<?xml version="1.0" encoding="iso-8859-1"?>
<rss version="0.92">
<channel>
<lastBuildDate><![CDATA[Tue, 8 Jul 2008 21:16:53 GMT]]></lastBuildDate>
<title><![CDATA[Fight Back America Blog]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.fightbackamerica.net/blog.asp]]></link>
<description><![CDATA[Fight Back America is the United Steelworkers (USWA) Associate Member Program?s (AMP) Campaign to build power through community action.]]></description>
<copyright><![CDATA[Copyright 2005 USW]]></copyright>
<image>
<url><![CDATA[http://www.fightbackamerica.net/images/rsslogo.gif]]></url>
<title><![CDATA[Fight Back America Blog]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.fightbackamerica.net/blog.asp]]></link>
</image>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Goliath is Reeling: Not a Good Time to Be Wal - Mart]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[The retail juggernaut known as Wal-Mart is not having a very easy time of it these days. Reeling from the release of some very damaging internal memos, and gearing up to combat a new documentary that chronicles Wal-Mart's role in bringing down wages and working conditions, the company has been forced to establish a PR war room. Is it really just because they're the biggest that everyone is aiming to bring them down? Or are they really just worse than everyone else? With all of the new information that is being disclosed this month, it will be up to the American people to vote with their holiday shopping dollars.
]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.fightbackamerica.net/permalink.asp?id=113]]></link>
<pubDate><![CDATA[11/10/2005]]></pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[North Country: Sometimes you can't make it on your own]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[What do the band U2 and the movie North Country have in common? Even when you count lead singer Bono's commitment to social consciousness, the answer is not that much, except for the fact that I saw them both in the past week. But after having one of U2's most recent hits embedded in my brain after the concert, I think it's a good summation of the theme of North Country, a film about the nation's first sexual harassment class action: Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own. And both are highly worth seeing.
]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.fightbackamerica.net/permalink.asp?id=112]]></link>
<pubDate><![CDATA[10/27/2005]]></pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[VA Seeks to Punish Iraq War Veterans ]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Last year, the VA spent $4.3 billion on PTSD disability payments, a number which it hopes to reduce this year by revoking PTSD benefits for many veterans. According to Gene Gerard, this will be the final insult to soldiers who were asked to fight a war in Iraq on false premises. 


]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.fightbackamerica.net/permalink.asp?id=111]]></link>
<pubDate><![CDATA[10/20/2005]]></pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Is More and Faster Work Better Work]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[We all want to figure out how to do more work in less time. Why is that? In days past, it meant you were a more valuable employee, and could expect more wages and advancement. Now, it may mean that you want to spend more time with your family, or have room for a social life, hobbies, or community involvement. Or, you may not have a choice if you want to keep your job, as many companies are laying off workers and expecting those who remain to work harder. New research is likely to result in even more efficiency, but to what end?
]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.fightbackamerica.net/permalink.asp?id=110]]></link>
<pubDate><![CDATA[10/18/2005]]></pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Hurricanes: The Worst Excuse to Take Away Workers' Rights (Not That One's Needed)]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Hurricanes: The Worst Excuse to Take Away Workers' Rights (Not That One's Needed)
In the weeks since Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, and after Hurricane Rita recently paid a visit, we've had the opportunity to see how such disasters bring out the best -- and worst -- in everyone. Amongst many stories of courage and heroism you will also find examples of the worst behavior you might expect in such a crisis. When viewing how workers have fared, you will see many agendas being promoted, but a few in particular seem designed to hurt workers' interests long after the floodwaters subside. This should come as no surprise, except that we've all come to expect better when a tragedy of this scope is involved.
]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.fightbackamerica.net/permalink.asp?id=109]]></link>
<pubDate><![CDATA[10/3/2005]]></pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[All of us]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Unfortunately, sometimes it takes a tragedy before we, as a nation, are prepared to address fundamental problems in our society.  

Such is the case with the discussions surrounding poverty, racism and classism that seem at the center of the horrific events we witnessed along the gulf coast this month.  While no one should seek to take advantage of the suffering of hundreds of thousands of Americans, it would be irresponsible of the progressive community, in this time of reflection and assessment, to not address the injustices of poverty and racism which, obviously, still plague our society.  

]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.fightbackamerica.net/permalink.asp?id=108]]></link>
<pubDate><![CDATA[9/29/2005]]></pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[John Roberts Nomination: Bad News for Workers?]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[As the nation reeled from the massive destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina, it was also newsworthy that the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, William H. Rehnquist, passed away following a battle with thyroid cancer. John Roberts, having already been nominated to fill the seat of retiring Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, was quickly nominated by President Bush for consideration as the new Chief Justice. Roberts' nomination battle became that much more critical, as the individual selected as the next Chief Justice will have the ability to mold the Court for the next few decades. Since Roberts was initially nominated, more about his likely views on employment and civil rights issues has come to light, and should be of key concern to the U.S. Senate when deciding whether to confirm him.
]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.fightbackamerica.net/permalink.asp?id=107]]></link>
<pubDate><![CDATA[9/29/2005]]></pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Katrina's impact on workers]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Like many Americans, I have spent the last week obsessed and devastated by the reports of Hurricane Katrina's destruction of the city of New Orleans, as well as parts of Mississippi and Alabama. Even with Labor Day occurring, it was hard to think about anything else. While it seems slightly unseemly to worry about it when lives are still very much at stake, Katrina not only ravaged one of the world's most charming cities, but devastated the workplaces of hundreds of thousands of workers. While our contribution pales in comparison to the organizations such as the American Red Cross which are providing massive amounts of critical assistance to the displaced, here's a roundup of some of the employment-related issues that Katrina's destruction raises.
]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.fightbackamerica.net/permalink.asp?id=106]]></link>
<pubDate><![CDATA[9/7/2005]]></pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Not Everyone Gets a Five Week Vacation]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[It's the time of year when it seems like everyone is getting in that last bit of vacation time while summer is still here. Parents are trying to get away with the kids before school starts. Congress is on recess. Even my own vacation partially explains the sparse blog postings as of late. But the champion when it comes to vacation time has to be our President, who is spending a whopping five weeks away from the White House at his ranch in Crawford, Texas. While the President may have been reelected in part due to his ability to relate to ordinary Americans, his lengthy vacation is one thing to which ordinary Americans, by and large, cannot relate.
]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.fightbackamerica.net/permalink.asp?id=105]]></link>
<pubDate><![CDATA[8/30/2005]]></pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Not Even on Your Own Time]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Think that who you hang out with when you're off the job is not the boss's business? Think again, says the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), in a recent 2-1 decision by the Republican majority which takes anti-fraternization policies much further than most employees would consider possible. The NLRB's recent decision upheld a policy which made it against the rules for Guardsmark's security guards to "fraternize on duty or off duty, date, or become overly friendly with the client's employees or with co-employees." While the policy was ostensibly enacted for safety and security purposes, its chilling effect goes much further.
]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.fightbackamerica.net/permalink.asp?id=102]]></link>
<pubDate><![CDATA[8/25/2005]]></pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Health care is public policy not bargaining chip]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Omission is the cleverest form of deception, a ploy amply evident in George F. Will's Aug. 8 column, "Sustaining 'Detroit,' " in which he addresses the competitive pressures facing the Ford Motor Co. "Outside America," he avers, "the company is not functioning as a welfare state, paying the high costs of medical and pension benefits." 

Mr. Will's solution to this dilemma is "trimming of some benefits" secured by the United Auto Workers. What he conveniently omits is the fact that in every other major industrial nation, health-care benefits are provided through public policies of one sort or another, as is the case in Canada, where a Ford can be produced for $1,500 less than in the United States. Canada long ago wisely removed the cost of health care from the competitive equation, especially in manufacturing. 

]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.fightbackamerica.net/permalink.asp?id=94]]></link>
<pubDate><![CDATA[8/11/2005]]></pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Is Sexual Favoritism Against the Law]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[One of the reasons that so many people caution against workplace romances is the issue of sexual favoritism. What happens when the boss starts making decisions at work based upon who he or she is involved with at home? Not only can it be very messy when the relationship is over, but it can also be very messy while the relationship is in progress, especially if the person who is involved with the boss is perceived to be getting special treatment. However, unless you were the person in the relationship, and it subsequently went sour, causing you to be treated badly, there wasn't much that could be done legally. Now, the California Supreme Court has recognized that those not involved in the relationship may have some legal rights, but exactly how far this decision really goes remains to be seen.
]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.fightbackamerica.net/permalink.asp?id=93]]></link>
<pubDate><![CDATA[8/4/2005]]></pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[You are the Movement]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[As the famous union organizer and musician Joe Hill said, “Don’t mourn, organize.” 

Many associate members, union activists, and progressives are in a daze fretting about the future of the American labor movement after the split that we saw this week at the AFL-CIO in Chicago, and the passage of the job-killing Central America Free Trade Agreement, which passed in the House by a slim two-vote margin.  
]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.fightbackamerica.net/permalink.asp?id=92]]></link>
<pubDate><![CDATA[7/29/2005]]></pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Blog Roundup: Supreme Court Nominee John Roberts]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Everyone and their first cousin is now commenting on U.S. Supreme Court nominee John Roberts, and the ink being spilled (or should I say the pixels being generated) is likely to be plentiful for a while. Rather than generating even more commentary, I'm going to bring you what others are saying about John Roberts, especially as it relates to employment issues. There will be plenty of time for careful and thorough analysis, and most certainly the the employee rights advocates at the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA) will be a part of that. But for now, there's some reasonably insightful commentary out there already, and this will save you from getting out your hip-waders.
]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.fightbackamerica.net/permalink.asp?id=89]]></link>
<pubDate><![CDATA[7/21/2005]]></pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Now Where's the Good News? Coffee and Doughnuts Just Don't Cut It]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Anyone who knows anything about the enforcement of legal standards in the workplace knows that immigrant workers, especially those who are undocumented, are exploited by employers who do not comply with legal requirements governing wages, dangerous conditions and uncompensated workplace injuries, discrimination, and other labor laws. Workers who attempt to remedy such abuse routinely face physical and immigration-related threats and retaliation. So what should the government's role be when it comes to addressing these problems? Can we agree on what it shouldn't be: making that situation worse by exploiting the same fears and vulnerabilities as unscrupulous employers? Yet that's exactly what the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency recently did in North Carolina.
]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.fightbackamerica.net/permalink.asp?id=88]]></link>
<pubDate><![CDATA[7/20/2005]]></pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Barely Staying Afloat? Just Get Another Job]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[With all of the evidence that wages have been more or less stagnant, especially for low-wage workers, over the last several years, the question then arises: how come our economy is as sound as it is? Who has the money to buy any of the consumer goods that are being produced for the masses? One explanation which is increasingly gaining credence is that workers who are just barely getting by are being forced to take second jobs. What happens when this development moves from being a growing trend to a societal expectation? Should the American value of "those who work hard get ahead" mean that only those who work 60 or 70 hours a week deserve to make it?
]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.fightbackamerica.net/permalink.asp?id=87]]></link>
<pubDate><![CDATA[7/19/2005]]></pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[When Trickle-Down Becomes A Drought]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[A recent New York Times column reported what shouldn't really be a surprise to those paying attention to workplace economics: "tax cuts for the wealthy made no sense as a policy for stimulating new jobs. " The idea that tax cuts will cause money to flow downwards from the wealthy who will create jobs as a result, to those working in those jobs, is as bankrupt as the people still having to wait for that trickle. Yet the Administration still clings to the notion that recovery is around the bend.
]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.fightbackamerica.net/permalink.asp?id=86]]></link>
<pubDate><![CDATA[7/13/2005]]></pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Comcast workers and the right to choose a union]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Kevin Beallis, a 32 year old Comcast worker with 20 month old twins, called Comcast Cable Company, "the Wal-Mart of the cable industry", when speaking at a town hall meeting on the Employee Free Choice Act in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The event was hosted by the Allegheny County AFL-CIO at the downtown Hilton in early July of this year. 

Comcast workers described tactics being used by the company to destroy the union shops (mostly organized under AT&T) including cutting workforce while expanding service, requiring employees to attend mandatory three hour anti-union meetings and my personal favorite-sending human resources officials from cooperate to "ride along" with them while they are trying to work. 

]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.fightbackamerica.net/permalink.asp?id=85]]></link>
<pubDate><![CDATA[7/13/2005]]></pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Justice O'Connor To Retire: What Does it Mean for Workers?]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Last Friday, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor turned an otherwise ho-hum holiday news weekend into a firestorm of analysis and strategizing, when she announced her retirement from the Court. Until a new justice is seated on the Court, Americans can expect a barrage of information and speculation about a new candidate and his or her potential impact on the Court, as compared to Justice O'Connor. It is also likely that we will see a partisan battle waged that's nearly equivalent to a presidential election in nature, with so much at stake for everyone involved in the debate. Why should workers care about all of this? An analysis of some of Justice O'Connor's decisions holds the key.
]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.fightbackamerica.net/permalink.asp?id=84]]></link>
<pubDate><![CDATA[7/11/2005]]></pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Coingate: An Additional $215 Million Lost from Ohio's BWC Fund]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[News about another risky investment by the BWC came out late today.  MDL, a firm that has offices in Pittsburgh, invested money for the fund and lost $ 215 million of workers' comp funds.  The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports about the additional funds that have been lost.

]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.fightbackamerica.net/permalink.asp?id=83]]></link>
<pubDate><![CDATA[6/16/2005]]></pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Coca-Cola and Steelworkers Debate]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[ On Tuesday, May 10, Gerardo Cajamarca and Meredith Cleary from the USWA came to speak to two classes at my high school, Cretin-Derham Hall in St. Paul, MN. He talked about globalization through free trade agreements, Plan Colombia, and lastly the Coca Cola situation. The students were by far the most receptive to the Coca Cola issue as our school has an exclusive contract with Coke and we have more than 20 Coke machines scattered around the building. 
]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.fightbackamerica.net/permalink.asp?id=75]]></link>
<pubDate><![CDATA[5/23/2005]]></pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Did you know?]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.fightbackamerica.net/permalink.asp?id=74]]></link>
<pubDate><![CDATA[5/11/2005]]></pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Reps announce opposition to CAFTA during BGA tour]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Today we were rewarded for all the hard work of our organizers, members and volunteers!  Representatives Smith, Larsen, and Baird all announced their opposition to CAFTA.  We were sitting in Representative Rick Larsen’s office when their announcement was released.  All the telephoning, the leafleting, petitioning, and the organizing for the Sierra Club/Steelworker tour paid off.

]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.fightbackamerica.net/permalink.asp?id=73]]></link>
<pubDate><![CDATA[5/5/2005]]></pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Day 2]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Our second day on the road started early in Oregon with an interview on Oregon Public Broadcasting, for later broadcast on some or all NPR affiliates in the state. They wanted to hear about how CAFTA might impact environmental laws in Oregon, allowing me to cite the case out of California where Methanex Corp is suing the US Government under NAFTA. Methanex is suing because the State of California had the gall to ban MTBE, a known carcinogen that has been polluting California groundwater since it was first added to gasoline. CAFTA would extend these outrageous "investment rules," jeopardizing a whole host of good environmental regulations in Oregon and Washington, including their growth management acts, the tough Oregon bottle bill, rules prohibiting discharge of ballast water waste from ships (protecting against the proliferation of invasive species), and Washington's new clean car regulation, which is set to be signed into law on Friday by Governor Gregoire.

]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.fightbackamerica.net/permalink.asp?id=72]]></link>
<pubDate><![CDATA[5/5/2005]]></pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Defending the New Deal]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Today we made three stops in Washington on the Sierra/Steelworker CAFTA tour, visiting Congressman Brian Baird’s office in Vancouver, then heading up I-5 to an editorial board meeting with the Tacoma News Tribune, and a town hall meeting this evening in Fife, WA.



Baird’s office is in the historic district in Vancouver in a restored Victorian.  I’m reminded of the struggles we’ve had in the aluminum industry, both in Vancouver and nearby Longview, where over 1000 steelworkers have lost their jobs, in part from our country’s failed trade policies.

]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.fightbackamerica.net/permalink.asp?id=70]]></link>
<pubDate><![CDATA[5/4/2005]]></pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Blue Green Roadtrip]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Today, Dave Foster of the Steelworkers and I launched a 4-day speaking tour of the Pacific Northwest to publicize the dangers -- to the natural environment and to working people in the U.S. and in Central America -- of the pending Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), and to seek public support for our efforts to get CAFTA voted down in the Congress.
]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.fightbackamerica.net/permalink.asp?id=69]]></link>
<pubDate><![CDATA[5/4/2005]]></pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[First day of historic Steelworker and Sierra Club Tour]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Today was the first day of our historic Steelworker/Sierra Club tour to build support to stop passage of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA).  Larry Fahn, the Sierra Club President and I are traveling throughout the Pacific Northwest to urge Congressional representatives to use the CAFTA debate as a referendum on the failure of current U.S. trade policy to deliver jobs and protect the environment.
]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.fightbackamerica.net/permalink.asp?id=68]]></link>
<pubDate><![CDATA[5/3/2005]]></pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Class Warfare]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[At the same time that Republicans disclaim that there is a class warfare, Bush is declaring class warfare on a constant basis.  Perhaps a more diplomatic term would be John Edwards' use of the phrase Two Americas.

The Bush plan for Social Security will divide the plan into a two-tiered plan.  Who can object to helping the poor more than those less in need?  This sounds so wonderful - those who need it most, get it most, and those who need it least, get it least.  Sounds almost Marxian?  Is Bush a Marxist?  
]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.fightbackamerica.net/permalink.asp?id=67]]></link>
<pubDate><![CDATA[5/3/2005]]></pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[No Nukes]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[The US Senate is debating the so-called “nuclear option”—whether or not to change its rules to prevent the Democratic minority from exercising its current right to filibuster radically conservative judicial appointments by President Bush.  

It’s not hard to see what’s at stake for working people in the U.S.  Given that Scalia, Rehnquist, and Thomas all got on the court with the filibuster in tact, imagine what damage a 51-vote majority could do to the American judicial system!  

]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.fightbackamerica.net/permalink.asp?id=66]]></link>
<pubDate><![CDATA[4/28/2005]]></pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Workplace Democracy]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[ recently participated in an event called the Free Democracy Summit, which was a weekend of art, education, and inspiration, whose purpose was to unite individuals and organizations, in a cooperative effort to explore, define, and celebrate our democracy. 
]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.fightbackamerica.net/permalink.asp?id=65]]></link>
<pubDate><![CDATA[4/28/2005]]></pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[The Schiavo Effect in Full Force in Ohio]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[ wonder if Terri Schiavo ever thought that her death would spark so much controversy and that her name would become synonymous with America's culture war.   Some of Ohio's Republicans have succumbed to the seducing lore of headlines that can be grabbed by increasing government oversight in our private lives—so much for the party of small government. I guess you can pursue whatever is politically expedient when you have all the power.    

Republican Senator Jeff Jacobson and Representative Keith Faber will be introducing legislation that if a person does not have a living will or if the family cannot agree on what to do if a family member is on a feeding tube, then the courts cannot order a feeding tube removed.

]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.fightbackamerica.net/permalink.asp?id=61]]></link>
<pubDate><![CDATA[4/21/2005]]></pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[32nd Constitutional Convention with an AMP Twist]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[ During the Steelworkers Convention, international solidarity was a frequently discussed subject. On Wednesday, April 13, a resolution was adopted to forge a global movement, reach out to other countries, and be proactive in building coalitions with natural allies such as environmental, church, and women's organizations.
 
     Standing with workers around the world to build a global labor movement is a top priority of the Steelworkers. President Leo Gerard noted that "We cannot survive alone as an island of prosperity in a sea of despair." Globalization has caused wages and living conditions to deteriorate in countries that experienced poverty even before trade agreements such as NAFTA were implemented, while more industrialized countries where workers have traditionally earned higher wages continue to hemorrhage jobs. At the convention, the message was that it is not the workers of other countries that must be opposed, but rather the current strategy of globalization and free trade. 
]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.fightbackamerica.net/permalink.asp?id=60]]></link>
<pubDate><![CDATA[4/15/2005]]></pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[2005 Steelworker Convention]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[International president, Leo Gerard, opened the convention by outlining past Steelworker successes (on behalf of working people) with corporate America, and where the Union stands today. Then in summary Leo said, ‘We need to be progressive and do more to have success in our future corporate battles, due to the high costs involved with successful campaigns.’ 

We heard from the likes of former U.S. House whip David Bonior, who is now cataloging injustices done to workering people throughout the United States, and news-reporter Lou Dobbs who said, "The national trade deficit is steadily rising due to corporate job outsourcing -- with no apparent slow-down in sight." He stressed the need for Labor’s voice to be heard loudly on this issue, before any slowdown or reversal will occur. 

]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.fightbackamerica.net/permalink.asp?id=59]]></link>
<pubDate><![CDATA[4/15/2005]]></pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Free and Fair Realities Hit Minnesotans on Trade]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[St. Paul, MN – Keeping the fight over free versus fair trade policy alive, the Steelworkers Associate Member Program teamed up with the Minnesota Fair Trade Coalition to sponsor a debate between Art Rolnick, Senior Vice President and Director of Research for the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis (free trader), and Larry Weiss, Executive Director of the Citizen Trade Campaign (fair trader), on the two perspectives’ effect on Minnesota’s jobs and communities. The nearly 300 members of the audience were able to directly interact with the two speakers and the evening’s moderator, George Latimer, Distinguished visiting professor of Urban Studies at Macalester College and former mayor of St. Paul, as they brought their messages home about trade policy with facts and colorful anecdotes. 

]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.fightbackamerica.net/permalink.asp?id=58]]></link>
<pubDate><![CDATA[4/15/2005]]></pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[What’s At Stake for Minnesota Families with US Trade?]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[St. Paul, MN – The advantages and disadvantages of free trade and fair trade have been discussed in economic seminars, written about in articles, and distorted by politicians on both sides of the isle. Art Rolnick (Free Trade), Senior Vice President and Director of Research for the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, and Larry Weiss (Fair Trade), Executive Director of the Citizen Trade Campaign, are bringing the debate home for Minnesotans to make their own decision on what model is best for Minnesota’s jobs and environment. The greater metropolitan area’s community members will be able to engage the two as they take on this controversial topic in a debate moderated by George Latimer (Moderator), Distinguished visiting professor of Urban Studies at Macalester College and former mayor of St. Paul, and sponsored by the United Steelworkers and the Minnesota Fair Trade Coalition]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.fightbackamerica.net/permalink.asp?id=57]]></link>
<pubDate><![CDATA[4/14/2005]]></pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Crisis in Ohio--Massive Voter Fraud?]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[The Republican spin machine is at it again cooking up another crisis—but this time it isn't weapons of mass destruction or the implosion of our social security system—it is massive voter fraud.  Now, I've searched and searched but I haven't been able to find any accounts of massive voter fraud in the state of Ohio.  I've heard the stories of voter registration fraud,  but did not hear of wide-spread accounts of voter fraud.  There have been accounts claiming that "Dick Tracy" was registered to vote.  But, these cases are under investigation for voter registration fraud—Dick Tracy didn't show up to vote at the polls.  
]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.fightbackamerica.net/permalink.asp?id=56]]></link>
<pubDate><![CDATA[4/11/2005]]></pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Bush calls FDR a "Socialist"]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[It is no real surpise to most people that President Bush has been the "great divider" as opposed to his pre-2000 election claims to become the "great uniter". The corporate special interest lobby and the Republicans, who control the legislative and executive branches have demonstated their "blind" zeal to fleece the American public with their plans. Their attempts to try and convince us that adding $2 trillion to the debt, and lining the pockets of companies, like Charles Schwabb, with over a $1 billion dollars in differed Social Security payroll taxes, is best for Americans are not working and they know it.  
]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.fightbackamerica.net/permalink.asp?id=55]]></link>
<pubDate><![CDATA[4/8/2005]]></pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Bush is slipping and its time to take on credit debt]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[A recent USA Today/CNN/Gallup Poll let it be known that people are loosing a little favor with the president. According to the poll that was released 3/25/05, Bush's approval rating dropped to an all time low of 45%. In the previous week the same poll showed him at 52%. 

]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.fightbackamerica.net/permalink.asp?id=54]]></link>
<pubDate><![CDATA[3/29/2005]]></pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Thoughts before the Holiday Weekend]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[As members of the Republican Party and their allies from the Christian right take steps to undercut their own position on state's rights and personal responsibility, we have a seen another example of the right's inability to understand the complexity of another issue. 

President Bush and his colleagues in the Republican-controlled Congress have been working overtime to convince the American public that Social Security will become insolvent in a sort time and that private accounts will solve Americans problems. 

]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.fightbackamerica.net/permalink.asp?id=52]]></link>
<pubDate><![CDATA[3/24/2005]]></pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[March 22, 2005 in Review]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[The day started with the horrific news of 10 people loosing their lives in Northern Minnesota in what has become an all too familiar scene. The news in Florida was that a federal judge decided not to reinsert the feeding tube into Terri Schiavo, in a move that will no doubt anger right-to-life protesters and give the right-wing another target for their venom. 

]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.fightbackamerica.net/permalink.asp?id=50]]></link>
<pubDate><![CDATA[3/22/2005]]></pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[It's Time to Fight Back!]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Dear Friend,

You are about to be part of an incredible opportunity to learn about some exciting efforts in economic, social, and global justice fight. We are offering you an opportunity to act now for change to fight back against the Bush Administration and the Right wing’s corporate agenda. 

We are asking you to join us in our Fight Back ’05 campaign!

]]></description>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.fightbackamerica.net/permalink.asp?id=49]]></link>
<pubDate><![CDATA[3/15/2005]]></pubDate>
</item>
</channel>
</rss>
