Community Action Program leader Dick Long was the first major speaker to address the UAW Region 5 Summer School in Norman, Oklahoma, on June 5. He said that UAW members deserve credit for being 70% registered to vote. Retirees are 80% registered, he said. And yet, 61 million American voters failed to vote in the last presidential election. Voter turnout efforts could have led to a different conclusion.
America continues to lose manufacturing jobs, and entire communities suffer for it. He anticipated the liklihood that a lot more truck manufacturing would move to Thailand. For every manufacturing job that goes to another country, 5 community jobs are also lost, he said. "It's all about greed. It's all about political horsepower."
At the same time, the continuing attack on union rights has continued to weaken the ability of working people to fight back. He lamented the recent vote to make Oklahoma a "Right to Work[scab]" state. He said, "Democrats in this state, quite frankly, went south on us."
Social Security is under attack, even though it will be at "at least 2018" before there is any problem. Long encouraged union members and spouses to call their congresspersons and/or send them e-mail. He suggested that U.S. mail would not be worth the effort. He encouraged everyone to attend community meetings when congresspersons are in town. Long said that raising the cap on the amount of earnings eligible for taxation would be one good idea.
Long went on to talk about the problem in getting a good job in America. He said that 25% of college graduates do not go out into the world with new jobs. Instead, they come back home and stay there until age 26. Another big American problem has to do with working hours. Corporations want to pass a "comp time" bill that would allow them to maneuver people's working hours. What they don't tell the workers, Long said, is that the corporations expect to pick the hours that the workers will be off! A long-time accomplishment of the unions, equal pay for women doing equal work, is also under attack.
Environmental issues are important in the auto industry. The UAW continues to oppose more rigid emissions standards for automobiles. He said that hybrid cars and "efficient diesels" are the coming thing. He advocated tax breaks for those who produce and those who buy them. Pensions and health care are major issues, especially for retirees. Long commented, "There's only one way we're going to solve the health care crisis and that's national health care."
Long said that a significant minority of UAW members continue to vote against their own interests. Members should understand that, "The only way we're going to fix the problem is politically. Politics is everything. Local politics comes first."
Dick Long addressed the UAW School. Educators JD Gray and Keith Skotnes, and Retiree Reps Dave Minnis and Carolyn Tate are also pictured.