Chicago Tribune Targets Skilled Trades Unions to Obscure Class War Agenda

Dennis Gannon is not only a skilled and hard working Tradesman, but the leader of the Chicago Federation Labor, which includes the Chicago Building Trades Council. Due to many years of John Sweeney's leadership of AFL-CIO, Gannon inherited a toxic labor situation of poisoned waters polluted by Andy Stern of SEIU. SEIU represents the largest organization public salaried employees in America as well the largest force of unskilled and low skilled health care workers. SEIU rank and file depend upon increased taxes taken from the Skilled Trades Workers who earned their livlihoods through training and Collective Bargaining. SEIU and ACORN are working together to elect Barack Obama as President of the United States - so is the Chicago Tribune.*

It may be remembered, certainly not by the selective memory of Chicago Tribune editorial board, that Andy Stern and Anna Burger led their followers of SEIU out of the AFL-CIO. Sweeney, who was Stern's sponsor in SEIU, took the first of many knives to the ribs and well he should.

Dennis Gannon is another story. Labor has fallen on hard times, due in large part to the propaganda printed in newspapers like the Chicago Tribune - 'Excessive salaries and benefits!!!' American Labor, through collective bargaining, gave America the standard of living unequalled in human history. That standard of living is the Target of SEIU and its redistribution of wealth agenda.

Benefits and wages won in the arena of Collective Bargaining and here, again, is the opinion of the Chicago Tribune on why Daley's Budget is bloated to bursting with taxpayer money:

The generous wages and benefits given to many in the roughly 38,000-strong municipal workforce amount to 80 percent of the cost of running the city's government, making it impossible to significantly cut the budget without reducing personnel costs.

Those expenses are only going up since Daley agreed last year to a 10-year contract with dozens of labor unions. The deal guarantees continued pay increases that far outstrip inflation.

Take for instance the city's hoisting engineers, members of clout-heavy Local 150. Their top hourly wage of almost $44 an hour has risen from $37.50 in three years.

Local 150's city contract also allows for double time for any work over eight hours in a day or 40 hours in a week.

They and other blue-collar workers, such as laborers, get 12 sick days a year, which they can carry over to future years if not used, in addition to 12 paid holidays.

If a relative dies, members of the biggest trade unions get three paid days off—rising to five if the funeral is held out of state.

"Tax increases don't get at the core problem that operating costs are rising far faster than what any revenues could pay for," said Laurence Msall, president of the Civic Federation, a tax watchdog group.

But Dennis Gannon, president of the Chicago Federation of Labor, said cutting hundreds of unionized city workers would inevitably have a negative impact on city services.

"At the end of the day, somebody has to do the work," Gannon said. "Take them out of the equation and who is going to pick up that slack?"

The wages and benefits won by labor - Real Labor through collective bargaining - are to blame for Daley's give away politics?

Nonsense! Daley tossed $250,000 Plus to Chicago Public School kids to bribe them into doing what they are supposed to do. Daley's Duncan plans to send CPS teachers back to school to learn what they are supposed to teach. Daley tosses millions at programs with no oversight. But, The Chicago Tribune gives a NUANCED approach - take money away from skilled, trained and effective Tradesmen.

Dennis Gannon and all of the Skilled Trades Union have the albatross necklace of SEIU
which eschews Collective Bargaining in favor of hammering pressure on politicians to legislate tax-payer funded pay raises.

The Chicago Tribune has long acted as a mouthpiece for SEIU and stated 'Redistribution of Wealth Agenda.' That agenda will effectively kill the Skilled Trades Unions and eliminate the American Middle Class.

*Some of ACORN’s recent activities are as follows:

SEIU paid ACORN founder and chief of anti-Wal-Mart strategies Wade Rathke $21,885 in salary and $5,233 in expenses for the role of “campaign project organizer.”
SEIU gave $50,000 contribution to “Walmart Associations” in the care of Wade Rathke
SEIU paid a $126,000 “subsidy” to Wal-Mart Alliance for Reform Now, operated by ACORN
Change to Win paid ACORN $30,000 for a “public awareness campaign.”
SEIU twice awarded ACORN a $40,000 “monthly retainer.”
SEIU paid more than $970,000 to ACORN’s ACLOC program for “training.”
SEIU Local 5 paid ACLOC $58,487 for an internship phase and for an “organizing partnership.”
UFCW hired ACLOC as a “consultant for organizing program” at a cost of $429,431
UFCW Local 876 paid $131,089 for a “community standards program.”
ACORN is also on record as providing direct staffing for various labor union efforts and programs as opposed to mere training and consultancy work, as well.

This close relationship raises questions as to whether ACORN should fall under Federal regulations as a labor organization.

http://theunionlabelblog.com/2008/07/23/acorn-and-its-connection-to-organized-labor/