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Wednesday, July 27
Costco: The New Anti-Walmart
by
Caroline Vernon
on Wed 27 Jul 2005 04:00 AM CDT
 Costco: The New Anti-Walmart
I
am in the process of trying to recruit Costco to come to Iowa so we
will have a socially responsible alternative to shopping at Sam's Club
or Walmart. Will keep you posted of any developments along the way.
From the NY Times:
By Steven Greenhouse
Issaquah, Wash.
Combining
high quality with stunningly low prices, [Costco] appeal[s] to upscale
customers - and epitomize[s] why some retail analysts say Jim Sinegal, [the chief executive of Costco Wholesale,] just
might be America's shrewdest merchant since Sam Walton.
But not
everyone is happy with Costco's business strategy. Some Wall Street
analysts assert that Mr. Sinegal is overly generous not only to
Costco's customers but to its workers as well.
Costco's
average pay, for example, is $17 an hour, 42 percent higher than its
fiercest rival, Sam's Club. And Costco's health plan makes those at
many other retailers look Scroogish. One analyst, Bill Dreher of
Deutsche Bank, complained last year that at Costco "it's better to be
an employee or a customer than a shareholder."
Mr.
Sinegal begs to differ. He rejects Wall Street's assumption that to
succeed in discount retailing, companies must pay poorly and skimp on
benefits, or must ratchet up prices to meet Wall Street's profit
demands.
Good
wages and benefits are why Costco has extremely low rates of turnover
and theft by employees, he said. And Costco's customers, who are more
affluent than other warehouse store shoppers, stay loyal because they
like that low prices do not come at the workers' expense. "This is not
altruistic," he said. "This is good business."
He also
dismisses calls to increase Costco's product markups. Mr. Sinegal, who
has been in the retailing business for more than a half-century, said
that heeding Wall Street's advice to raise some prices would bring
Costco's downfall.
...At
Costco, one of Mr. Sinegal's cardinal rules is that no branded item can
be marked up by more than 14 percent, and no private-label item by more
than 15 percent. In contrast, supermarkets generally mark up
merchandise by 25 percent, and department stores by 50 percent or more.
To read the rest of this article, click here:
Tuesday, July 26
Top Ten Problems within the Labor Movement
by
Caroline Vernon
on Tue 26 Jul 2005 05:43 PM CDT
 Top 10 Problems within the Labor Movement
by Ralph Nader
From Commondreams.org
Rose Ann
DeMoro is the Executive Director of the California Nurses Association
(CNA) - the country's fastest growing union. Since 1992, union
membership has grown from 13,000 to the present 63,000. And it was
since 1992 that the nurses became more prominent in participating in
and running their own unions. No coincidence.
Whether
it is CNA getting patient protection bills through the state
legislature or exposing the gouging pricing of health care while the
HMO bosses each take away millions in executive pay every year, this is
the standard-bearer for larger stagnant unions to look up to and
emulate.
With
Arnold Schwarzenegger riding high last year in the polls as Governor,
the nurses took umbrage at his selective cuts for people programs while
performing as a corporate cyborg for corporate greed and tax escapism.
When he called them a "special interest", the nurses swung into action
and Arnold's polls have not stopped dropping.
Now Rose
Ann DeMoro has weighed in on the clash of large labor unions coming at
the AFL-CIO's convention in Chicago that starts July 25, 2005. The
"Change to Win" group of dissident unions led by SEIU and UNITE are
making breakaway noises from the large labor federation if their
demands about succession to AFL-CIO leader John Sweeney and budgets for
organizing are not met. Ms. DeMoro thinks this is a power struggle with
much ado about nothing very substantive.
Here is her succinct critique labeled "Top 10 Problems with the Current Debate in the Labor Movement".
There
are no real ideological disputes, in part because the current AFL-CIO
leadership and programs were, mostly, put in place by those now
challenging them. It appears to be more about egos and an effort by
specific unions to anoint themselves as the group who should control
the AFL-CIO.
No
workers or rank and file union members are involved, and it is their
labor movement. Much of the discussion is based on recommendations of
consultants and Madison Avenue approaches such as branding, polling and
focus groups, and scripted blogs, rather than engaging the membership
and the public on helping shape the future of the labor movement.
No
issues affecting the majority of working Americans are being debated -
declining real wages, the health care crisis, the continued erosion of
democracy in the workplace, outsourcing of jobs across the skill and
pay spectrum, a deteriorating social safety net, declining support for
public education, environmental degradation, social justice and ongoing
racial and gender inequality, alienation and disaffection from the
political process.
No real
solutions to these problems are being proposed - curbing corporate
control of the political and economic system, single payer-universal
health care, a progressive tax system that restores fair share taxes on
corporations and wealthy individuals, taking corporate money out of
politics, a new industrial trade policy, a peace, not war economy as
well as a strategy for reforming repressive/crippling labor laws and
enforcement bodies.
The
specific proposals by the Change to Win group are structural and
bureaucratic, not programmatic - rebating union dues, forcing unions to
merge, limiting the executive council to the largest unions, and
claiming sovereignty for unions by industry or sector based on a
union's density in that area. There is no evidence any of these changes
would solve labor's problems.
To read the rest of this article, click here.
Two Key Unions, SEIU and Teamsters, Leave AFL-CIO
by
Linda Thieman
on Tue 26 Jul 2005 04:00 AM CDT
 Two Key Unions, SEIU and Teamsters, Leave AFL-CIO
by Harold Meyerson, Washington Post
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Yesterday's
announcement by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and
the International Brotherhood of Teamsters that they were quitting the
AFL-CIO was no less stunning for its absence of theatricals. What we
know is that the split - which is likely to grow as several other
unions announce their own disaffiliations over the next couple of weeks
- sunders a union movement that is already weaker than it has been
since the 1920s. What we don't know is whether the new organization
that the SEIU, the Teamsters and their allies will form in the coming
months can and will do anything to bolster the power of America's
indispensable, if enfeebled, labor movement.
For now,
it's a lot easier to see the damage than it is to foresee the gain.
Both sides acknowledge that the labor political operation that AFL-CIO
President John Sweeney has crafted over the past decade is the sine qua
non of progressive politics in the United States, and the split clearly
imperils that program. Yesterday the departing presidents - SEIU's Andy
Stern and the Teamsters' Jim Hoffa - made clear that they want to
support the political operation even though they're leaving. Hoffa said
he'd instructed his locals to keep paying dues to the local AFL-CIO
bodies, the central labor councils, that coordinate labor's
get-out-the-vote drives.
The
split comes, moreover, just as the AFL-CIO was gearing up a long-term
campaign to organize Wal-Mart. But the lead unions in this campaign are
the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), which is boycotting the
convention and is widely expected soon to announce its own
disaffiliation, and the SEIU. Yesterday, though, one lone SEIU official
with particular responsibility for the Wal-Mart campaign still was
working the floor of the AFL-CIO convention, even though his union was
just then quitting the federation.
(Click here to read the complete article - free registration required.)
Friday, July 22
Honoring Those Who Go Before Us - Dick Fallow
by
Caroline Vernon
on Fri 22 Jul 2005 09:26 PM CDT
 Honoring Those Who Go Before Us
Dick Fallow - 08/23/20
by Caroline Vernon
It has been in my heart for some time to share the stories of various individuals who have committed their hearts and minds in service to this great country as well as their fellow man. It is not the first mile of compulsion or duty that will transform man and his world, but rather the second mile of free service and liberty- loving devotion. So it is with gratitude and reverence that I am compelled to share the first of many profiles in courage with Blog For Iowa. Dick Fallow was an easy first choice for me. If ever there was a second-miler... Dick is the man!
Dick Fallow was born in Hartford, Connecticut on August 23, 1920, to parents Gladys Bennett and Everett Fallow. The youngest of three children (one sister, one brother), Dick grew up on the East Coast during the Great Depression. As a young man he worked various jobs before enlisting in the American Field Service during WWII. The AFS consisted of many people who were unable to go into combat but wanted to be of service by helping the allied forces. Dick served as an ambulance driver for two years, assigned to the 8th British Army - most of their troops were primarily in South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and England. Although they were technically not allowed in combat, these drivers were often under fire. After the war, the AMS went on to promote peace and understanding among people through student exchange services.
After his stint with the AMS, Dick joined the United Electrical and Radio Workers Union in 1945. It wasn’t long before the organization realized Dick’s talents and put them to good use. Dick was a Business Union Rep - a boomer - someone who went around to different job sites, assisting with organizing and various campaigns. This brought him to Sioux County in NW Iowa in the late 40's, where he met his wife, Mickey, of 47 years. Dick and Mickey were married in 1951, and later moved to the Quad Cities in 1952 where they settled in order to raise their three daughters. At that time Dick joined with the local AFL-CIO.
By 1967, the AFL National Staff recruited Dick to help coordinate national efforts in Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Dick continues to have long-standing associations through the National Federation of Labor as well as the National Alliance of Retired Americans. He officially retired in 1988, but those of us who know him realize he never REALLY retired. He continues to compel and inspire his colleagues of many years as well as the younger generations. Dick believes, above all else, dignity and fairness on the job is most important; “We’re all in this together - combined, we all can make a difference”.
more »
Thursday, July 21
Vote Fraud: Diebold Dumpster Dive Yields Financial Documents
by
Linda Thieman
on Thu 21 Jul 2005 12:18 PM CDT
 Vote Fraud: Diebold Dumpster Dive Yields Financial Documents
BlackBoxVoting.org
JULY 20, 2005: One late night in Texas, 51-year-old Kathleen Wynne did something she never thought she would consider: She jumped into a dumpster.
An ordinary citizen who had become concerned about the integrity of Diebold voting machines, Wynne was amazed to find hundreds of pages of documents in the trash. Among them: internal notes and memos, planning information, problems with equipment and customers, price bid worksheets, staff bonuses, and financial statements from Diebold Election Systems. It was early July, just after second quarter financials, and the Diebold elections division seemed to be cleaning house.
Wynne was a citizen volunteer then - she is nowa full-time investigator for Black Box Voting, a nonprofit, nonpartisan 501c(3) consumer protection group for elections.
Diebold, a company that boasts of its security, had made no attempt to shred the documents, or protect them in any way. Instead, the company was in the habit of discarding its internal records in various publicly available locations -- an apparent violation of the management requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The first batch of documents is posted here.
(We'll come back to the document stash in a minute.)
DIEBOLD DENIES INVOLVEMENT IN GALLINA MONEY
In May, Black Box Voting broke the story of ACG Group, LLC, which has been funneling money from Diebold into the pockets of . . . someone.
The 'G' in ACG stands for Gallina - Pasquale "Pat" Gallina. According to the Columbus Dispatch, Gallina was caught giving $10,000 to the Franklin County Republican Party, handed off through the Franklin County Director of Elections. The Dispatch also contains a report of a $50,000 donation by Gallina to Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell's political interests.
Diebold, according to the Akron Beacon Journal, denies any involvement in the donations by Gallina, pointing to "Celebrezze & Associates" and vowing to fire that organization (set up by Anthony Celebrezze, now deceased) if it is proved to have "provided the check in the name of Diebold."
Excerpts from the above news articles can be found here
(scroll down).
Let us now dissect the spin:
1. The money was flowing through ACG Group LLC. A few dollars may also have wandered into Gallina's pocket through "Celebrezze & Associates," but the large, UNDISCLOSED cash was flowing through ACG Group LLC, an entity Diebold has not uttered a word about.
more »
Wednesday, July 20
Social Security - Am I my brother's keeper?
by
Caroline Vernon
on Wed 20 Jul 2005 04:00 PM CDT
 MUSINGS FROM THE DIRECTOR
Social Security: Am I My Brother's Keeper?
by Reverend Ron Quay - Churches United
I
am very honored to introduce Rev. Ron Quay to Blog for Iowa. Reverend
Quay is the Director of Churches United here in the Quad Cities.
He is also a very active participant of the Reclaiming Moral Values
forum of Progressive Action for the Common Good (among many other
associations). Reverend Quay will be posting with us from time to time,
as well as other local writers who speak from the perspective of faith.
I am honored to share his unique insight with all of you.
One of
the themes from scripture that has been bouncing through my head of
late is the expectation that we, as members of God’s family, need to
see and accept our responsibility for each other, for those others who
inhabit this planet with us. In the story of Cain and Abel we see
this issue raised as God asks Cain where his brother is and Cain
responds, “am I my brother’s keeper?” This question, about our
connection and responsibility for each other seems to run throughout
the scriptures. We see it in the prophets as they call the nation
to remember justice between the members of the community. We see
it with Jesus when he is asked about the greatest commandment and he
points out that love of God and love of neighbor are one in the same.
This
theme or question brings me to consider the means that we have to
assist those other members of the society. Currently our
government is calling for a change in one of the oldest of the New Deal
programs, Social Security. It was this program that drastically
reduced the level of poverty among the nation’s elderly and one of its
underlying principles was that we all had responsibility for each
other. The younger generation would work and contribute to a fund
that would support the needs of those who no longer could work
primarily due to age.
Now we
are told that because of the large number of people in the generation
christened the “Baby Boomers,” the ability of that fund to continue to
support those unable to work because of age will be difficult at
best. Now I am not an economist or a political scientist or a
demographer. I come to this question as a theologian and as a
Christian. From that perspective we are reminded that we need to
carry the responsibility for each other and particularly for those who
are poor or forgotten. Some proposals put forth seem to operate
from an understanding that we are all independent individuals with our
primary responsibility to care for ourselves and our own close
family. I will own my stake and you own your stake in the larger
pie. If your stake is insufficient to supply what you need I am
sorry but the primary goal is to protect my holdings for the future.
When I
place that concept up to the mandate of scripture and of our tradition
as Christians it simply cannot find the defense to under gird it.
When we are invited to participate in a debate about Social Security or
any program to support the needs of all members of the society can we
ask whether the proposal truly calls for us to offer justice? Can
we remember that we are a community of people and as the technology
advances that community grows even larger in terms of whom we are asked
to be concerned about. Do the proposals enhance the sense of
community and shared responsibility or do they separate us one from the
other? When as a society of people we are invited to consider how
those joint funds we know as governmental budgets are spent can we be
reminded again of Jesus’ definition of life in his kingdom? “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”
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