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The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 22, 2008

In Praise Of Unions

I am so sick of people bashing the UAW and other unions. If you make more than minimum wage, if you work a 40-hour week, if you have medical insurance - thank the unions!

No one but the wealthy will profit from the destruction of the unions. Media commentators, financial experts and business CEOs want the middle class and their children to bear the burden of business bailouts. What they do not realize is bankruptcy of the "big 3" will result in 750,000 Americans losing part or all of their pensions. How much will the resulting bankruptcies, foreclosures and new government entitlements cost Americans?

At lower wages, your grandchildren will not be able to afford college. If you want them to graduate high school and make minimum wage at Walmart or any other job that is left after the unions are forced out, you have yourself to blame.

DAVID SUTTON

Tampa

Blatant Hypocrisy Democratic Senators voted Tuesday by secret ballot to keep Joe Lieberman as chairman of the Homeland Security Committee. Did you hear that? Secret ballot.

At the same time the Democratic-led Senate and President-elect Obama are considering outlawing secret ballots for National Labor Relations Board-sanctioned labor union elections, How blatant can it get folks? The Fairness Act is about to muzzle you. Seems to me free choice means how I vote is my business, kind of like a senator.

JOHN REYNOLDS

Brooksville

No Union Supporter

Re: "For Stronger Unions" by Leslie Garone (Letters, Nov. 17): The writer must not understand what's "busting" American automakers. There are a lot of folks living amongst us here in Florida drawing full salary and benefits who haven't worked a day in decades. They got those benefits when U.S. car manufacturing was king and the companies agreed with almost any union demand to keep them on the job. One agreement I know of happened back in the 60s. My best friend was living in Grand Blanc and making engines in Flint. He told me then that the most recent UAW contract called for "utility men," as he called them, to be hired so line workers could take bathroom and smoke breaks pretty much when they wanted. He laughed and said it wasn't long before there were as many utility men as line workers.

And don't even bring up the Employee Free Choice Act to me. The act opens up your private thoughts to union organizers. I've been there personally, and sweated veiled threats made to me just for my opinion, to wit: I got a personal wakeup call to union fear-mongering when I worked in the coal mines under the UMW. At the time I was VP of the local. I told the president in a private, casual conversation with him about where the union needed to go, and added that I thought Joseph "Jock" Yablonski, who was running for the national presidency, had some good ideas.

Well, it wasn't but a few days until a good friend of mine and of my family, called me aside after work one night and said I should be aware of my surroundings when going to and from work, and when down in the mine, because I sounded like I might support someone other than the incumbent UAW president, Tony Boyle.

In my opinion, were it not a close-knit community I lived in, and my family well thought of, I might not be writing this letter.

WAYNE HAYS

Hudson

Against Bailout

Only in America is bad behavior and greediness rewarded with bailouts.

GM, Ford and Chrysler have been given money from the government for over 30 years to build an energy-efficient, competitive product. What has that money done? Built semi tractor cars that get 10 miles to the gallon? These cars can't even be sold overseas. Bonuses, extreme pay and benefits do not make a company better. Ask AIG!

Speaking of banks, who can get a loan if no one has a job?

We the people need to just stop this insanity! Call the Congress, Senate, whoever you can to object to this mess!

I say let the people vote if they want these crooks to be given our tax dollars. I bet it will not pass.

P. WILSON

Tampa

Something's Not Right

I just read in the Tribune Sports section that a baseball player just signed a contract for $52 million over four years with a $4 million signing bonus. I also know there are others who are paid way more than that. Manny Ramirez is debating over $140 million and so on.

We have a government loaning our banks $700 billion so they don't fail. We have our American auto giants Ford, GM and Chrysler on the verge of bankruptcy. We have people losing their homes to foreclosure. We have a crashing stock market where most people have lost at least 50 percent of their retirement, if not all of it.

We have a construction industry where almost everyone is either laid off or looking for work anywhere they can find it. We have the real-estate market, title companies, loan companies, restaurants all in deep trouble because of the state of the economy. And finally we have real heroes fighting on the other side of the world for our safety and freedom. They sacrifice their lives for us, and they don't receive anywhere near one of these mega contracts.

Is this crazy or what?

It's real hard to sit back and watch these spoiled athletes get all this money while our country is in such a financial mess. I guess you can't blame them if the owners offer to pay them and we continue to watch them. It just seems like something's not right here.

I don't know the answer other than it's hard to take when I see so many people in financial need.

MICHAEL LANSFORD

Tampa

Support Local Businesses

The Tampa Independent Business Association (TIBA) invites everyone to participate in "America Unchained," a national campaign kicking off today highlighting the economic impact of local independent businesses.

Circulating your dollars in your community supports your neighbors and your own employers, and brings up to five times the revenue from sales tax collections for libraries, law enforcement, potholes and parks. Since local businesses give up to four times as much of their proceeds to charitable causes, as you plan to spend less, you can make it count more.

More than three times as much money stays in the local economy when spent at local independent businesses versus national chains. If every penny spent in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties is exclusively with local independent businesses for just one day, more than $28 million can stay in the Tampa Bay area's economy. That's more than $16 million more than with the same dollars spent at national chains. (Based on Florida Department of Revenue figures for November 2007).

Try local first. Your life will be richer in every way.

CARLA JIMENEZ

St. Petersburg

The writer is co-founder and a board member of TIBA and co-owner of Inkwood Books.

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