Posted by Chrissy the Hyphenated
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The big unions in this country have become the evil they were originally created to stop.
At the end of October, the president of the United Steelworkers international union, Leo Gerard, declared on television and in his union blog that the Wall Street occupiers speak for unions. He also called for more “militancy” in the protesters behavior.
Three days later, the Occupy Oakland protest turned violent.
The following is excerpted from a transcript of Gerard’s interview with Ed Schultz (sources all linked below):
I think what we need is, we need more militancy. I think we’ve got to start a resistance movement. We oughta be doing more than occupying parks. We oughta start occupying bridges. We start oughta occupying the banks places themselves.
Are we hearing any massive condemnation of liberal speech inciting violence? Of course not!
If Wall Street occupation doesn’t get the message, I think we’ve got to start blocking bridges and doing that kind of stuff. This doesn’t have to be this way. The economy doesn’t have to be this way. It’s being put this way because the Wall Streeters are getting their way.
Wall Streeters are getting their way? Leo Gerard is an adviser to President Obama who also serves on the board of a number of groups funded by billionaire George Soros, including organizations that reportedly helped to craft Obama’s “stimulus” and health-care laws.
More inaccurate and semi-literate statements from Gerard’s interview:
Then we lost the House ’cause the House got blamed for what the Senate didn’t do and now we got a bunch of right-wing nutjobs running the House of Representatives. And in the last period of time, what do we got now, almost two years, a year and a half, that the only thing they’ve done is bring forward social bills, they haven’t brought forward one jobs bill, not one jobs bill, Ed, not one jobs bill and that’s what they ran on.
Note to Leo: The Republicans took control of the House in January of 2011. That would be ten months ago, not “almost two years, a year and a half.” Before that, Democrats had control of the House and the Senate for four years and then added the White House for two more years. And, BTW, that “what the Senate didn’t do”? That was the Democrat-majority Senate that didn’t and still isn’t doing.
I think there’s a reason this moron is working in the same cushy employment sector as government workers. He wouldn’t last 5 minutes in the private sector!
Chrissy’s Site Bites: http://news.webshots.com/photo/2202954850056011884qAPEdQ
ITA with what Jack Coleman of Newsbusters had to say:
“Perhaps after union members are released on bail following their arrests for occupying bridges and banks and, in the process, harming countless working people just trying to do their jobs, they might want to consider occupying the offices of amply compensated union leaders, including Gerard.”
Here are a few facts about the 7 largest unions in the United States:
National Education Association (NEA)
Federal campaign contributions last election cycle: 3.7 million
Percent to Democrats: 98%
Union President’s 2009 salary and benefits: $397,721
Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
Federal campaign contributions (2009-2010): $2 million
Percent to Democrats: 99.5%
Union President’s 2009 salary and benefits: $306,388
United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW)
Federal campaign contributions (past two years): $1.9 million
Percent to Democrats: 99%
Union President’s 2009 salary and benefits: $360,737
International Brotherhood of Teamsters (Teamsters)
Federal campaign contributions (past two years): 2.35 million
Percent to Democrats: 98%
Union President’s 2009 salary and benefits: $362,869
American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
Federal campaign contributions (past two years): 2.313 million
Percent to Democrats: 99.4%
Union President’s 2009 salary and benefits: $479,328
Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA)
Federal campaign contributions (past two years): $1.7 million
Percent to Democrats: 95%
Union President’s 2009 salary and benefits: $618,000
American Federation of Teachers (AFT)
Federal campaign contributions (past two years): $2.4 million
Percent to Democrats: 99.5%
Union President’s 2009 salary and benefits: $428,284
Political Affiliation of Americans
At the beginning and end of the time period during which the largest unions’ leaders were donating 95+% of all campaign contributions into Democrat coffers, Americans were more or less evenly divided between the two major parties.
January 2009: Democrat 51% vs. Republicans 41%
December 2010: Democrat 44% vs. Republicans 48%
(GALLUP: Includes leaners)
The money the unions donated to Democrats-Only was garnished from union workers’ wages. Union workers are Americans, not Democrats! I pity all the non-Leftist unionized workers whose hard-earned money is skimmed from their paychecks whether they like it or not, then used to help elect people they don’t want in office. (E.g., Todd Palin’s union used his dues to send “Sarah sucks” mailings to its members.)
There is an excellent website that keeps track of union abuses.
Two recent items I saw posted there:
Bad teachers are impossible to fire
The Albany Times Union has a must-read report today that demonstrates just how difficult it is to fire a misbehaving educator in New York state. How difficult? Teachers who were late 101 times, downloaded porn on their work computers, and beat students all remained on the job after a costly appeals process. The problem is so bad that many districts don’t even bring cases because of the cost.
Chicago bosses take multiple pensions
Bosses in the Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA) are set to receive benefits from two and even three pension funds upon retirement from their positions. This despite a state pension law that prohibits union members who receive city pensions from “receiving credit in any pension plan established by the local labor organization based on his employment by the organization.”
SOURCES:
http://patriotupdate.com/14294/obama-adviser-urges-militancy-in-nationwide-occupy-protests
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/jack-coleman/2011/11/02/union-chief-leo-gerard-resistance-movement-needed-seize-bridges-banks-
http://laborpains.org/
http://www.usw.org/
http://www.iwatchnews.org/2011/03/03/2097/scores-union-leaders-earn-six-figure-salaries/
http://laborpains.org/2011/10/12/chicago-bosses-take-multiple-pensions/
http://laborpains.org/2011/10/24/bad-teachers-are-impossible-to-fire/
http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Solving-puzzle-of-bad-teachers-2232004.php
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-10-12/news/ct-met-pensions-double-dip-20111012_1_pension-fund-union-pension-retirement
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