United Food & Commercial Workers Union

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Its probably an understatement to say that the results of the November 2nd election were disappointing.
Many of the candidates who we supported lost their races. The election that could prove to be the most costly to our union was the Governors race, where we felt that Dan Onorato understood the challenges that we and the entire Commonwealth face but was not willing to look for risky short cuts such as selling the PLCB Wine and Spirit Stores.
That said, perhaps the most painful loss was the defeat of Joe Sestak in the US Senate race, by a margin of only 75,000 out of four million votes cast. In the last five years Joe has become a close friend of our union, and he will be missed. Equally disappointing was the loss of dedicated, hard-working members of the U.S. House and the Pennsylvania House of Representatives all public servants committed to working families.
The November 2nd numbers, however, dont mean that we were wrong on the issues including jobs, fair taxes, health care and the rights of workers to organize. Nor do they mean that union members didnt turn out to support the candidates who championed these issues they did. Unfortunately, it was difficult for us to get our points across when so much money was being spent on attack ads by large corporations.
In spite of the results, we still have many allies in the state and federal legislatures and our communities who will continue to fight for a government that serves its citizens, not the corporate special interests. The stakes are high whether they be preserving the Wine and Spirits stores and the enormous revenues they generate for taxpayers, protecting Social Security from those who would destroy it for their own or their friends profit, or fighting to protect the health care reform that we worked so hard to achieve. Local 1776 will not retreat from these battles.
We have worked through these cycles before successfully. I am convinced that with your continued support we will do so again, and that we will protect the gains that we have fought for and won over the years.
Thank you for all that you did this year for your family, your co-workers and your neighbors.

The Presidents plan would end the excessive, obscene tax break for billionaires. It would preserve the tax break for middle income individuals who make up to $200,000 a year and families that make up to $250,000 a year. These are the people who will spend the money to get our economy moving again!
Why should the federal government go deeper into debt to so that millionaires and billionaires can get bigger tax breaks?
Take a look at this presentation that spells out the need to end tax breaks for the super wealthy:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/09/29/white-house-white-board-cea-chair-austan-goolsbee-explains-tax-cut-fight
Key points and links:

Under President Obamas plan, all Americans would receive a tax cut on the first $250,000 of their income. Every middle class family would receive the immediate certainty and comfort of knowing their tax cuts were permanently extended. Every American making more than $250,000 per year they would receive a tax cut on the first $250,000 of their income.
Instead of working to give middle class families this immediate certainty and comfort, Congressional Republicans are continuing to hold that relief hostage in order to have our nation borrow $700 billion that we cant afford to provide an average tax cut of $100,000 to millionaires and billionaires.
We simply cant afford to give the wealthiest Americans these big tax cuts that would add to our deficit and, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, be just about the least effective way to grow our economy and help create jobs.

Main Office: 3031-A Walton Rd. Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462 toll-free: 1-866-329-1776
Northeast Pennsylvania Office: 2007 Highway 315, Pittston, PA 18640 toll-free: 1-800-635-6994
Central Pennsylvania Office: 3161 Chambersburg Rd., Biglerville, PA 17307 toll-free: 1-800-332-9421
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