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Raffle Lucky Winners here
Francisco Brea in front of Tower Automotive plant in Milwaukee, WI,
which will lay off its 500 employees to move to Mexico.
(Photo of Ralph Alswang)
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Photo
of all participants in "Show us the Jobs" Tour in front
of Electrolux plant in Greenville, MI which is closing to move to
Mexico.
(photo of Ralph Alswang)
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| Show us the
jobs!!! |
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| Francisco
Brea,
50, has worked in the textile manufacturing industry for 12 years.
Since 2002, he's been laid off from Malden Mills twice. A month
ago, he returned to a part-time job at Malden Mills. Francisco also
works for the Rapid Response Team of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO on
a part-time basis, helping laid-off workers get through times of
crisis.
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My
Story
I've worked at Malden Mills for a total of 12 years now, and I've
been laid off twice in the last couple years. I just returned to
Malden Mills after being laid off for three months, however I'm
only working part time there. When I was between jobs, I started
working on the Rapid Response Team of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO,
helping laid-off workers get through times of crisis. If I had the
time and money, I'd go back to school to learn how to be a business
agent or community organizer, because I'm really enjoying my work
with Rapid Response.
All of my family members have experienced tough situations due to
the sorry state of the job economy. Myses, 18, works part time and
goes to school, but he can't afford to live away from home during
his college years. My 21-year-old lives at home, and I support him
because he was laid off from his full-time job with Gillette a couple
months ago and has been unable to find employment. My oldest son
Keith, 25, was also laid off from his full-time asbestos removal
job and remains unemployed. I
really don't know what to tell my sons about the job market. I encourage
them to view these disappointments as challenges, and I hope that
they're able to make the best out of bad situations; however, my
hope fades a little more every day. I fear for my future and the
future of my family.
I live in a very small town where the unemployment rate is 12 percent.
The majority of people in my town are Latino, and the language barrier
hurts them when looking for employment. In this job market, one
can't have anything working against them.
I wish there was some way I could help my family and my community
get though these tough times. Recently, I e-mailed President Bush
to bring his attention to the devastating effects of the job economy
that his administration has created. I said, "You should apologize
to the people of the United States. It's your job as president to
help us find jobs, and I'm holding you and your administration responsible
for the job crisis in the country. The social, political and economic
state of this country has been run to the ground by you and your
administration, and you need to bring jobs back to the United States
in order to save the lives of the American people "
Update from the Road - Dateline Friday, March 26, 2004
The Show Us the Jobs bus tour is working so far. We are getting newspaper stories in every town we visit, focusing attention on the disastrous job losses many Americans are experiencing. Some of the people on our bus are NOT union members. They are high technology professionals who lost high-paying jobs that are now being done in India. Some have cried as they told their stories - and who could blame them?
So far, the tour has visited St. Louis, Missouri; Davenport, Iowa; and the Minneapolis, Minnesota area - 5 more states to go.
WE WILL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO GET THE MEDIA TO PRINT THE TRUTH ABOUT THE ECONOMY -- REAL AMERICANS LOSING REAL JOBS AT RECORD RATES. WE NEED A CHANGE IN WASHINGTON!
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