Union leadership paying off
I’ve been watching letters to the editor for the last couple of weeks, and nearly every day a thoughtful union member states that supporting right-to-work laws will hurt Hoosiers. I submit unions deserve credit for the upper class.
The Service Employees International Union pays at least 35 of its employees more than $150,000 annually, while their president earns more than $1 million. The AFL-CIO pays scores of employees more than $100,000 annually. The Teamsters roll out more than $100,000 to at least 100. The National Education Association sees scores of employees earning better than $200,000 and hundreds earning more than $100,000. AFSCME (state and city employees) pays about 300 workers more than $100,000.
The UAW boasts $1 billion in assets and hundreds of employees earning at least $100,000. Even our beloved Fort Wayne firefighters get a raw deal when one realizes that the highest salaries in their IAFF hierarchy are paid to retired presidents of the union.
All the while, an acquaintance of mine struggles to get by on unemployment payments while his union continues to demand monthly dues in order to ensure his “good standing with the hall.” Tell me; who’s being served in this scenario?
With fewer than 12 percent of American workers making up total union membership, those members may want to ask themselves what percentage of the wealthy their leadership comprises.
The facts make it clear; if you want to earn a good wage in America, become a union employee.
ANDY REUM Fort Wayne
GE shows fallacy of right to work
Tracy Warner’s Jan. 15 column, “Message in a battle,” is an accurate summation of the controversy over the right-to-work legislation being rammed through our legislature against the will of the majority.
I worked 37 years for General Electric and served as a union representative for 13 of those years. In 1990-91, Jack Welch, then CEO and chairman of GE, came and met with our negotiating committee. He said the board of directors had decided GE should “get out of manufacturing” because there was a lot more money to be made in the financial arena. He wasn’t completely truthful since they were moving, not “getting out,” of manufacturing. GE was not moving those jobs to any of those 20-some other right-to-work states that the governor continues to mention, but rather to a right-to-work country – Mexico.
So the question I have of the governor and those Republicans trying to force this legislation on Indiana is: If companies like GE have had the opportunity to move to a right-to-work state in the past but passed that up to take our jobs to Mexico or China, what makes you think they will consider coming to or staying in right-to-work Indiana?
There is a war being fought by those with money, power and control against America’s middle class. It’s time that we returned to “government of the people, by the people, and for the people,” not government for sale to the highest bidder.
MICHAEL G. BULTEMEIER Fort Wayne
Here’s where union dues go
The United Way recently thanked caring individuals and companies who worked tirelessly to help meet the needs of our residents. They thanked them for setting the example of what it means to “Live United.”
One group they listed was “organized labor,” which may sound better than “union” does. Under this list there were 48 different local unions that contributed to the United Way. Could any of these donations have been made from those terrible union dues that Gov. Mitch Daniels and the Republicans are trying to get stopped?
Unions do many volunteer projects by offering labor and financial help. The money probably came from union dues. There are too many projects to list, but here are a few: the Santa display (when it came out of storage), Police and Firefighters Memorial, Vincent House and Hero Field at Wallen Little League (in honor of Deputy Eryk Heck). Unions were willing and proud to have been part of these projects.
If the dues money stops, it will cause an adverse effect on these charitable projects. Is this a good thing for our community? I do not think so.
If you have ever benefited from unions, volunteering labor and money, please consider telling your representatives and senators about the good things that are made possible from the union dues. I was happy to pay my dues and glad some of it went to charities to help the less fortunate in our community. I am a proud union retiree.
MARVIN FOOTE Fort Wayne
