Many Americans are guilty of historical amnesia when it comes to the
benefits we have as a result of labor unions. Today’s anti-unionism culture
is growing, spread by corporations and politicians to plant ideas in the
minds of the public to destroy the middle-class. The most forceful of
these ideas is the one that attacks public employee unions and the
negotiated benefits of members of those unions. Corporate lobbyists
have spread misinformation about the “idea” of lavish public employee
wages and benefits. Partly due to this, these myths are now widely
accepted by the majority of citizens. Corporations and politicians
continue to perpetuate myths that demonize public employees and
union membership. They build on the idea and image of public
employees who are greedily sucking the life out of state budgets with
huge salaries and pensions. Again, it’s an idea that has been planted
in the minds of American citizens to drive a wedge between the
public and private sector to further fuel attempts to drive the
middle-class in the race to the bottom.

There is power in becoming an active member of our Local. The power
is in the ability to use resourceavailable to us such as the freedom of
speech, power of the pen, the right to gather publicly and present
opposing views without being jailed. Recently, members of Local 6000
have utilized all those powers in writing our legislators in regards
to stopping legislation that would be harmful to issues concerning
retirement and benefits. Members have also used their power to
speak by making appointments with their legislator and to testify
at House and Senate Hearings. We have also gathered and held
rallies in response to attacks on our retirement benefits, health care,
public safety issues, and Wall Street’s attack on Main Street.
In the past few months public employees have demonstrated we
will no longer sit idly by while corporate America or politicians
take what we have worked long and hard to obtain. We will gather
where we need to apply pressure, speak up when we are attacked,
and oppose legislation that threatens to unravel our futures.