The United Steelworkers would not take “shut” for an answer. Steelworkers demonstrated, petitioned, held press conferences, conducted candlelight vigils, demanded studies, pestered lawmakers, organized meetings and ultimately helped save about 1,200 good-paying refinery jobs, create 1,000 construction jobs and produce 200 new permanent jobs. Those jobs are at two of three Philadelphia refineries given death… Continue Reading
Category Archives: BLOG
Romney’s Independence Day Advice: Buy Foreign
America commemorates its Independence Day this week with food, festivity and fireworks. To supply these events, Mitt Romney recommends: Buy foreign. Americans naturally think the patriotic choice would be to buy American. But for Romney, capitalism trumps patriotism. Romney goes where the money is. He made big bucks as CEO of Bain Capital by… Continue Reading
Corporate Primacy Causes People Poverty
The Romney v. Obama economic smack down in Ohio last Thursday failed to deliver half the punch of remarks the men made earlier in the week. President Obama said the nation must focus on the public sector, which continues to lay off thousands of teachers, cops and firefighters, even while the private sector has recovered… Continue Reading
Leo W. Gerard: China Exports Trouble to U.S.
Over the years, China exported all sorts of toxic, dangerous and killer products to the United States. There was the tainted made-in-China Heparin blood thinner that killed more than 100 Americans. There were the recalled made-in-China toys, jewelry and clothing fasteners containing toxic levels of lead. There was the made-in China drywall that emitted hazardous… Continue Reading
Leo W. Gerard Romney Economics: Cheat Main Street
Mitt Romney made a boatload of money for himself and his fellow fat cats. No doubt about it. Billions. But he made it the way Americans hate most – Wall Street style wheeling and dealing. Americans hate it because when all that scheming went bad, when the market collapsed, it was the 99 percent who… Continue Reading
Lee W. Gerard Workers of the World Unite — With Shareholders
At Citigroup, shareholders had their say on CEO pay — and they yelled, “No damn way!” Concerted action by shareholders, workers and public interest groups compelled corporate change in several other cases this spring as well. At least three CEOs resigned. Executives truncated one shareholder meeting to 12 minutes. And across America and Europe, CEOs lamented the… Continue Reading
Leo W. Gerard: What’s It All About, Romney?
“What’s it all about, Romney? Is it just for the moment we live? What’s it all about when you sort it out, Romney? Are we meant to take more than we give. . .”~With apologies to Burt Bacharach and Hal David who wrote the original song, “Alfie” As Mitt Romney laughs while “apologizing” for bullying a fellow high school… Continue Reading
Leo W. Gerard: Obamacare Pays Off – in Real Cash
In a famous Laugh In sketch, Lily Tomlin, playing arrogant operator Ernestine, telephones a customer to demand payment of $23.64 for three calls to Topeka and threatens to send a burly serviceman to the customer’s house to rip his phone out of the wall if he doesn’t pay. Ernestine was the face of smug and uncaring Bell Telephone.… Continue Reading
Leo Gerard: Killing Democracy One Vote at a Time
Corporations, 1 percenters and Republicans want to take America back. And by that, they mean all the way to the 1780s when wealthy white men controlled the nation. Because only they could vote. In the intervening 230 or so years, America became increasingly democratic, eventually awarding the vote to white landless males; Quakers, Jews and Catholics; black men; women;… Continue Reading
Leo W. Gerard End the Delays Deadly to Workers
Wear black on Saturday. It is Workers’ Memorial Day, a time devoted to commemorating those killed on the job. A month later, on soldiers’ Memorial Day, the nation will recognize those who sacrificed their lives for American ideals, for a nation’s freedom. That ultimate gift is given in most cases valiantly and voluntarily. No one,… Continue Reading