AMERICA DOWNSIZED

AMERICANS ASKED TO LOWER FUTURE EXPECTATIONS
ASSAULT ON WORKING MEN AND WOMEN IS JUST BEGINNING

I’m certain that everyone has noticed that the essential and favorite foods we buy daily now come in smaller containers or packages. The last time I purchased a candy bar out of a vending machine not only had the price gone up but the size of the bar was considerably smaller. At first I thought my eyes were failing or my hands had gotten bigger. Nope, I and everyone else were being screwed!

I don’t know what makes me more upset; the price gouging and smaller packages or the fact that we were expected to not notice. How dumb do they think we as consumers have gotten? Or maybe they watched as the bankers and mega-financial institutions, mortgage companies and ‘asleep at the wheel’ politicians mishandled and pillaged the monies of all economies with hardly anyone noticing and figured if we didn’t understand that kind of a global ponzi scheme, shrinking 2 quarts of ice cream to a quart and a half all the while charging the same amount would be child’s play.

We as American consumers and workers are being mentally manipulated by the powers to be to accept diminishing expectations in our lives. Our cars, homes, vacations, pay, benefits and heavens knows what else are shrinking and we are being conditioned by those who make the rules (and the food!) to get used to it and take our medicine (in reduced dosages) like grown up men and women.

We’re all for reducing over consumption and participating in conservation and sane approaches to our environment while working smarter and more effective. Let’s all join in making the world cleaner and greener; in reducing waste and limiting our ruinous excesses.

But don’t tell us that workers are to blame for the condition of the world’s economy. Our current crop of gluttonous leaders, politicians, bankers, financial pundits and ‘water carrying’ prognosticators have done most of the damage and reaped huge windfall profits from their deceptive practices.

It’s amazing how a very few well placed, powerful people can do so much damage to the world’s economy in such a short time. Many of them will eventually end up in jail, hopefully. We, however, must not listen to those who want us to share in the blame or participate by not protecting ourselves as we go forward.

We are convinced that part of the argument Delta will present in the near future for not unionizing will be the weakness in the world economy. They will say that there is no money for better benefits and improved pay. The apologists who parrot Delta’s predictable rhetoric have already begun the attacks. Many of these people are fellow employees who worry about keeping what they have and don’t think or concern themselves with the tomorrows.

We say to all of us that without a union in our future, keeping what we already have will be impossible. Maintaining our current job status with Delta will be improbable and receiving the future promised ‘industry standard pay’; total pie in the sky.

We now have the labor friendly NMB we needed and wanted; our petition for an election through the IAM is just within reach. As summer’s hot days begin to wane; our new future could be beginning. Don’t let the worries and fears of others allow that future to be downsized any farther. Victory is in sight and the fun has just begun. If you haven’t signed your IAM card, do it TODAY! In solidarity, victory will be attained.