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JOHN J. FLYNN President International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers .............................

On September 2nd President George W. Bush delivered his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention and promised four more years of his economic policy. The next day, on September 3rd, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) released its labor force data for August, which showed a meager 144,000 new jobs – far short of the number promised by the Administration’s tax cuts and not enough to keep up with the country’s population growth. The unemployment rate remained “little changed at 5.4 percent” – a figure that would be much higher if the DOL had included the hundreds of thousands of workers classified as “discouraged workers” in the calculation. In addition, the front page of the Wall Street Journal stated, “Initial jobless claims by U.S. workers rose to a five month high…,” supporting “reports that suggest the labor market has cooled.” And the Bush Administration held a noon press conference to announce that the 42 million disabled and elderly Americans covered by Medicare would be hit with a 17.5 percent increase in their premiums next year. These figures are particularly important since they were released just one day after the Republican Convention and just two short months before the November election.

This is a critical election for working families. During the last four years we’ve seen the ranks of the unemployed grow, good paying union-jobs moved off-shore to China and other low-wage countries, record increases in health care costs, weekly reports of corporate scandals involving chief executive officers’ greed, and a record budget surplus turned into a massive trillion dollar deficit. In addition, the Bush Administration continues to send more and more Americans to war, while simultaneously cutting veterans benefits. In February, the Secretary for Veteran Affairs told lawmakers the President rejected a request for $1.2 billion in funding needed for veterans’ healthcare. This follows a resolution in 2003 put forth by House Republicans to cut veterans’ medical care, disability, compensation, and other benefits by nearly $25 billion over the next ten years.

Overnight we’ve seen the outpouring of sympathy and support from world leaders after 9/11 dry up, and for the first time in our country’s proud history we’ve lost world support for our foreign policies. Citizens from all walks of life, including veterans, have been labeled as not being supportive of our troops if they dare question the underlying reasons why our country went to war when no weapons of mass destruction were found, while the mastermind of the 9/11 attack on our country remains at large. Union members have been called unpatriotic, and workers in the new Department of Homeland Security have been denied their right to join a union. As far back as 1755, our country’s founders realized that giving up basic freedoms does not make a country safer. In the words of Benjamin Franklin, “They that give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”

With this election we have the opportunity to “Take Back America.” There are clear differences in the two presidential candidates’ economic policies, plans for creating jobs, support for unions, and visions for Social Security and health care – issues that impact the day-to-day well being of all BAC members. Our children and future generations are relying on us to preserve what we have – both our way of life, as well as the many freedoms that generations have fought to preserve. In order to accomplish this, we must elect a president and vice president who will implement programs that help the workers of this country.

This issue of the Journal contains information on where the candidates stand on the issues. In the end, the decision is yours. I urge you to become an informed and involved voter this election. Most importantly, vote on November 2nd – because every vote counts.

If you have ideas for stories or issues of concern, let us know by emailing us at askbac@bacweb.org or writing to:

International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers
Attention: Communications Department
1776 Eye Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20006