Legislative —11

Political Action

The Machinists Non-Partisan Political League (MNPL) is the IAM member’s political action arm. MNPL’s strength is directly measured by how many members participate in the political arena by contributing to our political action committee and participating in promoting the ideals that help shape the IAM and this great land we live in. Some of us in the past counted on others to help those candidates in office who just stood up for working men and women and their families, so fewer and fewer of us participated.

Recognizing this, for the first time in more than four decades, the radical right seized control of the White House, the Senate and the House of Representatives. However, the radical right’s victory in the Presidential election was the most controversial in U.S. History. In a 5-4 ruling, the United States Supreme Court appointed George W. Bush to the White House. This was not good news for working families. The Republican Party historically has tilted heavily towards the upper class and the corporate sector. Their legislative priorities include tax cuts for the wealthiest taxpayers and a lengthy list of favors for Corporate America. During the last four years, President Bush and his allies on Capitol Hill passed a trillion-dollar tax cut for the rich, turned the budget surplus into a record deficit and sent the economy into a tail spin.

Since 2000, President Bush has appointed his anti-worker friends to key positions at the Department of Transportation, Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the National Labor Relations Board, and the court systems, to name a few.

These people have consistently interpreted the law against working families. During the 90’s, President Clinton stood up for the American worker by enforcing labor laws, pension protections, and generally setting forth an agenda geared toward the average worker and his/her family. However, the radical right is trying to turn back the clock in the states.

The issue can be right-to-work or even more severe anti-union legislation designed to destroy our ability to survive and represent working men and women. We have seen in a short period of time laws passed to cut us out of the election process in our states. Now that same radical right is taking aim toward exactly that on a federal level, leaving elections to be totally controlled by the wealthy in corporate America.

Every one of us in 2004 and beyond must take up this challenge to preserve our future. It must start at the grassroots level with a goal of 100 percent participation in MNPL by our officers, stewards, activists, and all members. But our local lodge leaders must set the example first. We must educate our stewards/activists first as to why we are involved in politics and how important it is to our daily lives and second, we must move on and discuss these issues and our objectives from member to member and neighbor to neighbor. We cannot allow the radical right to take away our children’s future, destroy our elderly citizens’ golden years, and destroy our quality of life.

The purpose of MNPL is to provide information services and help in whatever form we can so that you, the member, will be able to effectively promote our ideals in town hall meetings, school board meetings, and in all public places, including our churches

Currently, we have members elected to city halls and state houses around the country. We want to expand those numbers. MNPL is there to help those members who want to run for office and promote working men and women and their families. Remember that there is too much at stake. We cannot leave it to a few or expect someone else to take up the fight. Everyone must be involved, contribute to MNPL, and stand up for our union. It will take much longer than the past four years to rebuild what was destroyed. The radical right has more money and controls the airwaves, but they do not control our minds.

MNPL has a very successful 10/10 program of volunteers in place. Each territory has a database of volunteers available to help with organizing and political participation. Each territory has assigned a representative to implement the MNPL program and sign up 10/10 volunteers in their states, districts and local lodges.

MNPL, in coordination with the AFL-CIO COPE, has started a year round voter registration program. We plan to work with each district and local lodges on developing strategies to register our membership. This November’s election will decide who controls the White House, who controls Congress, who controls the levers of power at the state level, who decides how much taxes you will pay, and who gets the rewards—working families or big business. If our members are not registered, someone else will make these key decisions—and we will have to live with their choices.