This past Sunday at the general membership meeting, President Bonaduce read a letter from Local 107 President and International Vice President Bill Hamilton regarding our health and welfare fund. It was offered as a way of putting the news about our fund into perspective. In short, it spells out how we stack up against similar funds around the country, and it dispels some of the misinformation that may be out there right now. If you want to read the letter in its original form, you can download it here in PDF format.

Click here to download the letter

Incidentally, the Liberty Bell is where two Philadelphia area congressmen, Chaka Fattah and Patrick Murphy (my congressman), rallied with Wackenhut workers and SEIU organizers to launch the Wackenhut Workers Organizing Committee.

Read the story from the Philadelphia Daily News here.

Learn more about what’s going on with the organizing effort at the SEIU’s Eye on Wackenhut website.

Contrary to Sen. Hillary Clinton’s campaign slogan, we believe Barack Obama is more likely to be “ready on Day One” to lead us in a new direction. Because of his experience.

Sure, Clinton has more “experience” of a sort. For one thing, she has 14 more years on earth. How much of this experience is directly applicable to the job of president is, at best, debatable.

We are frankly troubled by her assumption that her husband’s administration and accomplishments were her own. And if her equation holds, that the first spouse is an equal partner in the administration, then the reappearance of Bill Clinton in the White House is a prospect we have a hard time reconciling with the work that needs to be done.

THERE IS a way to match Clinton’s and Obama’s performances on a relatively equal playing field: their campaigns.

A candidate’s campaign may be the best indicator of how she or he will govern. If so, an Obama administration would be well-managed, inclusive and astonishingly broad-based. It would make good use of technology and communicate a message of unity and, yes, hope.

It was the right call, in my opinion. Now it’s up to Pennsylvania’s registered Democratic voters to get out and follow through.

Click here for the entire editorial endorsement.

Image credit: Shepard Fairey/OBEYGIANT.COM

It’s a fitting rivalry – just like their Unionist fans, both the Phillies and the Rockies know all about fighting to the last opportunity against long odds.

Here’s to a great October – though I’m hoping it’s just a little better for the Philly faithful.