The State Officers and Representatives Wish All of Our Readers a Wonderful Holiday Season, and a Prosperous New Year!

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1 The State Officers and Representatives Wish All of Our Readers a Wonderful Holiday Season, and a Prosperous New Year!

KIM KARRDASHIAN DRAFTED BY NFL TEAM BUT DOES NOT PASS PHYSICAL BECAUSE OF EBOLA* Lee McNew, Legislative Director Spoilers below: A recent major study by Princeton s Martin Gilens and Northwestern s

2 KIM KARRDASHIAN DRAFTED BY NFL TEAM BUT DOES NOT PASS PHYSICAL BECAUSE OF EBOLA* Lee McNew, Legislative Director Spoilers below: A recent major study by Princeton s Martin Gilens and Northwestern s Benjamin Page that has been widely reported by numerous news sources shows that the great democratic republic that once was the United States no longer exists, except in name only. The study reveals the impact of money in politics and the loss of John and Jill Q Public s voice at the hands of lobbyists, ideologues, and politicians catering to greed rather than those who they represent. Unfortunately, I believe those villains are not truly the heart of the problem, despite how much everyone, including myself, wants to blame them. No, the true cause of this shift and in the American public not being represented is not that the last Congress had the lowest approval rating since they have been tracking approval ratings. No, even with that being said, and an approval rating of around eleven percent, over ninety percent of the races where the incumbent ran they were re-elected, seemingly defying common sense. That is until one looks at the almost four billion dollars that was spent on this latest election. Don t jump ahead just yet, even though four billion for anything is most likely excessive, let alone an election that does not directly involve the presidency. I am not saying that money should be atop the public s most wanted list. In truth, that spot must be reserved for the true culprit and it is one that lives in us all, sometimes living all too large, and that is apathy. Apathy is the reason that in this last election incumbents of a do nothing Congress that repeatedly spent more energy and money on making the opposition look bad, rather than actually representing the people. Apathy, as demonstrated by the NY Times when it reported that this last voter turnout was the lowest in 72 years. There is no need to suppress votes when the vast majority could care less about how they are governed. It is apathy that fuels this new oligarchy more so than the money of the one percent, the greed of corporations and shareholders, or the influence of the lobbyists. The system is still in place to regain our voice, but apathy must be pushed back as it is doubtful it will ever truly be defeated. Rather than merely voting and calling a Congressional representatives office we MUST now become activists in our own rights, urging that the public use the voice they still have left. In my own opinion, in addition to getting a sample ballot and knowing the wording of bills that we are voting on to avoid being misled by sometimes intentional vague language that is used, we must also ignore the attack ads that have become the lifeblood of campaigns. In order to bring this about we must as a society demonstrate that we will no longer grow frustrated and cease to vote, but rather get more involved and vote at record levels. This will diminish the votes of the ideologues, bringing about a dramatic change to how they have been magnified by the rest of the country not voting. This involvement should focus on those secondary villains, as well as getting money out of elections. Overturning Citizen s United so that people are represented, not corporations, get money out of politics so that the one percent have a vote but it is worth only as much as the next voters, this will also impact lobbyists those long time peddlers of favoritism, will stop overriding the voice of democracy that America once had by virtue of the Democratic Republic that it was meant to be. *The headline to this story is entirely fictional and is not intended to address any issue about Kim Kardashian s extended fifteen minutes of fame or the NFL or Ebola but rather is a fiction that seems to lessen the impact of apathy of readers. Similar to how voters with bills such as Right to Work or Freedom to Work provides a popular fiction/catch phrase that has nothing to do with the matter but is more popular than the truth. Which in this articles case would be, Why democracy failed in the mid-term.

Non-Votes are Election's Woes Susan McDaniel, Assistant Editor Whoa! It is December-and it only seems like yesterday when we are reminding everyone that it was time to go vote.

3 Non-Votes are Election's Woes Susan McDaniel, Assistant Editor Whoa! It is December-and it only seems like yesterday when we are reminding everyone that it was time to go vote. Remember, yes, we posted the AFL-CIO list of endorsements, asked you to weight facts, vote with an educated opinion-we just wanted you to vote. So today, a little more than a month later, I ask-did you? Did you make sure that you exercised your right to help sway the country in a more labor-friendly direction? I am closing my eyes, pretending that I see a sea of hands waving emphatically, telling me that you all stepped into the polls and did the right thing. You, maybe you did, but a whole heck of a lot people out there did not. There were three kinds of people out there on election day-yes, three kinds. First there was the conscientious voter. You know, this is the one who studies the issues, learns a little about each candidate and then votes armed with the facts. They, like myself, might be the blue sort of voter, usually, but there might be a candidate out there that is kind of red, but I know is going to stand behind unionism. Sometimes, I have to go red-while other times, I just can't. Regardless, I know the facts before I walk into that room. Second, there is that person who can't see beyond the color. They are born and bred red, and to go blue, well, would be like getting a root canal. Perhaps they like the way they look in blue, and well, there is no other color. They insist on voting along party lines, regardless of failure rate. Lastly, there is the worst kind of voter-the non-voter. Apathetic, they make all kinds of excuses-the oldiespoliticians are all crooks; they say one thing, do another; they are just buying their votes; or the best one of all-my vote doesn t make a difference, so I'm not going to vote. Maybe one vote doesn t seem like much, but if you think that, and your neighbor thinks that, and then his neighbor, well you get the picture. All of those non-votes, they add up. Those votes are all it takes to swerve someone who is ahead at 51% to fall behind to 49%. Really. The non-voter is dangerous, because apathy, well, it breeds fast, like a Gremlin who has been showered with water. One person's apathy can quickly become another's and a houseful of apathy, barely has a chance to die. Funny thing about a non-voter is that of all the voters that are out there, they are the ones that tend to complain the most when things don't go the way they think they should. What the heck? If you don't like it, do something right? So what has to be done? Vote! A month ago, we were voting, and the votes, well they didn't quite go the way we had hoped they would. Labor did not win any big battles that day, and we are up for more a fight than ever. My question to you is, what kind of voter were you? Did you let apathy win that battle that day, or did you go in armed with the facts, and give it your best shot?

4 Striking Walmart workers stage L.A. sit-downs at stores and in the street By Mike Hall, AFL-CIO NOW On November 13 in Los Angeles, Walmart workers participated in their boldest action to date: the first-ever sit-down strike at a Walmart store. They were protesting an end to retaliation when they speak out for $15 an hour, fulltime hours and respect at work. The striking workers entered the Crenshaw Walmart and refused to move, holding a sit-in near cash registers and racks at the store. The workers chanted, Stand Up, Live Better! Sit Down, Live Better! before placing tape over their mouths signifying the company s attempts to silence workers who are calling for better jobs. After several hours, they left peacefully and headed to another Los Angeles-area store, where they held a rally. Then workers and their supporters took over the intersection near the Pico Rivera Walmart, refusing to leave until they were arrested and removed from the intersection. A total of 28 people were arrested, including clergy, community members and strikers. The owners of Walmart, the Walton family, is the richest family in America who own nearly $150 billion in wealth while most Walmart workers make less than $25,000 a year. Over the past year, Walmart workers have pressured Walmart to provide workplace accommodations for pregnant workers, to provide access to more hours and, most recently, to pledge to phase out its minimum wage jobs. However, when workers calls for change started to gain momentum, Walmart struck back. They retaliated against vocal workers standing up for better wages and worker conditions. Pictures Compliments of the AFL-CIO. Workers strike in California.

5 Walmart Workers Strike in California. Pictures Compliments of the AFL-CIO.

6 While the Reality Bites, the Members MUST Fight Darcy Wood, Legislative Director, GKCMAL #67 Kansas City While the Reality Bites, the Members MUST Fight Darcy Wood, Legislative Director Greetings Brothers and Sisters, By now the disappointing news of the last election cycle has set in. Low voter turnout and apathy has been reported, bemoaned, argued about and hashed over. What does it mean for the Union Movement and specifically APWU members? It means a dark year to come, full of attacks on our Union, legislative bills that will attempt to privatize the Postal Service and negate our union Contracts. Republicans now have fifty-two seats in the Senate, and the House also gained more members. The Committees that legislate the Postal Service will be headed by Congressmen that are proprivatization. Legislative members are still working to try to get the Letter addressing the Plant closures and destruction of our service standards attached to the appropriations bill for the 2015 year. We will continue to fight for this language, but with a Lame Duck Congress and the year drawing to a close, this will become difficult, if not impossible. We have new enemies and their numbers are greater, but our most dangerous enemy by far is Senator Ron Johnson. The government should be smaller, the Postal Service should go through a bankruptcy process and it is too hard to fire federal employees," according to Senator Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican who will be the next chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. We already know what happened in Wisconsin, and he seeks to do the same with the Postal Service. Senator Johnson, who moved to the head of the chairmanship line when Republicans took control of the Senate in the Nov. 4 th midterm election, will replace current chair Senator Tom Carper, when the new Congress convenes in January. He said the Postal Service should be put through a bankruptcy process to shed what he sees as costly union contracts and to further reduce operating expenses. He feels that no Federal Worker should have the protections of a Union. He said he also doesn t believe the Postal Service should be tied to Saturday letter delivery, and that there is nothing in the constitution that guarantees that frequency of delivery. With the loss of Senator Carper and this man as his replacement, we now have no defense against the worker attacks that will surely come from this committee in the form of Postal reform bills. House Member Darrell Issa is being replaced,

7 Continued from Page 6 but the news of his replacement in no better. Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) was tapped on Nov. 18 to lead the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform for the incoming Congress. He is not new to the Committee and was certainly a comrade of Issa's. I expect more of the same kind of legislation that we have been fighting for the last few years. And now with a path to the Senate, that fight will only get worse. This article holds a lot of bad news, but no matter what we will continue to fight, and we will do everything we can to protect the working class. And when I say we, I mean you, because if you are not clear as to what Solidarity means, it demands that we ALL stand up and fight. Is there some reason that certain members sit on their asses and watch other people do all the work? Why are they so special that they expect others to fight for them? In the Postal Strike if 1971, do you think it was 15 people doing all the work? Showing up on the picket line? Every member showed up. And every member will need to show up or the next two years could be our last. This is not a scare tactic. I don't have the time or the patience to try to coddle members into giving a damn. The value of your job will become very apparent when they take it away from you. So pardon me if I state that the phrase I pay my dues will be the worst thing you can ever say to me. Or the phrase the Union isn't doing anything You are correct. It is a very simple equation. If every member is the Union, and you are doing absolutely nothing to stand in Solidarity with your Brothers and Sisters, then the Union is nothing and that is exactly what you will have at the end of this War. Your Sister in the Fight.

9 Life Is Not a Dress Rehearsal By Mary Lee Brennan I had some friends remind me of this when I last saw them. It s amazing how we drift through our lives, day after day, going to work, doing our jobs to the best of our abilities, taking whatever the company decides to give us, as though we deserve to be treated like second class citizens. Now this is not always the case, but there are times when this is the way we feel. It is amazing how we complain to each other but never take advantage of the most fantastic benefit at our disposal---the UNION. You have someone to back you up when you are treated unfairly. You have someone who will explain the contract and help you file a grievance if necessary. Your UNION is worth its weight in gold. But you have to do your part in this life. You should join the union as soon as you start work, go to union meetings and learn what is going on, then have the guts to talk to your union representative when it is necessary. When a supervisor is treating you unfairly or not abiding by the contract you must ask for a shop steward. The conversation should stop at that point. If it does not, keep working but speak to your shop steward as soon as possible. Do not be intimidated. Be respectful not intimidated. Then along the way get active in your union. Have your family get active in the auxiliary so that you as a family unit are working together to improve all your lives. Take advantage of all that the American Postal Workers Union and Auxiliary have to offer. I have worked at jobs that were non-union and jobs where there was a union shop. When I told one company I was leaving to work at Dierbergs they offered to match Dierbergs pay. That sounded good until you consider they could let me go at any time. No cause just lead me to the door. I knew that Local 88 would have my back. I never regretted that decision. Now you have a choice to not do anything and let life happen or take on the world with your union s help and enjoy all the benefits to which you are entitled. The union got your benefits so that you could take that vacation, take time off, use your time as needed for your family. Remember, life is not a dress rehearsal.

John Sweeney Responds

Volume 1 Number 24 Tough Questions, Fresh Ideas, and New Models: Fuel for the New Labor Movement Labor Research Review Article 17 1996 John Sweeney Responds John Sweeney This Article is brought to you