Message From The President

The Value of Union Membership

As the current War on Workers takes place the value of our union is now at its highest point. Labor has been fighting this war for more than 100 years, but recently corporations and their political allies have taken their assault on working men and women to a new level.

After WWII until the late 60’s, America’s middle class grew. Wages rose, poverty fell and more and more workers gained access to health insurance and earned pension benefits; the standard of living for all rose to new heights. By the early 70’s all that began to change. The gap between the middle class and the rich began its steep climb. Jobs started to disappear and pensions gave way to riskier 401k plans. The economy continued to grow, but workers received little or no share in the nation’s increased wealth. With globalization and unfair trade deals, American workers watched our jobs go overseas and our standard of living deteriorate. The American workers have suffered enough in the last 30 years. The cost of living and taxes have increased and our quality of life has decreased. Our politicians have done nothing to stop this downfall or to change this downward direction; instead they declare a War on Workers. After 20 years of union membership in the private sector declining, now they go after the public sector, the police, firemen and civil servants. Civil servants who felt safe from union busting for decades now face the same attacks.

As real as this War on Workers is and as true of a threat it is to all, I know that as a member of this union I have weathered this storm out in the shelter of a union contract. Here at Local 295 we have taken our pension that was stricken by these harsh economic times and misguided government policies and changed a default into what is now a road to recovery. This restored the value of a sustained 295 union pension benefit.

As we in Local 295 continue to work hard to provide our families and ourselves in the best way we can, we must realize the value of our Health and Welfare Fund. This fund delivers the highest quality of medical care to us, our spouses and dependants. Local 295 contracts provide our members with the medical coverage that protects both our health and our belongings (i.e.: homes, savings, other assets as well as future earnings). This type of medical coverage insures us that in the event of a serious injury, a chronic condition or a life threatening disease your insurance will pay the brunt of the cost relieving you from costly medical bills that may result in personal liens, foreclosure, salary garnishments or other judgments against you. Looking at or given the following statistics the likelihood of one of the following events makes you realize the value your medical coverage provides. 44% of Americans have one or more of the following chronic conditions:
• Cancer – 41% of Americans will be diagnosed with cancer during their lifetime and about 21% will die from it
• Diabetes – 1 in 3 Americans will develop diabetes in their lifetime
• Heart Disease - 16 million annual medical visits have heart disease as primary diagnosis in the US
• Serious Injuries – Yearly average emergency room visits for injuries is 21,163,000
So as our politicians and corporations declare their War on Workers, We as union members have a “First line of defense”, we have contracts that provide job securities, highest wages in the industry, medical coverage, pension benefits, etc., but most of all we have collective strength that gives us the ability to take on employers who would conduct their own personal war on 295 workers. I have seen the loss non union workers have suffered when their employer has no union contract to stop them - discriminative layoffs, unjust terminations, wage cuts, reduced work days and hours, elimination of any employer provided healthcare or retirement contributions. We can’t deny the mess the economy is in, we must face the reality of what has happened and recognize what we can do to protect what we have going forward.

One thing that is for sure and won’t change even in these trying times, especially after attending the IBT Convention, I am proud to be a member of the Teamsters who under the leadership of Jim Hoffa have taken the forefront in the fight against the War on Workers nationally and globally. As always I am proud to serve alongside the Local 295 Executive Board, Stewards and the IBT Executive Board, but most of all to serve the Local 295 members in these times.

Fraternally,

Lou Calemine, President