Union Protest Interrupts Mortgage Bankers Summit

[True_Blue]

Source: Huffington Post

WASHINGTON -- About 200 union workers interrupted a meeting of mortgage bankers at a posh hotel Wednesday.

The protest -- aimed at the Pulte Group, one of the nation's largest homebuilders -- quickly turned into a scrum as workers wearing hardhats and shouting through bullhorns overwhelmed the security staff at the JW Marriott, bursting into a crowded conference room before a stunned crowd of bankers.

Shouting "Where are the jobs?" and "Where is the money?" the protesters from the Sheet Metal Workers' International Association and the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, many in overalls and helmets, said taxpayers have provided $900 million in tax breaks to Pulte with the aim of creating jobs. They said they haven't seen the results they were promised.

"Those tax breaks were supposed to create jobs," Wayne Peworchik, one of the protesters, said. "That was President Obama's and Congress's intent."

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/19/union-protest-mortgage-bankers-summit_n_811003.html

[rfranklin]

1. They are so confused...

The purpose of such tax breaks are to enrich the top one percent of the population.

[BridgeTheGap]

2. They are hurting pretty bad, I hear. It would be a shame if they had do without caviar

and the like.

[RantinRavin]

3. If nobody is placing orders for houses

How exactly do they expect the company to provide the jobs ?

[True_Blue]

5. I guess from the

'$900 million in tax breaks to Pulte with the aim of creating jobs.'

[JackRiddler]

10. You're actually making a good point -- about capitalism and the shortcomings of corporate welfare.

That $900 million shouldn't have been left to this company, obviously, and to the false assumption that simply leaving them awash in capital would magically create a market.

There are worthy things to build -- not more houses but the urgently needed new energy and transport infrastructure for a post-oil age. Unfortunately that can't be left to the disastrously failed profit-seeking feudal-corporate sector (the misnomer calls it a "private sector.")

[earth mom]

4. Solidarity! K & R! nt

[Jefferson23]

6. All honest valid questions, now who in the WH will give them an honest response? n/t

[Kingofalldems]

7. K and R For the union

[Arctic Dave]

8. Good on them.

The bankers shouldn't get a days rest until they do the job we paid them for.

Taking the money and giving themselves bonuses wasn't it was for.

[No Elephants]

23. I don't suppose we could have put any conditions on that trillion?

[Citizen Worker]

9. If we could only multiply the number of demonstrations by, oh say, 20, we could achieve real change

for working class people and not the moneyed class.

[No Elephants]

24. I'm not sure multiplying by 200 would help. MAYBE 2000.

All this one did was cause the company to put out a press release that not even Huffpo challenged. It got to be the last word in the story. Accusation rebutted; end of story, figuratively AND literally.

[Omaha Steve]

11. Union Protest Interrupts Mortgage Bankers Summit

Source: Huffington Post

Shahien Nasiripour

WASHINGTON -- About 200 union workers interrupted a meeting of mortgage bankers at a posh hotel Wednesday.

The protest -- aimed at the Pulte Group, one of the nation's largest homebuilders -- quickly turned into a scrum as workers wearing hardhats and shouting through bullhorns overwhelmed the security staff at the JW Marriott, bursting into a crowded conference room before a stunned crowd of bankers.

Shouting "Where are the jobs?" and "Where is the money?" the protesters from the Sheet Metal Workers' International Association and the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, many in overalls and helmets, said taxpayers have provided $900 million in tax breaks to Pulte with the aim of creating jobs. They said they haven't seen the results they were promised.

"Those tax breaks were supposed to create jobs," Wayne Peworchik, one of the protesters, said. "That was President Obama's and Congress's intent."


Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/19/union-protest-mortgage-bankers-summit_n_811003.html

---

File Photo

[Zephie]

12. We need more of this.

Things like this remind me of what it was like to once be proud of this country.

[Citizen Worker]

13. Attention America. It is actions like this that bring about change. Making phone calls and writing

letters serves only to raise your phone bill, waste paper and postage. Street heat is the only solution.

[No Elephants]

22. Agree about calls and writing. Not sure even "street heat" works anymore, though.

[HankyDubs]

14. Union Yes!

The lackeys in the corporate media won't report this...but we all owe thanks to our brothers and sisters in the Sheet Metal Workers' International Association and the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades.

[TurboKitty]

15. Union Protesters

I want to see more, read more, hear more and participate in more of THIS! We must stand up to the bullies.

[sarcasmo]

16. Wildcat time again?

[SoapBox]

17. Bravo!

...and yes, we do need a LOT more of this.

[Omaha Steve]

18. Treu Blue I'm sorry for the dupe

I didn't see your post.

OS

[True_Blue]

19. No apologies are necessary

I've started duplicate posts many many times.

[unkachuck]

20. "Where are the jobs?" and "Where is the money?"

....my hat's off to our brothers in the Sheet Metal Workers' International Association and the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades!

....a most admirable group of individuals....

"Where are the jobs?" and "Where is the money?"

"Where are the jobs?" and "Where is the money?"

"Where are the jobs?" and "Where is the money?"

[StarsInHerHair]

21. good for them we need to organize like False economy in the U.K.

and UKUncut too.

[No Elephants]

26. We do need to. Will we?

[No Elephants]

25. Learned a new word, anyway. Scrum.