Guest MINDSETTER™ Stu Mundy: Teamsters for Trump? I Don’t Think So!
Sunday, March 20, 2016
I recently was surfing for Facebook Groups. I came across a very interesting group called “Teamsters for Trump”, a group with 74 members. Being a Union Member, my entire life, I found this quite strange. Donald Trump has publicly stated that his 100% in favor of National Right to Work, Repealing Davis Bacon, and lower autoworkers wages to attract jobs that have traveled to Mexico, and abroad. He surely sounds like a candidate that is not a friend of labor.
A phenomenon has been created in this country. Many union members have had their PAC contributed money to so called “labor-friendly” candidates that have turned their backs on the membership. It is quite disturbing to see that in some parts of the country labor has become insignificant in moving their “Bread and Butter” issues forward.
Last year during the Omnibus budget bill, Congressman Kline snuck in disastrous legislation that allowed over 450,000 Teamsters pensions to be cut. For many retirees it will be a difference of having a home, or being homeless. We have seen Congress ignore many of our core issues and choose to serve their corporate masters instead. We have been fortunate in Rhode Island; we have a Congressional delegation that listens to their constitutions. Washington has become a place where the citizens are given a deaf ear and corporate America always gets what the need to maximize their profits. We have a Republican Congress that does not respect an elected President and defies every issue that he brings forth, and has chosen to ignore any protocol.
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What has now happened is you have Donald Trump who has not spoken about the issues. But, has so enraged people that every hate group possible is supporting him. He has used an old Roman tactic at his rallies, make a violent example of someone, what will happen is the fearful people will leave, and the border-line bullies will become followers, and the bullies will hurt people. We live in a very dangerous time. If Trump is elected history may repeat itself. Not too long ago we had the same occurrence in Germany, and we all know what the result was. Unions were suspended, and most of labor, was forced labor, with no conditions, except work until you die. The racist, sexist, xenophobic, and fascist behavior of Trump and his supporters is quite disturbing. Unions were very much involved in the civil rights movement; we have always advocated for women’s rights. The majority of hard working dues paying Teamsters, do not want to go backwards to the ugly times in America. Our former General President James R Hoffa, walked many a rally with Martin Luther King.
Back to Teamsters for Trump, members that involved in this movement are just so aggravated with the state of affairs in this country, that Trump has given them a leader “that can straighten America Out”. For a Teamster or any other union, a Trump election will be a disaster. He has stated that he is 100% Right to Work, which will lead to the demise of all the unions. When the Culinary workers organized his hotel in Las Vegas. They hired the worst union busters in the country, ran a vicious anti-union campaign of fear and intimidation, and refused to recognize the union after the United States Government Certified the election. He has now committed so many unfair labor practices that the government has issued orders for him to bargain in good faith. In the history of unionization of Las Vegas, there has never been such an anti-union employer. He states that he had a good relationship with the Teamsters while doing project in New York, and Atlantic City. He had no choice, all the concrete in those areas were unionized by the Teamsters. While building many of his projects in New York he was caught, and fined for using untrained illegal aliens, with no real training, many from Eastern Europe as one member stated “so we can blend in”.
This is disgusting, whatever happened to paying “A Fair Wage for a Fair Days Pay," and it is a proven fact that union members are better trained, have less accidents. and are more productive on, promoting. He is dangerous, reckless, and is against everything that a union stands for. It unions did not exist, there would be no 40 hr. workweek, holidays, vacations, pensions, job safety, equal pay, and non- discrimination clauses.
Being a retired member of Teamsters Local 251, I contacted the Local Union to see what their position was, Michael Simone, Director of Organizer responded with the following: “A Trump Presidency would be catastrophic to all of organized labor, and the working class as a whole.” “As a union member I cannot fathom supporting Trump as President of our great country. We must educate our union members, and working families alike. Trump’s agenda will ultimately destroy the entire labor movement if he is elected.” A vote is a valuable right, I ask all union members to educate, get out to vote, and vote for what is best for our country.
Stuart B Mundy Retired Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters local 251
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