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Valued Member of the Local One:
I recently received an article that was sent to me be by retired Brother Don Recchia. It has a lot of the beliefs that I truly go by and feel. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. The sermon was given by a minister; Dr. David Baxter. He had been asked for advice by a group of workers, as to whether or not they should form a union at the plant where they worked???
As long as there is organized capital, there will be organized labor. That, is as it should be in a democratic society.
The true union member wants to help, and not hinder his employer. He realizes that the more successful the business is, the more successful the employer will be if he receives fair value for his labor, and a share of the profits he helped produce.
A working man’s life is valuable. Every time the clock ticks, there goes a second off that life. When he sells the hours of his life to make a profit for someone else, he is entitled to all he can get for those precious hours.
Workers try to get as much as possible for the hours of their lives that they sell to their employers. By himself, this is difficult. He can be broken like a stick. However, breaking a bundle of sticks is not so easy.
That is why working people organize unions: to help in getting a share of the profits they bring into a successful business. In addition to reasonable pay, unionism has brought about better working conditions, more security, and more leisure time for workers to enjoy vacation and pension benefits.
It is an ignorant man who values his life cheaply, sells it cheaply, and works hours to make his employer richer, to the extent that he keeps himself poor.
And in all the world, there is no cheaper, less self-respecting person than the scab, who will take advantage of what others have helped to bring about, without in any way contributing to, but rather betraying it.
LOCKOUT
The Local One struggle is going on its 10th week of being locked out from the EMANY employers. The EMANY group has yet come to the rationalization that there lies and their disordered proposals are not fooling anybody. Our membership has only become more united and stronger. At our last union meeting President Ray Hernandez read out two pages of other Locals and union members that have given donations to help in this fight against greedy corporations. These donations ranged from twenty-five dollars all the way up to an astounding hundred thousand dollars given to us from another IUEC Local. I was honestly very moved by the generous donations given to us by Brothers, Sisters and IUEC Locals that are not in NYC, realizing that these companies are trying to set a standard in NYC and in 2 years they will try to force the International to adopt the same unreasonable proposals. The only problem EMANY doesn’t realize is that Local One has a forged a bond with our fellow IUEC members. We will not deter from bringing our membership a fair and equitable contract. We ask all our fellow IUEC members to remember all those people who are leaving you to come to NY and do our work. Remember what they are doing and never forget it. They are only fueling what they will be doing to you in two years.
CONGRATULATIONS
Local One would like to congratulate our first five Brothers Mat Mackrell, Eric Petzold, Sal Catalano, Ed Snow and Gil Colon who successfully passed their welding exam after finishing training at the Local One headquarters.
SADLEY DEPARTED
Our deepest condolences go out to the family of retired Brother Joe Kelly (Big Red).
Work Safe. Stay Involved.
Lee Pirone .
Congratulations on your 25-year pin James DeNardo, Joseph DiStefano, James McMahon, James Reardon, Dennis Redman and Zeljko Rudic.
Local One Brothers showing support on the picket line.
Secretary/Treasurer Brother Tony Carudo with Business Reps from other Locals who are giving their support.
Local One Brothers and Sisters united together.
Posted Online June 1, 2005
