INDIANA–(ENEWSPF)–December 8, 2016
The Washington Post has published an op-ed from Chuck Jones, the president of Steelworkers Union 1999, recently made famous for his comments about Trump lying to the workers and the public about the “jobs” he’s saved.
I’m a union leader in Indianapolis. I represent the Carrier workers whose jobs Donald Trump has pledged to save. And I’m tired of being lied to.
Jones goes into how much work the union has been doing since Carrier announced that it was moving 1,300 jobs to Mexico earlier this year. Jones talks about the short-lived and cautious optimism he and other union officials had when Trump announced he had saved the jobs. A lie like everything Trump says, of course.
When I met with Carrier officials last Thursday, I realized that that wouldn’t be the case. Though Trump said he’d saved 1,100 jobs, he hadn’t. Carrier told us that 550 people would get laid off.
Trump didn’t tell people that, though. When he spoke at our plant, he acted like no one was going to lose their job. People went crazy for him. They thought, because of Trump, I’m going to be able to provide for my family.
The next day Jones was the one tasked with telling Carrier workers the truth. His frustrations led to mentioning to a reporter that Trump “lied his ass off.” Jones talks about the level of anger and frustration directed at him as a result of Trump’s attacks. Jones talks about how Trump apologists are deluding themselves.
To be honest, the attention isn’t a big deal. I’ve been doing this job for 30 years. In that time, people have threatened to shoot me, to burn my house down. I’m not a macho man, but I’m just used to it.
What I can’t abide, however, is a president who misleads workers, who gives them false hope. We’re not asking for anything besides opportunity, for jobs that let people provide for their families. These plants are profitable, and the workers produced a good-quality product. Because of corporate greed, though, company leaders are racing to the bottom, to find places where they can pay the least. It’s a system that exploits everyone.
Trump isn’t a man, he’s a leech.
Source: http://dailykos.com
