Monday, April 26, 2010

"Save Our Jobs" Rally Hosted By the IAMAW International

It was quite an impressive show at the Hilton Americas Hotel in Downtown Houston, all the key players were there, IP Buffenbarger, GST Warren Mart, All of the GVP's.  There were guest speakers; Congressman Pete Olsen, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Brother Johnny Walker, DBA for the IAM at the Cape.
Both IP Buffenbarger and GVP Martinez opened with rousing speeches, "Who's going to tell the President we will not accept these changes to the space program?!", with a hearty reply, "We Are!".  There was a good 30 to 40 minutes of this, chanting and very boisterous reply.  I am sure that the other hosted events in the adjoining ball rooms that had nothing to do with our event were quite disturbed.
But then I looked around, all (or most) of these people were there for the staff conference (that is taking place this week) anyway.  Everybody knows that a good Union Member loves a good rally,no matter what the cause.  But the cause this time was for us.  I bet I could count on less than the number of fingers on my two hands the number of members from my local, the folks that this rally was for.  They were there to rally for us, and to make noise as far as they can to support us and save our jobs.  So when the chant is raised, "Who is going to stand up and shout to save our jobs?!".....It damn sure needs to be US!!
I witnessed it myself, last year when the USA brothers and sisters were on Strike over the contract they couldn't ratify at the Cape.  Word around the site was "it really sucks not being able to go to work, hope something happens for those poor bastards soon", what sort of attitude is that?!!  we should have been rallying in support of our brothers and sisters, to let them know we were behind them.
I tell you what, if we don't get up off of our butts, start writing letters, sending emails, and generally making our selves visible to those that make the decisions, we won't have to worry about saying "Gee, I wonder when those folks are going to get to go back to work", because there won't be any job to go back to.  that project or program will have been abandon, done away with, and nothing plausible to replace it.
click on this to see what you missed:  http://iamawdl37.blogspot.com/ and view the video "Houston we have a message"

I will be posting information about another rally to SAVE OUR JOBS sponsored by the Galveston Co. AFL-CIO, on the 14th of next months (May), lets see if we can do better, and show these key people that we are worth the fight, and that it DOES matter what happens to the space program. THIS IS OUR FUTURE!!

I remain....