Republicans Hate America 8: UAW, the Belvidere Illinois Assembly plant and revived Union Strength

In Union there is strength and Labor is prior to and independent of Capital.  - Abraham Lincoln or Karl Marx?

Republicans are furious they believed they had functionally killed Unions reducing them to a shell of their former selves via their Right-to-Work (For Less) Legislation and big Court rulings.

Here in Illinois for example, in the 2018 Janus Ruling, Republicans thought they had severed the roots of Union member solidarity and ushered in the slow withering of Unions.  It was only a matter of time before every worker would "choose" to not pay Union dues and Unions would slowly die.

TraitorTrump was a fan of the Janus Ruling as he's famous for not paying people who do work for him.

But, then the President Biden had to go and walk the picket line with the striking UAW members, and the stunned Corporate Media quickly tried to ham-handedly proclaim Actually BothSides love Union workers.

Well, the striking UAW has just won 3 successive victories for their members over the automakers, Ford, GM, and Stellantis.

Mr. Belvidere, site of the new Dodge Dakota

I drive past the Belvidere plant just south of Rockford occasionally and recall when the demonstration vehicles were removed from their little display hills in front.  Well now it's going to be a powerhouse for EV in Illinois;

“Eight months ago, Stellantis idled Belvidere Assembly Plant, putting 1,200 of our members on the street. From the strength of our strike, we are bringing back those jobs and more,” stated UAW Vice President Rich Boyer. “Stellantis is reopening the plant, and the company will also be adding over a thousand jobs at a new battery plant in Belvidere.”

According to the UAW, the new product at the plant will be a new mid-sized pickup truck. While many believed it would be a variant of the Brazilian-built compact Ram Rampage pickup, our sources have indicated that it could be a true successor to the popular Dodge Dakota.

UAW President Shawn Fain indicated that the new pickup would offer electrified and internal combustion engine (ICE) power. “We are bringing both combustion vehicle and battery jobs to Belvidere,” said Fain.

Shawn Fain is the type of Union leader we haven't seen in a while.  Every time he's been interviewed he stays on message and doesn't allow Corporate Media to interject their pro-plutocrat talking points into his interviews or get him to concede to their anti-Union stance. 

And this deal besides again showing President Biden's solidarity with Labor also highlights Governor J.B. Prtizker's continued leadership and investment in the people and state of Illinois,

With the announcement that United Auto Workers and Stellantis have reached a tentative agreement that’s good for workers and good for the state of Illinois, auto workers can get back on the job with higher wages, expanded benefits, and new and valuable opportunities in a growing industry.  

For over two years, I have been laser-focused on working toward a permanent solution in Belvidere that retains and grows good-paying jobs, while supporting economic development in the surrounding region. Since the plant was idled in February, we’ve provided support to furloughed auto workers, while concurrently leading a collaborative effort with local officials and legislators to craft aggressive incentives that position Illinois at the forefront of the EV manufacturing industry. Thanks to that collaboration and the passage of the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act and the Reimagining Energy and Vehicles Act, we are on the verge of significantly advancing that effort. 

I’ve been in constant contact with auto workers, Stellantis executives, UAW representatives, and the White House as the bargaining has unfolded, and I am delighted we are now on the verge of getting this done. I look forward to finalizing the state’s economic package and not only reopening the shuttered assembly plant in Belvidere to manufacture electric vehicles, but also co-locating a new battery production facility. This will be thousands of jobs, billions in investment, and a huge win for Illinois.

Once more Governor J.B. is everything the Corporate Media has tried to force us to believe Shrimpy Boots DeSantis is but, DeSantis is a Republican he hates America, his every policy has been to impoverish, harm, and kill people, while feeding his hateful degenerate base a steady diet of lies, bigotry, hatred, and racism.

The choice is clear; the Democratic Party and Leadership is for the American people and for a better standard of living while the Republican Party hates America; viscerally, intractability

Republicans hate America 2: Conservatives love striking Workers

Republicans are determined to beat down the American people.  A rightwing domestic terrorist used his Republican granted "right" to Run'em Down and hit 5 striking workers with his car while leaving a plant in Flint, Michigan. 

Republicans are consistently striving to make everyone's life materially worse in every imaginable way.  Whether this is by direct action like murderous Stand Your Ground/ Run'em Down "Laws" or undermining striking workers, Republicans raison d'être is bringing down the Country and the American people.

Besides hating America, Republicans constantly lie.  But, Republicans know that their 50 year campaign of whining about the so-called Liberal Media and "working the refs", they can be assured that their lies will be reported as "alternative facts" and the Corporate Media will twist themselves into knots to Both Sides every single issue.

Why else would the Corporate Media and rightwingers tout Traitor Trumps speech before a non-union group as equivalent to President Biden walking the picket line with striking UAW members.  Republicans are anti-union and Right-to-
Work (for Less).  But, the Media's job is to report what Republicans say and ignore what Republicans actually do.  Of course, with Trump the Corporate Media's job isn't even to report what he says, but to invent things to make Traitor Trump sound competent.  Even when Trump threatens to investigate and murder them, the Corporate Media is invested in Make Trump President Again.

Of course on top of this rightwing propagandists are paid big money to flood the zone with shit.  The above tweet from rightwing propagandist Benny Johnson is just one lie in an Ocean of Crap Republicans fling everywhere.

It's an excellent strategy.

Because it doesn't matter that Benny's lies are easily disprovable, even by the actual video he himself linked.  Benny Johnson knows he's telling lies.  Benny doesn't care.  Biden is for the UAW and the workers therefore conservatives are against whatever Biden is for and Benny's job, just like Ben Shapiro, Matt Walsh, Tim Pool, or whatever rightwing propagandist du jour you can think of is to build up enough lies to tear down America.  Conservatives love lies and hate America.

I found the below paragraphs of contrasting President Biden and Traitor Trump;

"Biden has been an excellent president. He succeeded in achieving a number of things Trump promised but never accomplished: getting us started rebuilding our roads and bridges and bringing manufacturing back to the US, just to name two. The process of withdrawing our troops from Afghanistan was ugly, but the end result is that we are out of Afghanistan — another thing Trump promised but never delivered.

Biden has accomplished all this without the constant drama of the Trump administration. No nasty tweets. No demeaning nicknames for his opponents. No statements implying that his critics deserve to die or inviting his supporters to get violent. In short: as president, Trump was a constant embarrassment to the United States of America. Biden is not."

This is merely the most superficial analysis, President Biden has accomplished a lot, in the face of an insane group of Republicans controlling the House, and an Instagram Wannabe in the Senate in Krysten Sinema.  All the while facing constant bullshit from the Corporate Media which always covers Democratic Administrations against a backdrop of 4 story lines: 

1. #BothSidesDoIt
2. What do Trump Voters think?
3. Today... Trump, truly, became President
4. Democrats in Disarray!!!

Under this rubric, the Corporate Media will always obscure and soften the hatred of America and actual policy positions the Republican Party loudly and consistently espouses ; namely the destruction of the United States, the end of free and fair elections, and the ensconcing of a Fascist Dystopia ruled by the twin tyranny of White Republican Supremacists and evil evangelical christianity.

Volkswagen threatened by Republicans. Boeing screws its' Employees. Conservatives hate Unions and Freedom.

Three years ago, I wrote about Boeing turning to the Republican Party to aid them in their quest to destroy their Union.

Chicago* based Boeing, in retaliation against their Union Workers, has decided to move a 787 plant to South Carolina, a so-called Right-to-Work State. This is because South Carolina outlaws Unions. Can't have workers gettin' all Uppity and shit! 

S. Carolina also has Nikki Haley, a Teabagging Governor. Haley had this to say, when the National Labor Relations Board took up the Union complaint to stop this move, "If this is checks and balances, God help our country."

Ever since Ronnie Raygun, the Right-Wing Hero of a Thousand Myths, obliterated PATCO he signaled to Businesses across the Nation that it was Open Season on Unions and they can rely on the Awesome Power of the Government to back them up as they grind the Working Class into dust.

Well, a new struggle in Tennessee is illustrating once again the Republican Plan to obliterate Unions and ensure Americans are reduced to Wage Slavery.

"The members of the Tennessee Senate will not view unionization as in the best interest of Tennessee." Tennessee State Senator Bo Watson said at a news conference. He added that a pro-U.A.W. vote would make it “exponentially more challenging” for the legislature to approve future subsidies. 'That's an awfully nice plant yous got there... Be a shame if somethin' were to happen to it...'

Now we also have an admission by Tennessee Republican Senator Bob Corker that he's gotten special assurances the Union vote will be defeated. Corker didn't further explain if this would be accomplished by importing Pinkerton's to crack Worker's skulls or if Republicans would just make voting illegal.

"I’ve had conversations today and based on those I am assured that should the workers vote against the UAW, Volkswagen will announce in the coming weeks that it will manufacture its new mid-size SUV here in Chattanooga," Senator Corker said, without saying with whom he had the conversations. 

Well, previously Corker has boasted about his deep involvement in VW's hierarchy, "I know [VW Chairman Martin] Winterkorn really really well. We're in constant contact with Volkswagen at every level. Seriously, I don't know a public official that's been more involved with Volkswagen."

Governor Bill Haslam added his concerns about being able to attract other business to Tennessee without the prospect of wage slave labor, "I think that there are some ramifications to the vote in terms of our ability to attract other suppliers..."

Senator Corker, Governor Haslam and other Tennessee Republicans have held multiple special press conferences given several interviews to make their hatred of Unions and the UAW known while reiterating threats to harm Volkswagen and the people of Tennessee whom they ostensibly represent.

In truth, Republicans represent Corporations and are the enemy of Working Class Americans.

The situation is so dire that Grover Norquist, Staunch enemy of Working Class People everywhere, descended upon Chattanooga with his army of plutocrat worshipping acolytes to rent 12 billboards to tell the people of Tennessee that if the UAW unionizes the VW plant, ALEC will work to destroy their State just like they've done in Michigan, Indiana and elsewhere.

Conservatives love this because conservatives ardently believe the Awesome Unique Power of Government should be used to help Corporations exert total dominance and control over Americans. Conservatives hate when the Power of Government is used to help people, especially the poor, women, or minorities.

But, conservatives also hate when regular Americans organize and fight for rights on their own as the Union organization in Tennessee illustrates.

"We are in a battle with Mexico on where this new product goes," said Mike Burton of Southern Momentum, an anti-UAW group, "and it stands to reason that the union will add costs. We need to keep costs down to fight for that new product."

See, anything which helps the Working Man is anathema to Conservatives, who love Wage Slavery and want to shackle Americans with the chains of Corporate Bondage.

Mike Burton's "Keep costs down" equals lowering the wages of Americans and destroying the American Dream.

As such, once Business knew they could rely on the wholly owned Republican Party and Pro-Business Democrats, the American Dream has been brought to the brink of extinction. Over the last 35 years of Neo-Liberal Ultra-Reactionary Republican leadership the Middle Class has been ground into dust and the Working Class has been driven into near penury.

Briefly back to Boeing, who succeeded in dividing the Machinist's Union this year. Boeing threatened its' employees that without an end to a defined pension benefit they would move operations out of the area as they had previously done in 2011 with the threat to move to South Carolina. Well, the Machinists caved to the pressure from Boeing, Washington State Politicians and the Media and despite having a contract through 2016 agreed to end defined pensions, which will be frozen in 2016 and allow all new hires to be shafted under 401(k) non-retirement plans.

The vast majority of Boeing contracts come from the US Government. They also routinely receive special tax-payer funded welfare from Washington State, Kansas, Illinois and DC. Last November, Olympia agreed to let Boeing flout paying their fair share of taxes for 30 years, Boeing was given a package of $8.7 Billion in taxpayer assistance.

Boeing is a Corporation which would collapse without Government contracts and tax assistance. Boeing also engages in routine criminal overcharging of the Government (acts which would be called stealing if you, I or former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell did it) for all the contracts they sign, while flagrantly reneging on their side of the bargains with workers whenever they feel like it.

One of the goals of the Republican Party and Pro-Business Democrats is to make the Working Class understand that they have no friend in Government. They represent Corporations.

All across America we've seen defeat after defeat of Unions as Republicans advance the cause of the Plutocracy and and with it the Rise of a Billionaire Class, a group of 400 people which controls more wealth than over 150 million Americans. As Unions retreat so does the Middle Class and the American Dream.

Already we've seen Generation X and the Millenials, the children and grandchildren of the Baby Boomers, deal with a lower standard of living than their parents, soon their children and grandchildren will wake up and see Republicans and Conservatives have sold them into Corporate Bondage and they've lost the Freedoms past generations fought and died to win.