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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Joseph F. Hubel who wrote (55756)	11/1/2000 10:47:13 AM
From: Mr. Whist	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

Joe: All I know is that when it's time to bargain for a new contract, we're told every year that money is tight. Management's wage offer usually comes with the standard warning: "This is our first and final offer! (Chief negotiator on other side pounds his fist on table for emphasis.) "Money doesn't grow on trees. This is the best we can do. Take it or leave it!" Then during lunch break I click on to yahoo.com and punch in the company symbol, then click on "insider." Then I see where a dumb-ass VP in charge of a division exercised an option to buy $850,000 of company stock at a share price 1/3 or 1/4 what the stock is selling for. Yes, I understand the concept of stock options, so don't lecture me in this regard. What irks me is that this guy cashing in the stock option often is the main reason why our division is struggling. This lame-brain has made dumb decisions the past year, yet we, the workers, pay the price, and he's rewarded for his incompetence. I see it a lot at my workplace. To answer your first question, yes, an individual union member should have no say in who his money should support. If I own stock in Citi, for instance, I am not asked whether my "share" of the company can be used for political purposes. It's understood when I buy 100 shares of Citi that the corporation will use money for political or civic or altruistic purposes so as to boost shareholder value. Same holds true when I join a union. It's a given that part of my dues money will be used for political or civic or altruistic purposes. Of course it will. What should it be used for? A legal defense fund for the lame-brain VP who caused all our problems?! If you are going to have dues checkoff for union members, then also must institute "dues" checkoff for every person who owns a share of any stock in the U.S.A. No difference. The reason Repubs fear unions is because of the potential clout at the ballot box. And I will also tell you another little secret: More union people have been voting Republican in recent years, for a number of reasons. If you want to turn these people into Democrats again, then hope that GWB gets elected with a Republican Congress. Then you'll see some real, old-fashioned union bashing, and a lot of these union Repubs will switch to the Dem side again. So in a weird sort of way, it might actually help unions in terms of unity if we see a GOP triumverate on Nov. 8. Have a nice day.