Welcome to the Teamsters Local 284 website
President's Message
GET INVOLVED AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Dear
Sisters and Brothers:
Your Union's
activities go beyond the daily work of grievance handling, contract negotiations
and organinizing. So much of what we do is directly affected by politics.
In our counties, cities, state and federal government, our rights as working
people and union members are under constant challenge from wide variety of
interest groups who oppose our interests.
Political Action has become essential and one of the ways we have to become involved is through D.R.I.V.E. The acronym stands for Democratic, Republican, Independent, Voter Education.
Drive is the political arm of the Teamsters
Government Affairs Department. The
Drive program has the resources to effectively support
candidates who back Teamster priorities and
oppose those who work against us.
Corporations spend big money in Washington D.C. to influence members of Congress and push their anti-worker agendas in hopes of increasing their profits by gaining favorable legislation. Corporate America outspends Organized Labor on politics by more than 15 to 1.
And if you don't believe it look at the major contributors (crooks) that are asking for the Federal Bailout and then using part of that money to stop workers from improving their lives fighting us for the employee free choice act. Here is just a sampling of those individuals the Bank of America Corporation, AIG, AARP, Chamber of Commerce, Verizon and Home Depot.
Bernie Marcus the co-founder of Home Depot has led the charge on many occasions as many hard working union members continue to shop at Home depot and making him fatter. A statement contributed to Marcus was that he had to take a tranquillizer to calm himself down and then went on to say I could be out in the Mediterranean on my 350 foot boat enjoying myself, must be nice to think so much of himself and so little of those who have made him rich.
Some of the people receiving the bail out money are contributing our money to defeat EFCA tot he tune of $250,000.00 to 2 million dollars all the while they continue to spread falsehoods about what the bill really means.
According to the NLRB annual report over 31,000 employees were fired or discriminated against in 2005 simply for supporting a union. The EFCA ensures that employees who form a union would gain a first time contract Union Busting Attorneys always fight to the point time has elapsed to get that first contract, this bill would guarantee a contract. According to the NLRB over 60 Million Americans would like to join a union.
There are many ways you can help to pass the Employee Free Choice Act get involved in several ways contact any politician and express your desire for them to help pass this piece of legislation, also join DRIVE so that we can support the politicians that support your Union.
In Solidarity
Allen E. Price
President
