From the Webb campaign comes this, the first in what will undoubtedly be a long, LONG line of union endorsements for Jim (bolding added for emphasis; sorry Waldo!):
Sheet Metal Workers Endorse Jim Webb for SenateSMWIA: +óGé¼+ôJim Webb is a true friend of the American worker+óGé¼-¥
(Arlington) +óGé¼GÇ£ Today, Jim Webb, candidate for U.S. Senate, received the endorsement of the Sheet Metal Workers International Association.
"Jim Webb is a true friend of labor and of the American worker. He understands the difficulties faced by working Americans and he is a true ally in the battle against outsourcing of their jobs,+óGé¼-¥ said Vince Panvini, Government Affairs Director of the Sheet Metal Workers of America International Association. "The Sheet Metal Workers International Association is proud and honored to wholeheartedly endorse Jim Webb for the United States Senate. His will be a voice for all working Americans."
The Sheet Metal Workers International Association represents 150,000 skilled craftspeople in the unionized sheet metal industry throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.
+óGé¼+ôJim Webb's primary opponent is no friend of unions and no friend of working Americans. Harris Miller's public record attacking unions and working Americans is shocking and well documented. Miller has publicly opposed unions and has been a leading proponent of outsourcing American jobs. He has been a lobbyist for some of the biggest anti-union corporate entities in America. He supported George Bush's tax cuts to the rich. He has given personal campaign contributions to some of the biggest Republican anti-union members of Congress including Spencer Abraham and John Sununu. Miller even supported anti-union Attorney General John Ashcroft. Harris Miller is no friend of working Virginians," said Panvini.
[...]
"One of the fundamental issues of my campaign is to appeal to voters to allow me to become the 'leader of stopping job outsourcing+óGé¼Gäó in the U.S. Senate," said Webb. "I am proud to have the leaders and proud Americans of the Sheet Metal Workers International Association join me in my fight."
This is what many of us have been saying for weeks, if not months now, about Jim Webb on the one hand, and HarrisMillerGeorgeAllen on the other. It's nice to know that the Sheet Metal Workers see it the same way.
James Webb - returning the government of the people, by the people, and for the people, TO the people!!!
Allen just co-sponsored a "skil bill" which is major, major labor arbitrage Visas. Miller was very active in this area too. Basically if a corporation cannot outsource your job, they manipulate the US immigration system with guest worker Visas to bring in cheaper foreign labor in order to displace Americans. It's called insourcing and it's just as deadly to the American worker as outsourcing.
Right now the corporate insourcing lobby is hiding these labor arbitrage guest worker Visas inside the "immigration reform" because immigration causes such controversy. But, these labor arbitrage guest worker Visas are separate actually from the "pathway to citizenship" versus "enforcement only" controversy.
Nice tactic huh? Put their agenda in a very emotionally charged bill in order to confuse the issue.
Both Allen and Miller work very hard to displace American workers.
The only Union to contribute to Harris Miller is the United Transporation Union, Daniel Johnson, Treasurer.
Contact Daniel Johnson and tell him to STOP SUPPORTING "Anti-Worker Attack Dog" HARRIS MILLER.
Daniel E. Johnson
General Secretary and Treasurer
General Secretary and Treasurer's Office
(GST@utu.org)
Suggested Subject Line: STOP SUPPORTING HARRIS MILLER
Mention, quote, or link to:
http://www.raisingkaine.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=2448
and especially this one:
http://modernpatriot.blogspot.com/2006/04/afl-cio-union-opposes-miller.html.
Let Mr. Johnson and the UTU know what you and organized labor think of Harris Miller.
I don't think it's the same thing. My father-in-law was in the sheet metal union out in St. Louis. I know someone who is a sheet metal worker in Virginia, but I don't think they are a union shop shop anymore. Not that it would matter all that much.
When it's time to lay the duct for heating and AC, that's the sheet metal workers. And some of them work in the shop cutting and shaping.
The steel workers and the iron workers perform other jobs. I also know several iron workers in Virginia and they mostly work on new industrial construction, but most of them have been replaced with immigrants from Mexico who are glad to work for less pay. The visa requirements specify that they must have a certain amount of experience, but they don't. They are told to lie and that's how they get in.
Also, on the iron workers' jobs and on my father-in-law's job there have been very, very gruesome work-related fatalities.
But hey, those guys don't even rate as "iron ore" to some people.