Teamsters and Operators continue GOP support.

[dogman]

http://www.suntimes.com/output/sweet/cst-nws-sweet09.html
Snip>Roskam, a state senator from Wheaton, today will be endorsed by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Joint Council 25 and the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150.
This endorsement gives Roskam entree into union households that traditionally vote Democratic.<snip
These locals have sided with the GOP quite often. They seem to think breaking from traditional labor groups gives them muscle with the GOP. When organized labor meets its demise it will be acts like this that caused it. Short term thinking and self-serving moves does fit in the GOP mindset. Both of these unions have been involved with the carpenters (who have left the AFL-CIO) and a couple of other unions in breaking from the Chicago Building Trades. Their long term goal seems to be taking the work of other unions and collecting the dues for themselves. This all just hastens the downward spiral that workers already suffer from globalization. Now we will have union labor competing against itself. I think this is just these locals greasing the skids to push their plan.

[mopinko]

1. the reagan democrats got what they had coming to them

unfortunately, it splattered all over the rest of us. i can't believe this endorsement is really worth jack. but i could be wrong.

[dogman]

2. What it means is they have found sellout leadership in the Unions.

This has been going on for some time, but I'm afraid this along with the other events in the Unions will have a similar effect internally that NAFTA and CAFTA have had externally. Unions will be actively undercutting each other to raise their own membership to increase their dues base. Their greed is going to enable labor's opponents to further divide and conquer.

[mopinko]

4. back in the day.

my time in the union was in the late 70's. as a woman trying to get a through a carpenter's apprenticeship, i got a lot of support from my union brothers. NOT.
i think that they are biting down on the dish they have cooked for themselves. the raygun dems are the same guys that thought that keeping women and minorities out of their "union of fathers and sons" was what unions were about, and good fun, too.
they are now getting their lunches packed for them, like we said they would, and i hope it tastes like shit.

[madrchsod]

3. yup----- fucking reagan democrats

i really can`t stand them...

[Southsideirish]

5. My dad, a long time member of Local 150, would turn over in his grave

if he knew what was going on. He was a Democrat to his dying day, 24 yrs ago.