UE Political Action Updates

Working people all across the United States and the world continue to raise their voices against the looming Bush war in the Middle East. As the U.S. economy continues to slide - and gasoline prices rise - a growing tide of union voices are calling on President Bush to call-off his apparently imminent attack on Iraq.

President Bush delivered the annual State of the Union speech last night before a war nervous Congress, the American public, and world-wide audience. The carefully-scripted speech began with a hodgepodge review of domestic issues, but cut-to-the-chase halfway when the President all but promised a war against the oil-rich Iraqi regime.

The United States Senate and House of Representatives have convened the 108th Congress in Washington D.C. One of the first orders of business will likely be the extension of unemployment benefits for hundreds of thousands of unemployed. The benefit cut-off was due to the refusal of the Republican House leadership to extend exhausted benefits last December. The political heat on Congress to right this wrong has been intense, and passage of an extension of benefits is predicted.

The House of Representatives passed a bill yesterday that would place some limits on how employers handle 401(k) plans for workers. The bill passed by a 255-163 margin, after Democrats gave up attempts to improve the bill with amendments. The bill was promoted as a "pension reform" bill in the wake of the unraveling Enron fiasco. In reality - something in short supply in our big business-dominated Congress - it was merely a mis-named bill to provide some minimal protections and rights to holders of 401(k) accounts.