Some times it is difficult to understand why we spend so much time, money and effort on politics, but it really does have a purpose and has a direct affect on our lives.  It is because of our political involvement that we have access to our elected officials.  That access gives us the ability to state our case and make sure our concerns are understood and met.  Look the reality is most politicians are interested in only three things - money, manpower and votes.  Simply put the more we are involved - the greater access and influence we have!

I know some of you are saying so what does that mean for me, so hear are some examples of how our involvement benefited you the member:

One of our employers was in the process of being sold.  Two potential buyers for the company were known anti-union operators and also know for cannibalizing there acquisitions (They had intended to sell off the operation, get rid of all the union workers and absorb the customers into their existing operation.)  Using our relationships across the political spectrum we were able to cause enough scrutiny into the deal that the unscrupulous buyers were scared off.  This allowed a union friendly owner interested in growing the business to acquire the company, saving upwards of three hundred jobs for our members.

In another example, we were facing the closure of one of our supermarkets due to a failure of the company to come to terms on a new lease with their landlord.  Using our political connections we enlisted the help of a Member of Congress who arranged a meeting with the land lord and the company.  He was able to get the sides to agree on an extension and prevented the store from closing in August as originally scheduled.  We have been able to keep the store open through the end of the years and have hopes for a longer extension, saving the jobs of dozens of our members. 

These are just two examples from many of how our involvement in politics has impacted our members directly.  In another article you will read about the battle over the Kingsbridge Armory Redevelopment and how our involvement can save hundreds off more jobs for our members.  I know many of us are turned off by politics and sometimes I am too, but the reality is in these tough economic times we are in a battle for our survival and we need to be involved!