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Vol. XXXIV, No. 6

Nov-Dec 2009

LabelLetterHey, Dude: Wheres My Job?

Union Label & Service Trades Department, AFL-CIO

W

all Street is on the mend, but

Main Street still wallows in the

throes of recession. More than26 million American workers

want gainful employment, but the jobs

just arent there. The Labor Department

says the U.S. lost another 263,000 jobs in

Septemberand a total of 8 million jobs

during two years of the current recession.

Job losses averaged 146,000 a month for

the first half of 2008.

So, where are those jobs? Most are

outside the U.S. in many of the countries

that have benefited from last Januarys

stimulus package. The majority of the

new cars sold to U.S. consumers in

the Cash for Clunkers program, forinstance, came from Japan and Korea.

China is providing much of the hard-

ware for wind turbines to supply the

alternative energy industry. And, by

some accounts, all the dreams of smart

grids and new transportation technol-

ogy will depend on products made by

foreign sources because the U.S. just

doesnt make much anymore.

We cannot afford to do nothing,

AFL-CIO President Rich Trumka said

as he unveiled the federations job cre-

ation plan. We cant afford to go back

to an economy built on stagnant wages,inequality and consumer debt. We need to

create good jobs that support families and

communities.

However, according to most indicators,

nothing is exactly what the U.S. has

been doing with regard to jobs, manu-

facturing and energy independencethe

cornerstones of the new economy.

A report jointly produced by the

Breakthrough Instituteand the Information

Technology and the Innovation Foundation,

asserts that Asias clean tech tigers

China, Japan and Koreaare already on

the cusp of establishing a first moveradvantage over the United States in the

global clean tech industry.

Until recently, a massive $1.5 billion

wind farm project in Texas was poised to

buy thousands of windmills from China

using stimulus money. Objections from

members of Congress and concerned citi-

zens persuaded developers to include $50

million in their plan to establish a domes-

tic windmill factory, creating 1,000 U.S.

jobs in the process.

What Happensin China AffectsNew YorkShanghai WinsRochester Loses

T

he 2009 report of the U.S.

China Commission focuses the

first chapter of its report on

the fate of upstate New York

embracing the cities of Buffalo,

Syracuse and Rochesterwhere

400,000 manufacturing jobs disap-

peared between 1990 and 2005. The

study points out that, on the surface,

the region actually added 450,000

jobs in health care and education

over that period, but at the same time

the average manufacturing salary of

$62,000 a year was replaced with

an average salary in education and

health care of $46,000 annually.

Lose Manufacturing andYou Lose Innovation

In testimony gathered by the

Commission, academics and econo-

mists noted that even more impor-

tantly, in the words of Rochester

Institute of Technology Prof. Ron Hira,

Innovation and technology are inex-

tricably linked to manufacturing. Lose

manufacturing and youre going to lose

innovation.

Actual events bear that statement

out. Since 1998, three of the regions

largest high tech employers havelocated research facilities in Shanghai:

Kodak, Dow and GE.

Several other observations in the

report underscore why the relationship

between the U.S. and China is expect-

ed to become even more problematic

in the near future. Chinas economy is

based on exporting to generate wealth.

Exporting activity now accounts for

continued on page 6

continued on page 3

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2 LABEL LETTER NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2009

Previewing the UL&STDBusiness to Union Website

Many businesses specialize in offering union products and

union services to unions. These are companies that walk

the walk. Union employers selling to unions and allied

organizations deserve special consideration because theyre

conducting their business the right way, employing union

members under a collective bargaining agreement, provid-

ing decent wages and benefits. They take pride in the quality

of the products and the services they provide because they

know that their own union workers give them a competitive

edge. Theyre supporting the union label, we should, too.

Your union officers also have to be good stewards of the

members money. Theres enough honest competition

out there for all these products and services to shop and

compare. Go to www.unionlabel.organd look at some of

the choices you alreadyhave.

When your union goes shoppingfor office furniture

and equipment, staff automobiles, printing, paper,

union-branded gear, telecommunications services

doesnt it just make sense to demand the union label?

How about when you stock your cupboard for picnics

and parties. Does your union patronize unionized gro-

cers and merchants?

When we support union businesses, we supportunion members and their families. Its that simple.

The Union Label Department is developing this

Business-to-Union Directory to make it easier for

unions to find the products and services they need

from companies that are good union employers.

B-T-U:Announcing the Union Label

Departments Business-to-Union DirectoryThe Union Label Department is developing a special Business-to-Union data base to connect union buyers

(international, national, local and union-affiliated organizations) with union companies serving institutional needs.

For the time being, readers who wish to add a company to this list should go on the Union Label website. In the left

column, there is a prompt that reads: Click Here to add product/service. Click there and fill out the online form. All

submissions will be verified with the appropriate parent union before they can be officially added to the list.

Unions Are Goodfor Business

Business is Goodfor Unions

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LABEL LETTER NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2009 3

Label LetterUnion Label & Service Trades Dept., AFL-CIO

815 16th St. N.W. Washington, D.C. 20006

www.unionlabel.org

www.shopunionmade.org

E-mail: ULSTD@unionlabel.org

Label Letteris published bimonthly by the Union Label &Service Trades Department, AFL-CIO. Subscriptions tomembers only. USPS #424-530. Periodicals postagepaid at Washington, D.C. Postmaster: Send correc-tions of address to Room 209, 815 16th Street, N.W.,Washington, D.C. 20006. Phone: 202-508-3700.

RICH KLINE JIM DUNN

President and Editor Secretary-Treasurer

Vice Presidents: Antonia Cortese, David B. Durkee, Gary Kloepfer,

Lindell Lee, Thomas F. Lee, Warren Mart, John J. Murphy,

Joe Nigro, Sean ORyan, Jeff Rechenbach, John P. Ryan,

Ed McHugh, James B. Wood, George Galis, Bill Taylor,

Jane Broendel, Don Caswell.

Vol. XXXIV, No. 6 ISSN 0161-9365

Nevertheless, as the Innovation

Foundation report notes, the U.S. hasa long way to go to overcome years of

neglect and destruction in its manufac-

turing sector. With no domestic manu-

facturers of high-speed rail technology,

the United States will rely on companies

in Japan or other foreign countries to

provide rolling stock for any planned

high-speed rail lines. And all three Asian

nations lead the United States in the

deployment of new nuclear power plants.

The United States relies on foreign-owned

companies to manufacture the majority

of its wind turbines, produces less than

10 percent of the worlds solar cells, andis losing ground on hybrid and electric

vehicle technology and manufacturing.

The report goes on to warn that,

should this gap persist, the United

States risks importing the majority of the

clean energy technologies necessary to

meet growing domestic demand.

T h e A l l i a n c e f o r A m e r i c a n

Manufacturing (AAM), a joint labor-man-

agement effort spearheaded by the USW,

is focusing on re-establishing American

manufacturing capability with an eye

toward growth industries in the new

economy.Contrary to popular misconceptions,

the industrial age is not over, AAM

declares on its website, adding: From

nanotechnology to robotics, to lasers

and biotechnology, we are on the cusp

of incredible advances in manufacturing.

America must be the nation that leads the

world in the next stages of development.

Infusing new life into the U.S. manu-

facturing sector starts with Congress and

the Obama administration drawing up a

national manufacturing policy, one that

includes enforcing trade laws, fosteringresearch and development, encouraging

public and private investment in manu-

facturing, and putting resources into

infrastructuretransportation systems,

education and energyall elements that

will support a manufacturing base.

An AAM Town Hall meeting in Baltimore

in November drew some 1,000 participants

to talk about the issue. One panelist,

Economist Aris Melissaratos, an advisor

to both Democratic and Republican gov-

ernors in Maryland, pointed out that the

U.S. has neglected its infrastructure for

generations, but he added, its never toolate to get back on the right track. When

we invest in infrastructure, the jobs will

quickly follow, he said.

For Now, CleanEnergy isForeign Made

The need for targeting programs to get the

best bang for the buck is clearly illustratedin the area of clean energy initiatives. The

January 2009 stimulus bill included some $45

billion for energy efficiency and renewable

energy. According to a report commissioned

by the Sheet Metal Workers International

Association, the $10 billion of that money des-

ignated for repairing and modernizing govern-

ment buildings nationwide will generate little

more than 3,600 jobs for SMWIA members.

Another $27 billion is designated for energy

incentives for the private sector and renew-

able energy projects. While that provision

could generate substantial energy savingsand reductions in greenhouse emissions,

it isnt likely to create many domestic jobs

because the products that enable green

energyfrom solar panels to wind turbines,

from high tech batteries to biofuelsare

now manufactured outside of the U.S.

Contrast incentives in the U.S. with those in

other nations. Rhone Resch, head of the U.S.

Solar Industry Association notes that China

underwrites 80 percent of the cost of worker

training. In Malaysia green energy compa-

nies get a 10 to 20 year tax holiday.

Of course, one key difference is, unlike in the

U.S., those companies are not going to pick

up and leave Malaysia or China once theyve

collected their incentives.

Hey, Dude: Wheres My Job? (contd.)

The union-backed Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) is continuing a series of Town Hallmeetings in selected cities to generate ideas about how infrastructure investment can be sparked andmanufacturing revived to rebuild a healthy U.S. economy.

Uniforms for National Basketball

Association teams will soon be

made in China unless Sen. Chuck

Schumer (D-NY) can persuade the

league to force Adidas to change its

mind. Adidas has announced plans

to end its contract with American

Classic Outfitters of New York in

favor of a Chinese source. The switch

would cost about 100 U.S. jobs at the

New York company.

Adidas Takes

NBA Uniforms

to China

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4 LABEL LETTER NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2009

China-U.S. to Cooperateon Electric Car R&D

The U.S. and China will cooperate in the development of new electric automo-

biles under the terms of an agreement initialed by President Obama during

his November trip to China. The agreement refers to a strong shared inter-

est in accelerating the deployment of electric vehicles to reduce oil depen-

dence, cut greenhouse gas emissions and promote economic growth.

This arrangement warrants close scrutiny by the labor movement to make sure

were not giving away technology that might cede the next generation of autos to

Chinese manufacturers, commented UL&STD President Rich Kline.

The agreement says the U.S. and China will work on:

Joint standards development for product and testing for electric vehicleswith

common design standards for plugs, and common test protocols for batteries

and other devices. The objective is to make information mutually available and

work toward common standards to help facilitate rapid deployment of electric

vehicles in both nations.

Joint demonstrations linking a dozen cities with electric vehicle demonstration

programs. Paired U.S. and Chinese cities will share data on charging patterns,

driving experiences, grid integration, consumer preferences and other topics

to help facilitate introduction of the technology.

Joint technical roadmap to identify R&D needs as well as issues related to the

manufacture, introduction and use of electric vehicles. The roadmap will be

made available to the global automotive industry, updated regularly to reflect

advances in technology and evolution of the marketplace.

Public awareness and engagement. The U.S. and China will disseminate mate-

rials to improve public understanding of electric vehicle technologies. The U.S.

and China will sponsor an annual Electric Vehicles Forum, alternating between

the two countries to bring key stakeholders together to share information on

best practices and identify new areas for collaboration.

Following up on complaints by

members of the Labor Department

field employees union, an AFGE

affiliate, the management staff

at the Philadelphia Job Corps office

reports that they will be shopping

union for promotional items to be

given out at future conferences. I am

happy to report that the management

staff in the Philadelphia Job Corps

Office have pledged to find made-in-

America products for conferences,

wrote AnneMarie Fasulo of the Job

Corps office.

Early this year, AFGEs Nationa

Council of Field Labor Locals col

lected Chinese-made bags distributed

by DOL at a womens conference, pins

and other paraphernalia to illustrate

widespread management insensitiv

ity to union-made-in-the-USA products

and services.

Somebodys Listening

Elaine Chao AppointedConsultant toChinese Industrial City

According to Chinascope, a web

magazine covering Chinas

indus tr ia l and pol i t ica l

issues, Bush Labor Secretary

Elaine Chao has accepted anappointment to become an official

consultant to the Chinese city of

Wuhan in Hubei Province. Wuhan is

the largest city in central China, a

center for trade, finance, informa-

tion and technology. The magazine

does not explain what Chaos role

will be in consulting for the city.

Chao is married to Senate Minority

Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).

Middle Class Economics:UNION MADE

Prof. Richard

A . Lev in s

w a n t s t o

spread the

w o r d . B e t t e r

wages, not more

borrowing, is the

foundation of a

middle class econ-

omy and strong

unions are our best chance of gettingthose wages.

Levins, professor emeritus of

applied economics at the University of

Minnesota, has condensed these and

other compelling arguments into a brief

booklet that gets directly to the point.

I want you to know that our economic

problems will not somehow magically

fix themselves. They can be fixed, but

only through the power of middle class

people working together toward the

right goals, he says.

Talk of globalization, free trade

and building a stronger economy withcheap jobs and off-shore labor is just

what you think it is, a bunch of non-

sense, Levins writes.

Read this little booklet to remind

yourself of how important union mem-

bership is. Not just to yourself, but to

your families, your neighbors and the

entire American middle class.

Copies of the booklet are avail-

able for $1 through Levins website:

www.middleclassunionmade.com.

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LABEL LETTER NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2009 5

ILCA, IBEW Local 5,

Building Trades andHelmets to Hardhats

Excerpts from another product of

the ILCA Media Project.

The International Labor Com-

munications Association recently fea-

tured an article spotlighting a Helmets

to Hardhats success story that bears

repeating.

See: http://ilcaonline.org/content/trad-

ing-helmut-hardhat

The article follows IBEW apprentice

Phil Trexler, now a first-year appren-

tice with the IBEW in Pittsburgh in his

sojourn from 23 years in the military on

his way to a new career as a union elec-

trician.

When I was younger, youd hear

about unions, says Trexler. Unions have

always been around in the Pittsburgh

area. When you grow up in Pittsburgh

you know what its all about.

Once, he associated unions with high-

er wages. Now that hes older, he sees

theres more to it than that.

Having that pension for you down the

road is a huge thing, he says.

The story is one of several gener-

ated during the ILCA Pittsburgh Media

Project that coincided with the AFL-CIO

Convention.

I

n Pittsburgh, the Steel Workers

DeWitt Walton isnt shy about push-

ing individuals, people in power and

even fellow trade unionists outsidetheir comfort zone.

You have to be willing to take some

risks, Walton says. Were not always

going to be successful. Sometimes well

fail. But you cant be afraid of failure,

because if youre afraid to fail, youre

afraid to achieve.

The latest initiative Walton hopes to

add to the achievements list is green

jobs training for two dozen adults at the

Bedford Hope Center in the Hill District.

Ongoing collaboration between theHousing Authority and the A. Philip

Randolph Institute tries to change real-

ity, at least for some people, Walton

says. Its an incredible opportunity to

empower the disadvantaged and those

who dont have a voice, to build power,

and to give opportunities to those who

lack opportunities.

DeWitt Walton, Steelworker, Educator,

and the A. Philip Randolph Institute

How a 19-year veteran of the mills in East Chicago, Indiana is making a differ-

ence for the community. (Excerpted from the ILCAs Pittsburgh Media Project.)

Back On Track A-Z

The Delaware State AFL-

CIO Community Services

Department recently launched

Back on Track A-Z, a com-

munity resource center to connect

underemployed and unemployed area

residents with job hunting tools they

may not have on their own.

The loss of three major union

employers in Delawarethe General

Motors plant, the Chrysler plant and

the Delaware City Refinerys Valero

Branchhave had a devastating effect

on the areas middle class. The closures

not only put union members out of

work, but also taxed the overburdened

community resources in the area.

Many of the workers who were

displaced havent been in the job

market for 10 to 15 years, said

Delaware AFL-CIO Community

Services Assistant Director Debbie

Armstrong. They dont know how to

effectively use the job search tools

that are around today. They havent

needed to use them.The center also provides referrals

to the local emergency food pantry,

which, says Armstrong, has seen a

dramatic increase in need.

Armstrong says that many of the

users coming into the center have

jobs, but are underemployed and cant

make ends meet. She also notes that

many of the users arent displaced

union workers, which was a surprise,

but the center is available to all under-

employed or unemployed Delawareans,

regardless of profession.

Back on Track provides unlimited

internet access for job searches, peer-

to-peer counseling, and weekly sched-

uled classes on financial stability,

rsum development, skills assessment

and job search/interviewing skills.

AFL-CIO Community Services, United

Way of Delaware and AstraZeneca

collaborated to create the cen-

ter, which is housed the AFL-CIOs

Community Services Building in Newark.

AstraZeneca provided $5,000 to pur-

chase the computer equipment to set

up the center with the help of Rich

Fante, President of AstraZeneca U.S.

Operations. The United Way and the

AFL-CIOs Community Services Dept.

provide staff. Other local nonprofits also

participate in the seminars and classes.

For more information about Back

on Track A-Z, call (302) 456-3500.

PUT A UNION

LABEL ON IT

Left to right: Sam Lathem, Delaware State AFL-CIO President, New Castle County CouncilmanDavid Tackett, Rich Fante, U.S. President ofAstraZeneca, Michelle Taylor, President & ChiefExecutive Officer of United Way of Delaware,and Delaware State Senator Bethany Hall-Long

at the opening of Back on Track A-Z.

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6 LABEL LETTER NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2009

AFL-CIO NATIONAL BOYCOTTS

TRANSPORTATION & TRAVEL

PACIFIC BEACH HOTEL (HTH)

Luxury Hotel, Waikiki, Hawaii

International Longshore & Warehouse Union (ILWU)

ENTERTAINMENT

& RECREATION

ECHOSTAR DISHNETWORK Satellite Television

Service

Communications Workers of America

BLUEMAN PRODUCTIONS

International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employes

(IATSE)

OTHERS

VINCENT BACH DIVISION

CONN SELMER, INC.

Elkhart, Indiana Musical Instruments: Trumpets,

Trombones, Saxophones

United Automobile Workers (UAW)

R.J. REYNOLDS TOBACCO CO.

Cigarettes: BestValue, Camel, Century, Doral, Eclipse,

Magna, Monarch, More, Now, Salem, Sterling, Vantage

and Winston; plus all Moonlight Tobacco products

Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers & GrainMillers International Union

more than 36 percent of Chinas gross

domestic product. Compare that to the U.S.

where exports total 13 percent of GDP.

By concentrating on big manufacturing

advantages in such industries as telecom-

munications, steel, automobile parts and

automobiles, China has come to dominate

global sales for those products. Chinasexports in these industries swamp the

domestic output capacity of other nations,

enabling China to aggressively underprice

those goods on the global market.

China Exports UnemploymentEssentially, China exports unem-

ployment to countries unable or

unwilling to compete on the basis of sub-

sidies provided to favored industries,

the Commission report asserted.

There are several other disturb-ing facts laid bare in the report. For

instance, China controls 93 percent of

the world market for rare earth miner-

alscritical elements in the production

of silicone chips, flat screen televisions,

cell phones and batteries for all high

technology and green applications.

China exercises tight control over the

exportation of these minerals.

Buy Chinese Vs.Buy American

Although China was one of the lead-

ing voices condemning efforts to include

a Buy American provision in the 2009

stimulus package, the Chinese central

government maintains a comprehensive

Buy Chinese policy of its own to keep

its stimulus money at home. The policy

restricts government procurement at

every level to the use of only Chinese

products of services.China has long exercised a prefer-

ence for its own domestic content

on products. In the area of telecom-

munications, all manufacturers are

required to buy components and

equipment from domestic sources.

Similarly, its clean energy sector is

required to verify that at least 80

percent of its equipment comes from

China. That requirement has enabledChina to build the worlds largest

solar panel manufacturing industry,

exporting more than 95 percent of its

output to the U.S. and Europe.

In autos and automobile parts manu-

facturing China has become the worlds

largest producer by excluding foreign

competition in its domestic market. In

response to a complaint filed jointly

by the U.S., Canada and the European

Union, China announced it would reduce

its steep tax on imported auto parts on

August 28, 2009, at about the sametime that the U.S. auto industry was

planning its own funeral.

What Happens in China Affects New York (contd.)

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LABEL LETTER NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2009 7

Whats Your Story?

In 150 words or lessaccompanied by a picture of you at workHelp us walk inyour shoes. Were open to all union members, active, retired, laid off.

We want rank and file members to help us to illustrate the rich, diverse tapestry

of hard working men and women who make up the American labor movement. They

are proud of their work and proud of the contributions they make to their communi-

ties, explains Union Label Department President Richard Kline.

The pictures and stories we get will be published in the Label Letter and posted on

the Departments websiteand perhaps in posters and other promotional materials.

E-mail a Walk in Your Shoes to: info@unionlabel.org; or send by regular mail to:

Walk In My Shoes, c/o Union Label & Service Trades Dept. (AFL-CIO), 815 16th St.

NW, Washington, DC 20006

Walk In My ShoesBY TIM SUGRUE, 31-Year Professional Fire Fighter in Montgomery

County, MD; District Rep., IAFF Local 1664

Rep. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), along

with six co-sponsors, has re-

introduced the TRADE Act in the

Senate, a bill which would require

the U.S. to renegotiate NAFTA and a longlist of related trade agreements.

We want trade and plenty of it, but

we want trade under new rules, Brown

said as he introduced the measure.

Browns bill would require the

Government Accountability Office (GAO)

to evaluate the impact of NAFTA and

other trade deals on U.S. jobs, wages

and business investment and for the

White House to issue a plan to Congress

for renegotiating those pacts.

A companion bill in the House of

Representatives has 127 co-sponsors.

Trade ActReintroduced

San Francisco Hotel

Workers Launch

Rolling Strikes

H

otel workers in San Francisco

are conducting a series of rolling

three-day strikes at 28 upscale

hotels in that city in a campaign

to win a new contract. Members of theWestin St. Francis walked off the job

the week before Thanksgiving. Other

units are threatening to do the same

in the weeks ahead. Workers at all 28

of the hotels involved have pledged to

strike if called on to do so.

There has never been a question of

whether they can afford whats on the

table, said Mike Casey, president of

Local 2. The question is whether these

companies will make a business deci-

sion thats in the best interest of work-

ers, the city and the hotels themselves.

UniteHere Local 2 is attempting to

negotiate with the citys hotel man-

agement association for contracts to

cover restaurant, housekeeping per-

sonnel, bellmen and others at some of

the highest profile properties in San

Francisco, including the Grand Hyatt,

the Palace, W, and St. Regis Hotels.

For a complete list of union hotels

in U.S. cities, go to the UniteHere web-

site: www.unitehere.org

Six a.m. relieving the previous

24-hour shift. First order

of business: check out the

equipment: lights, sirens,

tires, fuel. Were in a semi rural

suburban area, so a busy day for us

might be 10 calls. In denser areas

with shopping malls and office

buildings a station could average

20 calls a day. We dont just fight

fires; car accidents, heart attacks,

household accidents, hazardous

materials spills, and the occasional

cat in a tree keep us on our toes.

Everybody thinks we play checkers

all day long, but thats not how it

is. In the morning, well do physi-

cal training. If weve got a rookie

on the shift, we might spend some

time going over personal safety

equipment, or train on a new vehi-

cle. Weve always got housework

to do, routine maintenance on the

firehouse. When we have down-

time, we do safety education at

elementary schools, or visit seniorcenters to talk about fire safety for

the elderly. Our community service

doesnt end when our shift ends,

especially around the holidays.

Our local has a Thanksgiving food

drive, we participate in Toys for

Tots. Each station also donates

toys for needy families. We have an

annual golf tournament to raise money

for the Washington Hospital Centers

burn unit and we help the IAFF at theGeorge Meany Center with their annual

camp for kids who are burn victims

from around the country, give them a

tour of D.C.; and, of course, we fill

the boot for Jerrys kids every year on

Labor Day weekend. Not much time for

checkers.

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PERIODICALS

POSTAGE PAID

WASHINGTON, D.C.

TIME VALUE

What Happens in China

Affects New York . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1Do Buy: Previewing UL&STD

Business-to-Union Listings . . . . . .2For Now, Clean Energy

is Foreign Made. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3China-U.S. to Cooperate

on R&D for Electric Cars. . . . . . . .4

Put a Union Label On It . . . . . . . . .5

Dont Buy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

A Firefighters Day . . . . . . . . . . . .7

In This Issue

We need to keep up this momentum

with ideas and information submit-

ted by readers. If youre working in a

union operation and you dont see your

employer listed in the database, by all

means, click on the button add a union

product or service, fill out the form and

send it on to us. Its virtually automatic,

takes just a few minutes and it will helpus muscle up our database.

One area where our current database

is severely lacking is in the service sector,

where literally thousands of union com-

paniespainters, plumbers, electricians,

sheet metal contractors, heating and air

conditioning companiesare practically

invisible to union buyers because theyre

not taking advantage of this service.

We invite our other affiliatesespe-

cially firefighters and EMTs, teachers and

government workers at the federal state,

local and city levelto add your organiza-

tions to the Union Label database as well.We believe it would be helpful for your

brothers and sisters to know, for example,

that the workers at the zoo they visit on

vacation, or the teachers at school system

their children attend are union members.

Business-to-Union DirectoryLook at page two of this edition for a

brief description of our new Business

to-Union website feature. Operating on

the theory that all good works begin

at home, were setting up an easy link

between motivated union buyers and

good union companies (with valid unioncontracts) that want unions as custom

ers. That way, if a local union or an

international is buying office furniture

or telecommunications services, pro

motional items, sign painting, food for

a picnic, printing, or the entire range o

goods and services that an organization

needs, they can easily check the data

base for union vendors.

Welcome to our newly-elected

Executive Board membersBill Taylor

of the Firefighters, George Galis othe Painters, Jane Broendel of the

Letter Carriers and Don Caswell of the

Boilermakers. They were elected, along

with the incumbent board members, a

our September UL&STD Convention.

C

losing out a

busy first year

a n d p l a n -

ning for the

next, the Union Label

Department is call-

ing on readers to join

our efforts to help

modernize and focus

the Departments

programs.

Weve been encouraged to see a sig-

nificant uptick in traffic on our website, and

excited by the response to our Union Label

Facebook page. Our periodic Label Flashes,

e-mailed to friends who have signed up onthe website, enjoy fairly wide distribution.

The response to our regular newsletter fea-

turesWalk in My Shoes and Put a Union

Label On Ithave been well received. Expect

to see them on a regular basis.

Downloadable versions ofLabel Letterare

posted on our website: www.unionlabel.org

Permission to reprint is hereby granted, but

credit to source will be appreciated.

By Rich Kline, President, UL&STD

EndNotes

Seasons GreetingsHappy Holidays to all our readers and all the union families of the USA.

Tanks for all you do year round.