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Write On: Progressive News for Northern Michigan November 2003
Local Links Marquette Citizens for Peace and Justice Nothwoods Wilderness Recovery Keweenaw Now State, National, and International Links Common Dreams Greenpeace Move On Independent Media Democracy Now! True Majority Michigan Citizens for Peace United for Peace Citizen.org Citizenworks.org	Grandma Says, Jane Westfall The United States is presently engaged in not one, but two wars. One is the war against terrorism in which we are all in it together; the second is a class war in which we are all divided, one class against the other. The division between the poor class and the rich class is becoming wider and wider, with the middle class dwindling rapidly. The statistics are back to 1920 levels. Great strides were made after that: Social Security, Medicare, the Woman’s vote, better labor conditions, improved environment both at the workplace and in the communities and workman’s compensation. I'm sure there were many more. Most of these were brought about by the blood, sweat and tears of the common people banding together to form Unions. The common worker fought against almost impossible odds taking on the big business tycoons of that period. This is our proud heritage that our ancestors passed on to us. At present, our current government is busy undoing many of these entitlements by changing laws, breaking treaties, repositioning their power and breaking down the Unions. The present administration is made up of people of great wealth and power, so they are trying to take over the communication networks, place their people in the courts and give and receive favors from the big corporations that are taking over our country. Here is an example that brought the plight of the working class home to me. In Jefferson, Wisconsin a meat company, specializing in sausage, was started as a family business at the turn of the last century. The town prospered and grew with the meat factory being one of the biggest reasons for its growth. According to interviews of the residents, as featured on the Bill Moyer's Show, it was a nice peaceful town with good schools and neighbors: the kind of town one wants to settle in and raise a family....and they did, generation after generation, many working at the meat factory. In 2001 the factory, along with dozens of others country wide, was sold to Tyson Corporation. Then this year, when the contract expired and new negotiations started, the company wanted to lower the starting wage for beginning workers to poverty level wages. In 1973 the starting wage was $8.10, now the offer is $8.00.....10 cents lower than 30 years ago! It would freeze all other wages at its present level for four years. It wants to shift the cost of health care coverage to the workers. The management also wants to do away with pensions, lower sick time and disabilities by half, cut vacation time by 33% and do away with severance protection completely. This offer was made by a company whose gross profits of last year exceeded 2.23 billion and whose chairman received a 'bonus' of 3 1/2 million. So on February 28th the workers went on strike; to protect themselves, to protect the people coming after them and to preserve their town. The company is importing "scabs" at higher wages and benefits then offered in the proposed contract. When the manager of the plant was interviewed and asked if his conscience bothered him by not offering a decent living wage to his workers, his reply was all he had to offer was jobs; the rest was up to the worker. Unfortunately this is not an isolated case, and it is being replayed in towns and cities all over the United States. How does this country proclaim to live by Christian/Judaic/Islamic principals, or a high code of honor, if we ill treat the poor and don't pay the people decent wages in order to take care of themselves and their families. President Bush, although professing to have a special relationship with God, seems to be oblivious to the lower classes and, except to pander to them occasionally to get votes, pays little attention to our deteriorating condition. The way I see it, we must change the course we are on. We must gather from the strength of our ancestors and we must stand together! Unions must start respecting each others picket lines. People must purchase carefully, being aware of who they might be hurting by buying certain products and from certain stores...It's together we stand or divided we fall. We must sweep the present administration out of the White House, and we need to replace it with people who care about the working class...use your vote wisely. And that's it from Grandma's house. More information about the Tyson families’ plight at: www.tysonfamiliesstandup.org	Write On Issues November October September August July June May

Write On: Progressive News for Northern Michigan

November 2003

Local Links

Marquette Citizens for Peace and Justice

Nothwoods Wilderness Recovery

Keweenaw Now

State, National, and International Links

Michigan Citizens for Peace

United for Peace

Citizen.org

Citizenworks.org

Grandma Says, Jane Westfall

The United States is presently engaged in not one, but two wars. One is the war against terrorism in which we are all in it together; the second is a class war in which we are all divided, one class against the other.

The division between the poor class and the rich class is becoming wider and wider, with the middle class dwindling rapidly. The statistics are back to 1920 levels. Great strides were made after that: Social Security, Medicare, the Woman’s vote, better labor conditions, improved environment both at the workplace and in the communities and workman’s compensation. I'm sure there were many more. Most of these were brought about by the blood, sweat and tears of the common people banding together to form Unions. The common worker fought against almost impossible odds taking on the big business tycoons of that period. This is our proud heritage that our ancestors passed on to us.

At present, our current government is busy undoing many of these entitlements by changing laws, breaking treaties, repositioning their power and breaking down the Unions. The present administration is made up of people of great wealth and power, so they are trying to take over the communication networks, place their people in the courts and give and receive favors from the big corporations that are taking over our country.

Here is an example that brought the plight of the working class home to me. In Jefferson, Wisconsin a meat company, specializing in sausage, was started as a family business at the turn of the last century. The town prospered and grew with the meat factory being one of the biggest reasons for its growth. According to interviews of the residents, as featured on the Bill Moyer's Show, it was a nice peaceful town with good schools and neighbors: the kind of town one wants to settle in and raise a family....and they did, generation after generation, many working at the meat factory.

In 2001 the factory, along with dozens of others country wide, was sold to Tyson Corporation. Then this year, when the contract expired and new negotiations started, the company wanted to lower the starting wage for beginning workers to poverty level wages. In 1973 the starting wage was $8.10, now the offer is $8.00.....10 cents lower than 30 years ago! It would freeze all other wages at its present level for four years. It wants to shift the cost of health care coverage to the workers. The management also wants to do away with pensions, lower sick time and disabilities by half, cut vacation time by 33% and do away with severance protection completely. This offer was made by a company whose gross profits of last year exceeded 2.23 billion and whose chairman received a 'bonus' of 3 1/2 million. So on February 28th the workers went on strike; to protect themselves, to protect the people coming after them and to preserve their town. The company is importing "scabs" at higher wages and benefits then offered in the proposed contract. When the manager of the plant was interviewed and asked if his conscience bothered him by not offering a decent living wage to his workers, his reply was all he had to offer was jobs; the rest was up to the worker. Unfortunately this is not an isolated case, and it is being replayed in towns and cities all over the United States. How does this country proclaim to live by Christian/Judaic/Islamic principals, or a high code of honor, if we ill treat the poor and don't pay the people decent wages in order to take care of themselves and their families. President Bush, although professing to have a special relationship with God, seems to be oblivious to the lower classes and, except to pander to them occasionally to get votes, pays little attention to our deteriorating condition.

The way I see it, we must change the course we are on. We must gather from the strength of our ancestors and we must stand together! Unions must start respecting each others picket lines. People must purchase carefully, being aware of who they might be hurting by buying certain products and from certain stores...It's together we stand or divided we fall. We must sweep the present administration out of the White House, and we need to replace it with people who care about the working class...use your vote wisely.

And that's it from Grandma's house.

More information about the Tyson families’ plight at: www.tysonfamiliesstandup.org

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