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Like John Edwards, our initial choicefor president, Obama would makehealth care coverage more universaland strongly supports the Employee FreeChoice Act (EFCA), which would freeworkers to choose a union withoutemployer intimidation.Obama believes, as do both JohnEdwards and Senator Hillary Clinton,that if you work hard, you should be ableto count on a job that pays the bills, provideshealth care for when you get sick, apension when you retire, a home for yourfamily and an education for your childrenso they can fulfill their potential.Former presidential hopefulJohn Edwards gives his endorsementto his former rival, Sen. Barack Obama(D-Ill.), on May 14.(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)Obama Offers New Dealfor American ManufacturingDemocrat Supports Union Choice, Health Care ReformDuring 7½ years of the George W. Bushpresidency, one out of every five workers inmanufacturing —3.5 million all together— losttheir jobs and their ticket to the American dream.In contrast, Democrat Sen. Barack Obamapledges to rebuild industry, and with it our strugglingmiddle class, by pumping billions of dollarsinto clean energy technologies, innovation incentivesand the nation’s crumbling infrastructure.Commitment to working peopleWe gave a strong endorsement toEdwards when the primary contestsbegan last year because of his deep commitmentto working people and ourshared beliefs. His support of EFCA andhealth care reform were widely shared byour members.Before he left the race, Edwards was apassionate voice for a campaign thatmade this nation focus on what matters:lifting up this country and its citizens.Obama has picked up that banner.When Edwards endorsed Obama forpresident as the primary contests werewinding down in May, the USW onceagain found itself in agreement with him.The union’s International ExecutiveBoard voted unanimously to endorseObama to be the next president.“Senator Obama’s call for a significantchange of direction amounts to far morethan a compelling rallying cry,”International President Leo W. Gerardsaid. “It is buttressed by his record ofconsistent support for workers, by his callfor sweeping changes to our health caresystem, by his unflinching support for theEmployee Free Choice Act, and by hisinsistence that America’s trade policiesmust, first and foremost, serve the interestsof America’s working families.”Reforming trade policiesThe specifics of the plan include substantialeconomic incentives and reformingAmerica’s trade policies to ensure ourworkers can compete on a level playingfield and create good jobs at home and realmarkets for American products abroad.Obama would move to protect thejobs we have now by ending the Bush-McCain policy of giving tax breaks tothe companies that ship our jobs overseas6 summer 2008 • USW@Work
“I believe that Barack Obama is a shining young statesmanwho possesses the personal temperament and courage necessary toextricate our country from this costly misadventure in Iraq, and tolead our nation at this challenging time in history. Barack Obamais a noble-hearted patriot and humble Christian, and he has myfull faith and support.”U.S. Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va.and, instead, give those tax breaks tocompanies that keep good-paying jobsin the United States. Trade deals, hebelieves, must include enforceable provisionsto protect unions’ rights to organizeand bargain collectively— a significantdifference from current practice.“The fight for American manufacturingis the fight for America’s future,Obama says, “and I believe that’s a fightthis country will win.”Central to Obama’s manufacturingrevival plan is a $150 billion clean technologiesventure capital fund to promoteand develop clean energy technologies.He projects those technologies could createup to five million new jobs that paywell and can’t be outsourced.“The first part of this agenda is investingin clean energy— because that isn’tjust how we’ll get gas prices under control,combat climate change, and free ourselvesfrom the tyranny of oil,” Obamasaid. “It’s also how we’ll expandAmerican manufacturing, create qualityjobs, and grow our economy.”Rebuilding America,revitalizing manufacturingObama’s plans also include a $60 billionfund to rebuild roads, bridges, transitsystems and other infrastructure and a$1 billion a year start-up fund system forsmall and mid-sized manufacturers toconvert to clean technologies.Aiming help at automobile-dependentstates like Michigan and Ohio, among others,Obama would also promote advancedvehicle technology and provide incentivesfor domestic auto makers to retool theirplants to produce these new fuel-efficientvehicles. This fund could, for example,help American companies build batteriesfor plug-in hybrid vehicles so we don’thave to buy them from abroad.He proposes an AdvancedManufacturing Fund that would identifyand invest in the most compellingadvanced manufacturing strategies inplaces that have been hard hit by thedecline in manufacturing.Rather than slashing funding for theManufacturing Extension Partnership asthe Bush administration did, Obama saidhe would double it. The program helpedcreate and protect over 50,000 jobs in2006 alone, and has helped to increasethe productivity of small and midsizemanufacturers by up to 16 percent.“That’s the kind of smart investmentthat will help us rebuild Americanmanufacturing and make America morecompetitive,” Obama said.To ensure our competitiveness over thelong term, Obama would invest in scienceand math education for our children fromkindergarten through graduate school andfind a solution to the health care crisis thathas left 47 million Americans withouthealth insurance and millions more strugglingto pay rising costs.In all, Obama plans to revitalizemanufacturing and build job growth byadvancing a clean energy economy whileproviding for universal health care. Heoffers a choice between real change andmore of the same failed Bush policies thathave done real harm to American workers.“For the sake of our families, oureconomy, and our leadership in theworld,” he said, “we have to renew thepromise of American manufacturing.”Barack Obama puts hand over heartduring the national anthem at the startof a women's bicycle racein Bloomington, Ind.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)Barack Obama’s PlanHere are some excerpts fromBarack Obama’s plan to changeAmerica. If elected, he would:• Invest in U.S. manufacturing andensure that America’s highlyskilledmanufacturing work forcehave the skills and tools they need.• Create a new “Making Work Pay”tax credit of up to $500 per person,or $1,000 per working family.• Stand firm against trade agreementswith foreign nations thatundermine our economic security.• Fight for a trade policy that opensup foreign markets to supportgood American jobs and usestrade agreements to spread goodlabor and environmental standardsaround the world.• Pressure the World TradeOrganization to enforce tradeagreements and stop countries fromcontinuing unfair government subsidiesto foreign exporters.• Amend the North American FreeTrade Agreement so it works forAmerican workers.• Extend Trade AdjustmentAssistance to service industries,create flexible education accountsto help workers retrain and provideretraining assistance forworkers vulnerable to dislocation.• Double federal funding for basicresearch and make the researchand development tax credit permanentto help create high-paying,secure jobs.• Make long-term investments ineducation, training and workforce development.• Create new job training programsfor clean technologies.• Boost the renewable energy sectorand create new jobs.• Strengthen the ability of workersto organize unions, bargain collectivelyand strike if necessary.• Fight attacks on workers’ rightto organize.• Work to ban the permanentreplacement of striking workers.• Raise the minimum wage andindex it to inflation.USW@Work • summer 2008 7
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