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John Kerry pledges to fight for American jobs and rebuild the American middle class.

For America’s working families the choice for president is stark. Senator John F. Kerry and President George W. Bush are as different as night and day in their attitude toward those who work for a living.

President Bush believes that what is good for business and the wealthy is good for the country, and that working families and the less affluent will benefit indirectly.

“Bush was never a mystery on the campaign trail, and he’s certainly not a mystery as he begins to implement his vision for this country,” said Bill Miller, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce political director. “He is an unabashed, pro-business candidate.”

Senator Kerry maintains that government should support working families, safe workplaces and fair pay.

“I still believe in an America where a willingness to work hard is rewarded with the opportunity to earn a decent living and the chance to get ahead. I think it’s time we built an economy that honors those values,” said Kerry.
“And I think it’s time the American people had a government that sticks by them.”

“Time and time again, John Kerry was a friend to this union,” said IAM President Tom Buffenbarger. “We can count on him when the chips are down.

President Bush and Senator Kerry’s plans for America’s future show their personal philosophies and their records underline their differences.

Bush Congress Balks at More Unemployment
Kerry Backs More Benefits
The Bush-backed Republican Congress refused to extend unemployment insurance for the more than two million unemployed U.S. workers who had exhausted their regular unemployment insurance benefits by March 2004.
Senator Kerry supports extended benefits for unemployed workers during recessions. He believes that unemployment insurance should cover more people, provide benefits to people between jobs and help laid-off workers learn the skills they need to get working again.

Bush Supports Job Exports
Kerry Plans Job Protection
President Bush favors legislation to extend billions of dollars of tax breaks to firms that export jobs.

Senator Kerry pledges to end corporate tax breaks for shipping jobs overseas and pledges to reexamine all trade deals. He also wants to expand the Trade Adjust-ment Assistance (TAA) programs to provide relief for manufacturers, workers, and communities hurt by manufacturing imports.

Uninsured Ranks Rise Under Bush
Kerry Plans Affordable Healthcare for All
Almost 44 million Americans lack health insurance. Since George Bush was elected, the number of uninsured rose by four million.

Senator Kerry’s plan lowers family premiums by up to $1,000 a year, cuts waste from the system, lowers the cost of prescription drugs to provide real relief to seniors and uses targeted tax cuts to extend affordable, high-quality coverage to 95 percent of Americans.

Bush Grounds Airline Workers, Snubs Amtrak
Kerry Supports Airline Workers and Amtrak
Using the faltering economy as a pretext, President Bush used a Presidential Emergency Board at United Airlines to interfere in contract negotiations. Bush also tried to privatize and dismantle Amtrak.

As a senator, John Kerry wrote and led the fight to pass a law that prohibits airlines from firing or otherwise discriminating against employees who provide information to the federal government about possible airline safety violations.

Senator Kerry also supports a strong national Amtrak system to meet the nation’s passenger rail needs and maintain Amtrak’s 20,000 good jobs.

Bush’s Policies Harm Federal Workers
Kerry Supports Rights of Federal Workers
President Bush destroyed the bargaining rights of more than 230,000 federal workers in the Homeland Security Department, Transportation Security Administration and other federal agencies.

Senator Kerry supported collective bargaining and civil service protection for workers in the Homeland Security Department and voted against Bush’s proposal to take away their rights.

Bush Overtime Rules Hurt Workers
Kerry Will Reverse Them
President Bush’s Labor Department changed the rules so that approximately six million working families could lose overtime benefits.

Now millions will be working longer hours for less pay. Bush also supports a Comp Time bill that would let employers substitute comp time for overtime and change the standard 40-hour work week. Under this bill, some workers could work 50 hours in one week and thirty the next for no added compensation.

Senator Kerry will reverse the Bush Administration rules that threaten overtime pay for six million workers. He also opposes Comp Time legislation and the TEAM Act which allows company-controlled employee organizations aimed at replacing unions.

Bush Inks Anti-Union Executive Orders
Kerry Supports Organizing
President Bush signed anti-union Executive Orders requiring government contractors to post notices informing workers they cannot be forced to join unions, but he did not require employers to inform workers of their rights to organize and to join unions.

Senator Kerry co-sponsored the Employee Free Choice Act, allowing workers to choose whether to join a union, free of management intimidation and harassment, by signing cards authorizing union representation.

Bush Kills Ergo Standard
Kerry Defends Workplace Safety
President Bush and right-wing allies in Congress killed OSHA’s new ergonomic standards meant to reduce repetitive strain injuries, the leading cause of workplace injuries.

OSHA issued the standards after more than ten years of study. The business-backed effort not only killed the standard, but it barred OSHA from issuing a similar standard in the future.

Senator Kerry voted to preserve the nation’s first workplace ergonomics standard that protected workers from eight million repetitive stress injuries each year.

Making the Right Decision
America’s working families will face a clear choice when they head to the polls on November 2, 2004. President Bush cares about big business. Senator Kerry cares about working families.

“Who cares about us?” asked IP Buffenbarger. “IAM members now know what each candidate has done and said. They can answer the question 'Who cares about us?’ I know they will make the right decision and will vote on November 2nd.”