WIN Week In Review January 4-6, 2008

WIN Week In Review January 4-6, 2008
By Doug Cunningham

Workers and their unions worked hard supporting Democratic presidential candidates in the Iowa caucuses this week, where Senator Barack Obama grabbed a dramatic win. Dennis Williams, Director of UAW Region 4, is thrilled by Obama's victory.

[Williams]: "This is huge for Barack Obama. I think it says to our country - we want change. Were tired of the status quo. Barack Obama has a history of working for working men and women of this country. So I don't think there's any doubt in my mind at least that Barack will be a friend of working men and women and organized labor. he will champion workin' people's causes. And We need that in this country."

Senator John Edwards finished second with his pro-labor, anti-poverty and anti- corporate power message, narrowly edging Hillary Clinton.

[Edwards]: "What the Iowa caucus goers have shown is that if you're willing to have a little backbone, to have a little courage, to speak for the middle class, to speak for those who have no voice - if you're willing to stand up to corporate greed, that message and the American people are unstoppable!"

---

At the dawn of a new, highly-politically charged year organized labor is poised to be a bigger player than ever before at the ballot box. AFL-CIO President John Sweeney says labor’s political clout is stronger than ever.

[Sweeney]: “One out of every four voters was a union member or from a union household. And we will be undertaking that kind of campaign, stronger than ever, with more resources than we’ve ever put into a campaign. And I anticipate that, with a little help from God, we will be successful.”

AFSCME alone plans to field 40,000 people to campaign in an “activist army” this year. And the independent National Education Association, the nation’s largest union, will closely coordinate political action with the AFL-CIO, according to the NEA’s Karen White.

[White]: “It really is the beginning of the NEA's new and expanding political program. In 2008, the NEA has dedicated over $30 million to its national political program and will be undertaking one of our largest grassroots mobilization efforts in history."

Change To Win’s Anna Burger says polling shows an overwhelming majority of Americans believe corporate power has run amok and the electorate is ready for change.

[Burger]: “And they believe that having a President that speaks out strongly for the workers' right to have a union will change. And they believe very clearly from the polls that having unions will change their lives."

---

Fed Ex learned an expensive lesson about not breaking labor law, and it came from the IRS. Jesse Russell has more.

FedEx learned that misclassifying workers as independent contractors is illegal. The Internal Revenue Service hit the package delivery company with a $319 million fine when it determined that FedEx ground workers were employees. In a statement Teamsters President Jim Hoffa said "It’s game over for FedEx’s independent contract scam."

---

One and a half million California workers got a raise on New Year’s
Day when the state’s minimum wage increased to $8 an hour.