In a wide-ranging conversation with radio host Bill Press that included the economy, jobs, sequestration, labor law enforcement and right-to-work (for less) efforts, IAM President Tom Buffenbarger called for an aggressive strategy to overcome the right-wing’s war on unions and the middle-class.
President Buffenbarger says a good offense is the best defense. “I am sick and tired of defending what union workers do and contribute to this country,” said Buffenbarger, who called for a coordinated effort to reduce the number of right-to-work states.
President Buffenbarger also talked about the need to turn the national conversation away from deficit reduction and back to jobs and the potential of $1.2 trillion in sequestration cuts.
“The inability of Congress to act is just devastating,” said Buffenbarger. “We see only a marginal improvement in some sectors of the manufacturing economy, but there’s tremendous pressure upon employers right now [who are] uncertain about the economic condition of this country. They’re sitting on piles of cash that could be plowed into reinvestments, retooling and hiring more workers to produce products America and the rest of the world needs.”
In a final question regarding the former Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), Buffenbarger said he would like to see the bill renamed the “Civil Rights for Employees Act” and reintroduced.
