Let’s show Bush the door in 2004

By ROGER E. BENSON
Last month, virtually all of the nearly 1,000 delegates to PEF’s 25th Annual Convention voted to pass a special order of business setting as a top priority of PEF’s, the defeat of George W. Bush in the 2004 presidential election.

Some members have asked, why is PEF bashing Republicans? The answer is simple: we aren’t. PEF has worked hard to achieve issue-based advocacy. PEF does not make judgments based on political-party affiliation, but rather on what is best for our members. As I have said before, PEF does not have permanent friends, just permanent issues.

The record of the Bush administration is clear, and it has been devastating to public service and unions. The Bush administration has targeted for privatization and contracting out over 850,000 federal jobs, and eliminated civil service protections and restricted collective bargaining rights for 170,000 federal employees in the Department of Homeland Security.

His tax cuts have starved state governments of the funds necessary for essential services. It is estimated that the Bush administration’s federal tax cuts will cost New York state more than $2 billion in tax revenue over the next three years, funds that are crucial to the services our members provide. His administration’s proposals for federal funding in areas such as transportation, health care, and employment benefits, to name just a few, threaten the job security of our members in DOT, DOH, and DOL, as well as the job security of our members in the nearly 40 other state agencies that receive federal funding.

Tax cuts and their suspected benefits aren’t the only things that trickle down from Washington. Management practices and tactics related to public employees do too. The model established by the Bush administration is not a good one.

The threats to public services, our job security, and union collective bargaining rights presented by the Bush administration cannot be shrugged off as not affecting us, because they eventually will.

It’s not about Republicans or Democrats, it’s about our issues and where the Bush administration stands on them. This is why we are making the defeat of George Bush in 2004 a top priority.

You can help participate in the “Show Bush the Door in 2004” campaign by contributing to COPE, registering voters, and volunteering to be part of a campaign team that will mobilize union members in battleground states.

If we don’t uproot this Bush in 2004, public employees will be up a tree until 2008.

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Inside This Issue
Features
Testifying on wasteful state spending
Contractor at fault in bridge collapse
Stop privatization dead in its tracks’
SEIU leads ‘Show Bush the Door in '04’
- PEF to show Bush the exit door
- How to help show Bush the door

Departments
President's Message: Bush must go
You Said It: Member's letters this month
Member Mobilization: Training gears up
Nurses' Station: protest-of-assignment
Legislative Update: Law buys time
Contact Update: Time clocks off limits
Nov. 19 Capitol Rally
Health Benefits: Roswell to the rescue
- HMO can help you stop smoking?
- Decide about your health benefits now
Retirees: Get HIP to health insurance
Health & Safety: Workplace books to go
PEF Membership Benefits & Travel Corp

Union Matters
PEF’s ’03 COPE All Stars shine
Keep hope alive at Bronx PC
PEF preps for battle to save OCFS jobs
PEF backs Gunther for state Assembly
Time clocks off the wall
OFCS member Dudley does write
Members Highlights

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