital public services. When combined with the California constitutional requirement of a two-thirds majority vote in the state’s Legislature for all major tax and budget proposals, Prop 13 set the Golden State on the course toward disaster. How strange, too, that Mr. Will targets American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) workers at the University of California at Berkeley who participated in a September protest against budget cuts at the university. Our members who participated are janitors and service workers. Rather than blame these low-paid employees for California’s budget problems, Mr. Will should look in the mirror.

Sincerely,

Gerald W. McEntee

This message regarding President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address comes from AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee.

President Obama made it clear last night that he will fight for jobs. He knows that we cannot lose sight of the millions of working families who are still suffering from the worst economic disaster since the Great Depression. Too many Americans are out of work and too many jobs are at risk.

The President and Congress must act now or millions of Americans could lose their jobs in the months ahead. To this point, the President reminded the Democrats of their obligation to lead and served notice to Republicans that ‘just say no’ is not an option.

AFSCME agrees with the President that America needs to lay a foundation for long-term economic growth, and we continue to believe that providing affordable, quality health care for millions of additional Americans is not only the right thing to do, but is also a key to economic recovery.

We also agree that federal action is needed to keep our economy from slipping back into the ditch. Too many services in communities across the country are being cut to the bone. AFSCME members understand this first hand. Members like you are on the front lines of this crisis, trying to do more and more with less and less. State and local governments need help and they need it now.

AFSCME will fight for robust investment in vital public services. Indeed, investment in public services must be a part of federal jobs legislation. In the coming weeks and months, we will call you, our 1.6 million members, to lend your voice to our efforts to make this happen.

AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee released the following statement regarding President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address, which is expected to focus on saving and creating jobs as our nation struggles to climb out of the economic crisis:

“President Obama addresses the nation tonight after pulling the American economy back from the brink of a second Depression. Unfortunately, we have learned in the past year that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) was not big enough to stimulate a full-scale recovery. Unless we act now, more Americans –- including nearly a million public employees –- could lose their jobs as current federal investments run out and the vital services Americans need during tough times are cut to the bone. There simply won’t be an economic recovery if Washington turns its back on Main Street USA.

“Economists from all sides of the political spectrum agree that one of the best ways to save and create American jobs is through vigorous investments in public services. For example, respected economist Mark Zandi, a former advisor to Sen. John McCain, estimates that every dollar invested in public services yields $1.38 in economic growth.

“Investing in public sector jobs creates jobs in the private sector. Federal funding is needed to keep our streets safe, our children educated and our families in good health. As living, breathing engines of economic development, AFSCME members urge President Obama and members of Congress to focus like a laser beam on saving and creating American jobs by including robust investments in public services in any upcoming jobs legislation.”

As earthquake relief efforts continue in Haiti, Union Plus will automatically double individual contributions to the AFL-CIO Solidarity Center, 100% of which will be used to help the Haitian people. That means when you contribute at UnionPlus.org/Haiti your $10 contribution becomes $20, your $25 becomes $50 and your $100 becomes $200.

Union Plus has committed $100,000 through this dollar-for-dollar donation match to help Haitian earthquake relief efforts. The benefits program provides more than 50 money-saving benefits and services to union members and their families.

“Despite the millions of dollars raised already, the people of Haiti continue to have an ongoing need for our help. That’s why we are committing $100,000 to double the donations made by union members to the Solidarity Center,” Union Plus President Leslie Tolf said.

The Solidarity Center is providing immediate life-saving relief supplies including food, clean water, medical supplies, blankets and tents to the Haitian people. Goods are currently being delivered to the Confederation of Haitian Workers training center, which is providing shelter, food, and medical assistance to more than 200 people.

Donations can be made at UnionPlus.org/Haiti or by sending a check to: Solidarity Center Education Fund, Attn: Joan Welsh, 888 16th Street, N.W., Suite 400, Washington, DC, 20006. Please designate “Earthquake Relief for Haitian Workers” in the memo line of the check.

Americans struggle today with the disastrous results of unaccountable executives whose greed and irresponsible conduct created the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.  Too many CEOs and financial institutions put short-term profits ahead of the creation of long-term and sustainable wealth.  The foolish, short-sighted risk-taking by major financial institutions, at the expense of shareholders and the public, must never happen again.

President Obama laid out significant proposals last week for reforming the nation’s financial sector.  He addressed the failure of banks to fulfill their core mission of serving their customers, which led to the financial crisis.  The President proposed new fees on Wall Street to ensure the taxpayers get their money back, and had a strong message for banks that might object to these changes:

“And my resolve is only strengthened when I see a return to old practices at some of the very firms fighting reform; and when I see soaring profits and obscene bonuses at some of the very firms claiming that they can’t lend more to small business, they can’t keep credit card rates low, they can’t pay a fee to refund taxpayers for the bailout without passing on the cost to shareholders or customers – that’s the claims they’re making.  It’s exactly this kind of irresponsibility that makes clear reform is necessary.”

It’s high time for financial institutions to pay back the loan that the American people extended when the financial crisis hit.  The projected $100 billion that would be recovered would be very helpful in jump-starting the nation’s economic engine, keeping Americans in their homes and creating jobs.

It is time to fix the problems that sent our economy into a downward spiral that we are still trying to escape.  The President’s proposals are important steps to make financial institutions accountable and responsible. America must never again get into a situation where irresponsible conduct profits the banks while punishing the public.

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), last week unveiled a new community service program designed to mobilize the unemployed and underemployed to better cope with the stress and pressure of being jobless in America.

Ur Union of Unemployed, or UCubed for short, is an online community, with small groups of unemployed activists in a single zip code forming “cubes” and ultimately becoming a linked network with considerable political and economic influence.

“We hope that UCubed will provide a measure of relief and an end to the isolation, frustration and depression that so many unemployed workers experience,” said IAM President Tom Buffenbarger. “Working together, they can build a network of mutual support and help each other to get through the next few years.”

Read the full IAM press release about UCubed. Better yet, check out the UCubed website at www.unionofunemployed.com and listen to today’s Workers Independent News story about UCubed. And if you know someone who is unemployed, tell them about UCubed.

Kudos to Wisconsin for requiring the state’s schools to teach labor history and collective bargaining. On Dec. 10, Gov. Jim Doyle (D) signed the “Labor History in the Schools” bill – the first of its kind in the nation.

In signing this landmark legislation, Governor Doyle said he was thinking about the kids today and how vital it is to learn about the labor movement’s gains, such as fair wages, good benefits, decent working conditions and justice.

No doubt, this is a historic measure.  And it’s even more notable because Wisconsin is the birthplace of AFSCME. Our ranks grew from 5,355 members in 1936 to more than 200,000 in the 1950s. During this period, AFSCME waged a successful campaign for collective bargaining rights. As a result, Wisconsin passed one of the nation’s first collective bargaining laws for public employees in 1959.

“Wisconsin continues the tradition of honoring the tremendous contributions and sacrifices of workers who built this great nation,” says Pres. Gerald McEntee. “We must never forget that workers organized, marched, went on strike, and even gave their lives in the struggles that resulted in the 40-hour work week, safe working conditions and secure retirement benefits.”

Absolutely thrilled. That’s how Janet Ramsey felt when she heard the news. A medical laboratory technician and member of Local 1942 (Council 24), she regularly volunteers at the local high school in Madison, talking to kids about unions. And it saddens her that there’s only one paragraph in the students’ history books about labor.

University of Massachusetts history professor James Green agrees with Ramsey. “Ignorance of labor history will disempower today’s workers and students,” he says. But armed with this knowledge, individual workers can achieve some dignity when they assert their collective power.

We agree, totally.

AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee issued the following statement regarding the election results in Massachusetts:

“Martha Coakley’s defeat last night was a reminder that Americans are still struggling and sent a wake up call that our elected leaders need to deliver on job creation and on saving jobs. The simplistic analysis, pumped up by Republican and insurance company rhetoric, is to blame health care reform for Coakley’s defeat. But in fact, Americans continue to support the key components of health care reform, such as assuring affordability and prohibiting denials for pre-existing conditions. And we must fix health care now if our economy is to improve.

“As we head into 2010, we must heed the lessons of last night. We must show bold action and determination by passing real health care reform now. And we must pass a jobs bill that saves existing jobs and creates new American jobs. Accomplishing these goals will inspire confidence that Democrats know how to govern by fulfilling their promises, rather than abandoning their principles when the going gets tough.”

On December 12, the international news magazine The Economist published a misinformed article calling public employees “coddled” and “spoiled rotten.” The article mistakenly blames hard working public employees for the challenges state and local governments face in the recession. President Gerald W. McEntee wrote a strong response, defending AFSCME members from misplaced attacks on their pay and benefits, and standing up for the rights of workers to bargain for better benefits and wages.

Valued workers

SIR – That you regard public-sector workers to be “coddled” and “spoiled rotten” because of their health-care benefits and pensions says more about you than the workers (“Welcome to the real world”, December 12th). You even distorted the evidence, claiming that public employees earn more than those in the private sector. As the Bureau of Labour Statistics makes clear, when comparing pay within occupations public employees do not receive more than their counterparts in the corporate world.

We believe that all American workers deserve decent health care and a secure retirement. The decline of unions in the private sector is one reason why those benefits are not shared by more families. Contrary to what you might think, it is not government employees who brought the American economy and state and local budgets to the brink of disaster. Rather than attack public employees for negotiating good contracts, we should expand the ability of all workers to bargain for better wages and benefits so that they and their families can share in the American Dream.

Gerald McEntee
President
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
Washington, DC

This entry by AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee is cross-posted from Huffington Post and Firedoglake.

As news traveled around the world that a major earthquake had struck Haiti, so many of us bowed our heads in sorrow. There is no appropriate way to measure its impact on that already-impoverished country. We can only watch in horror as emergency teams pull bodies from destroyed buildings and hope against hope that the rescued victims are alive. Our union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), has many members with family, friends and neighbors in Haiti who have lost everything. The loss of life and extent of damage is almost incomprehensible.

At this moment of urgent need, the Haitian government – and the people of Haiti – have asked for help from the world community. Those of us who can must heed this call in whatever way possible. AFSCME is donating an initial $25,000 in relief funds to the AFL-CIO Solidarity Center’s Earthquake Relief for Haitian Workers fund. In addition, we encourage people to go to the Solidarity Center’s website: solidaritycenter.org to make a donation.

Next Monday, January 18, our nation celebrates the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. AFSCME has a particular tie to Dr. King and his causes. For it was in Memphis, where he joined 1,300 AFSCME Local 1733 sanitation workers in their struggle for equality, that he was assassinated in 1968. This tragic bond has always strengthened our resolve to carry on his work.

Dr. King said, “An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”

In that spirit, the AFSCME family is asking all of America to rally to the aid of those suffering in Haiti. Now is the time for Americans to help those desperately needing our help. Now is the time to take action and lend a helping hand to the people of Haiti.

MLK Day is a reminder of what this great man stood for, and of our on-going responsibility to help those who cannot help themselves. That is why this day has become a day of service. I can think of no greater service than helping the survivors of the earthquake that hit Haiti this past Monday.