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Presidential Candidates Set for Union Forum as Building Trades and CWA Members Head to the Hill |
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Congress will get an earful from union members in lobbying visits and a Capitol Hill rally this week. In addition, several presidential candidates will get a chance to make their pitch for the job when they address more than 3,000 delegates from the AFL-CIO Building and Construction Trades Department (BCTD) and the Communications Workers of America (CWA) annual legislative meetings.
Some 2,500 BCTD members kicked off their three-day conference today. Tomorrow they will head to Capitol Hill to attend House hearings on several important issues, including a House Education and Labor Committee panel looking at employer misclassification of construction and trades workers as independent contractors. BCTD calls the practice a:
thinly veiled, and illegal, attempt to boost profits, deny workers health, retirement, workers compensation, and unemployment benefits, and deprive state and federal governments of hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenues.
After the hearing, BCTD members will “Rally for American Workers” on Capitol Hill, calling for the passage of the Employee Free Choice Act and other congressional action to stop the squeeze on the middle class.
Wednesday’s presidential forum includes Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Del.), Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.), Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y), Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D-N.M.).Meanwhile, some 600 CWA members opened their three-day legislative conference yesterday with Biden addressing participants. Other candidates scheduled: Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), who will speak today, and Clinton, Edwards and Obama tomorrow.CWA members also will head for the Hill today and tomorrow to talk with lawmakers about the Employee Free Choice Act, universal high-speed Internet access, health care and other important working family issues.
We’ll bring you more from the rally and other actions later this week.
3 Comments
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It took me all my 69 years to master the English Language almost. I was born here, but it is a tough language. So tough that my German grandma could master it when she came her at 16 but the Mexican’s can’t.
I can tell you right now I cannot and I will not learn chineese or Mexican. They and this adminstration can go to hell. We really need to do something and do it soon. Helping illigals is not going to benefit our country. S.York
I suppose the above post is here to illustrate the stupidity of people who blame immigrant workers for the problems caused by corporate crime, unfair trade agreements, and the racist policies of our government.
I was sitting outside an office today where I had an assignment — I am in Florida. I listened to telephone reps have a smoke and laugh about how their phone equipment and Internet connection is so shoddy, it will be amazing if they reach their “quota.” One guy was concerned because he was still in his 90-day probation period — the other took a drag of his cigarette and said, “Yea, it is like they are setting us up to fail so we don’t get benefits.”
Welcome to the sunshine state.