Union Rally in Savannah
Come support the Labor Movement in Georgia!
WHAT: Press Conference/Union Rally
WHEN: Thursday, Aug. 17 at 1:30 p.m.
WHERE: Johnson Square, Savannah
“The American Dream is not to work hard, productive hours for low wages and poor benefits. I call for executives at Hugo Boss to do what’s morally right; agree to a fair contract with a livable wage and pension plan.” - Rev. Jim Nelson
First District Congressional Democratic Party Nominee Rev. Jim Nelson will speak at a union rally on Thursday, August 17, 1:30 p.m. at Johnson Square in Downtown Savannah. Nelson will join several community leaders in demanding that Hugo Boss USA give workers at its Midway, Ga. distribution center a fair contract.
Others scheduled to speak include State Rep. Al Williams (D-Midway), Union Leaders, Hugo Boss employees, local clergy and other concerned citizens.
Hugo Boss’ Midway distribution center employs 80 workers, mostly African-American women, who earn an average wage of $7.63 an hour and have no retirement plan. They have been working without a union contract for nearly three months because Hugo Boss refuses to offer more than a thirty-cent raise, which won’t even pay for the gas cost increase employees have incurred on their drive to work.
At the same time, Hugo Boss is charging $1200.00 per suit for the company’s new line of designer suits. In fact, Hugo Boss workers must cope with low-wages and no pension at a time when the company is making record profits. In the first half of 2006, sales increased by 19% with the strongest gains in the company’s American division. Last year, the German luxury apparel giant had sales of $1.57 billion and net profits over $120 million. Their stock price shot up more than 30% over the past year. (source: UNITE HERE and www.behindthelabel.org)
Nelson said, “The American Dream is not to work hard, productive hours for low wages and poor benefits. I call for executives at Hugo Boss to do what’s morally right; agree to a fair contract with a livable wage and pension plan.”
Workers at the Midway distribution center are represented by the labor union UNITE HERE. Lorenzo Walker, a Hugo Boss employee and UNITE HERE member, said: “We work very hard to make our company prosper. All we want in return is a fair wage increase and a start for our pension.”
Brett Hulme, president of the Savannah Central Labor Council, said, “The 34 unions that make up the Savannah Central Labor Council support any workers with bona fide labor disputes, especially the workers at Hugo Boss.”
Nelson is the First District Congressional Democratic Party Nominee. The First District covers most of Southeast Georgia, including Midway, stretching along the coast from Savannah to St. Marys, and inland from Valdosta to McRae.
WHAT: Press Conference/Union Rally
WHEN: Thursday, Aug. 17 at 1:30 p.m.
WHERE: Johnson Square, Savannah
“The American Dream is not to work hard, productive hours for low wages and poor benefits. I call for executives at Hugo Boss to do what’s morally right; agree to a fair contract with a livable wage and pension plan.” - Rev. Jim Nelson
First District Congressional Democratic Party Nominee Rev. Jim Nelson will speak at a union rally on Thursday, August 17, 1:30 p.m. at Johnson Square in Downtown Savannah. Nelson will join several community leaders in demanding that Hugo Boss USA give workers at its Midway, Ga. distribution center a fair contract.
Others scheduled to speak include State Rep. Al Williams (D-Midway), Union Leaders, Hugo Boss employees, local clergy and other concerned citizens.
Hugo Boss’ Midway distribution center employs 80 workers, mostly African-American women, who earn an average wage of $7.63 an hour and have no retirement plan. They have been working without a union contract for nearly three months because Hugo Boss refuses to offer more than a thirty-cent raise, which won’t even pay for the gas cost increase employees have incurred on their drive to work.
At the same time, Hugo Boss is charging $1200.00 per suit for the company’s new line of designer suits. In fact, Hugo Boss workers must cope with low-wages and no pension at a time when the company is making record profits. In the first half of 2006, sales increased by 19% with the strongest gains in the company’s American division. Last year, the German luxury apparel giant had sales of $1.57 billion and net profits over $120 million. Their stock price shot up more than 30% over the past year. (source: UNITE HERE and www.behindthelabel.org)
Nelson said, “The American Dream is not to work hard, productive hours for low wages and poor benefits. I call for executives at Hugo Boss to do what’s morally right; agree to a fair contract with a livable wage and pension plan.”
Workers at the Midway distribution center are represented by the labor union UNITE HERE. Lorenzo Walker, a Hugo Boss employee and UNITE HERE member, said: “We work very hard to make our company prosper. All we want in return is a fair wage increase and a start for our pension.”
Brett Hulme, president of the Savannah Central Labor Council, said, “The 34 unions that make up the Savannah Central Labor Council support any workers with bona fide labor disputes, especially the workers at Hugo Boss.”
Nelson is the First District Congressional Democratic Party Nominee. The First District covers most of Southeast Georgia, including Midway, stretching along the coast from Savannah to St. Marys, and inland from Valdosta to McRae.
posted by NelsonCampaign at 11:36 AM
15 Comments:
At last, a candidate in the First District who realizes who his constituency will be. The people who are working at Hugo Boss are making substantially more than the criminally low minimum wage but I still cannot understand how a single wage family can live on such a salary. I know that Congressman Jim Nelson will support an increase in the minimum wage without tying it to an outrageous tax cut for the very people who can and do buy $1,200 Hugo Boss suits as Kingston and his Republican partners recently did.
Sure... raise the minimum wage for highschool kids working at McDonald's so they can buy more CDs... But when prices on everything go up (and they will as any first year economics student will tell you, this will cause inflation) what does the guy making $10 an hour do when suddenly the $150 dollars per month he spends on groceries doesn't buy as much? Nobody gave him a raise.
This is the typical Democratic tactic of trying to fool people and buy their votes: "We will raise the minmum wage and give you more money" "We will give you a welfare check so vote for us"
The reason that particular logic is flawed, Anon7:03pm, is that there simply aren't enough high school dishwashers making absolute minimum wage in this nation to affect the overall economy in the ways that you state.
Many Republicans and Conservatives I know make arguments against the minimum wage by stating that only 300K-500K people out of 150 million American workers make absolute minimum wage. The argument is that raising the minimum wage wouldn't really help a lot of people.
As a small business advocate, the idea of the pimply faced teenager making eleventy dollars an hour on his first night in the dishpit definitely turns me off - even though I used to be that guy.
There may only be 250-500K workers (I've heard both quoted, but it never goes higher) currently pulling down the minimum wage, but I'd wager that there are millions making between $5.75 and $6.50 after years of hard work with the same employer, who have little access to benefits.
Yes, if you work at a job hard & honest, you will not stay at the minimum for long. It is entirely feasable, however long and hard you work, and however competent you are, that a worker gets locked into a wage that only raises $.25 every six months. That means you work hard for two years, and you start pulling down $6.15 an hour.
That is not an honest day's pay, and I've seen that happen with my own eyes. Those are the people who we are working for, when we talk about raising wages. Mom and Dad who have worked hard at the mill or at the shop for two years, and who still haven't gotten enough of a raise to take care of their families.
As far as the Hugo Boss situation, what the company is saying by paying its workers less in Georgia than in Ohio is that Southern labor isn't as valuable as Northern labor.
As a self-respecting Southerner, that 'explanation' sticks in my craw. I am proud to hear that Rev. Jim Nelson is supportive of Southerners making good money for an honest day's work.
Anonymous:
How much do YOU make/hour? A "living wage" is essential to support families. Are you married with children?
Jill
Two years ago, unable to find a job in Brunswick in spite of a pretty incredible resume (every interview ended when I walked in the door looking every minute of my 60 years) I took a temp job with a consulting firm on SSI. The second day I was there I overheard the following conversation in the lunchroom.
"Can you believe that those damn liberals want to raise the minimum wage?"
Yeah, it will drive most of us right out of business. This is why we have to make sure that Bush stays in office."
The conversation went on and on. The kicker - this company was billing its clients $200 per hour. The principals were pulling down well over $100K each, their cars were expensed, health insurance fully paid, 401K's funded to the max - and they were paying their ONLY non-professional employee $10 without benefits. I doubt it would have broken the bank to have paid that employee a living wage.
Without unions, without government support of those without power, there is no hope for the middle class and that middle class better start realizing it.
Jill,
I started as a teenager making minimum wage ($3.35/hr) at McD's. It taught me responsibility and gave me a taste of the working world (as well as a few Big Macs!) After a few months, I received a raise ($3.75/hr) because I had shown that I was a good employee. A few years later, I used my experience to land a job outside of fastfood that paid me even more. ($5/hr)
That experience led me to an even better job ($6/hr) which I worked and paid my way through college along with a scholarship I had received for academics.
After college, I worked in my chosen field and excelled. Still, In 1993, I was making just $20,000/yr with no benefits. I paid for private health insurance ($150/month) to cover my wife and children. But I worked hard and today, I have achieved what many would consider an excellent salary with good benefits.
I never blamed the government. It isn't the government's job to set wages. It should be left up to the market. I also don't blame the business owners who make $100k plus. If you want to make that, put your name on the door and open for business. If you work hard enough and sacrifice, then you deserve it.
What happened to the American Dream of hard work pays off? The government never said how much P-Diddy, Oprah or Ted Turner should be paid. They worked hard and made it!
PS: I just went on vacation in a rural part of North Carolina where there were "Help Wanted" signs everywhere, most offering $10/hr and more. I watched a waiter at a restaurant where I ate rake in huge tips all night. Afterward I asked how well he did and he admitted to me that he brought in a year-round average of $1,200/week!
anonymous
Everytime minimum wage comes up we hear about teenagers. That is not the point - exempt them from minimum wage if you must - that will really teach them a lesson about hard work. But working adults who have to pay for a roof over their heads, put food on the table for their family and gas in the tank to get to work are the point.
My first job paid $1.15 an hour and my last an equivalent of $100K cash and benefits but during that time I accumulated two degrees, a lot of experience and many references. I was lucky. The single mother working the checkout at Wal-Mart or the multitude of poorly educated people (and in this area a high school degree is no guarantee of scholastic competence)who make your vacation on SSI a pleasure do not have much of a shot at such upward mobility. Add to the lack of a minimum wage the downward pressure of outsourcing and illegal immigration and you have a blueprint for a whole new generation of people declining into poverty.
I don't understand the mindset that says I've got mine and until you satisfy me that you have worked hard enough to get yours you can't have it.
jpatswanson
And I don't understand the mindset of people who think that the government owes them a living.
In my life I have seen new college graduates start their first adult job making twice what I currently make. Good for them! I know construction workers who make a lot more than I do, but I have also seen them learn marketing skills to promote their businesses.
I grew up on SSI and many of my friends worked in the hospitality industry serving tourists. Some are now in management and doing very well. Others went on to new opportunities.
I also know a single mother who worked as a cashier at Wal-Mart who eventually moved into management and now makes $40k/yr.
And, yes, I do know people who fell flat. One gentleman I worked with had more abilities than anyone I had ever seen, great potential. But he was chronically late, complained constantly and never took pride in his work. As a result, he bounced from job to job and never progressed. Now at 40, he can't even keep a job mowing lawns.
Is it the government's fault that at 40 years old he makes $7/hr?
The reason teenagers are always mentioned when it comes to minimum wage is because that is who makes minimum wage. The uneducated 20-something new father has put in a few years working and is making $7-$8 per hour.
The minimum wage is just that - a MINIMUM wage, it isn't supposed to be and never will be a living wage.
The surest way to hurt the working people who make $8-$12 per hour is to raise the minimum wage and cut their spending power.
Try this excercise:
Let's do away with poverty now and make the minimum wage $100/hr.
What happens?
Campaign manager for Kingston's opponent quits; cites money
By Russ Bynum
ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAVANNAH - The Democrat opposing U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston denied today he's running out of money, even though his campaign manager quit and said he wasn't sure the candidate could afford his $2,000-a-month fee.
The Rev. Jim Nelson, a Savannah minister and former Army officer, has sought to convince voters and donors that he's not just a long-shot against Kingston, who has become a powerful Republican leader in Congress after 12 years of representing southeast Georgia.
Now Nelson's ability to raise money has been called into question by Jason Harvey, Nelson's campaign manager since he entered the race last November. Harvey sent reporters an e-mail late Sunday announcing he had quit the campaign because of "insufficient funding."
The Savannah political consultant said he had turned down other prospective clients while working for Nelson full-time for what amounted to a part-time monthly fee.
"I turned away a lot of money for Jim, hoping that fundraising would pick up. And it has not," Harvey said today. "I can't take any more chances."
Harvey said quitting was purely a business decision. He said Nelson owed him no money, and called the candidate "a tremendous person (who) would make a terrific congressman."
Nelson's most recent campaign disclosure, which tracks his fundraising through June 30, showed he had raised $51,409 with only $2,885 left unspent. Kingston, meanwhile, had $923,995 in the bank.
Neither candidate faced opposition in their Aug. 18 party primaries.
"Money's coming in better now than it was before," Nelson said today. He estimated his total contributions have risen to nearly $70,000, with about $7,000 cash on-hand.
Nelson said Harvey's decision to quit had more to do with the consultant's lack of experience than the campaign's lack of money. With just 11 weeks to go until the Nov. 7 general election, Nelson said he had planned to bring a more seasoned campaign manager.
"Some people were coming in and Jason was taking a lesser role," Nelson said. "He felt he was getting pushed aside or something."
Harvey dismissed that assertion as "damage control."
Kingston last faced opposition in southeast Georgia's 1st District in 2002 when he defeated Democrat Don Smart with 72 percent of the vote. He ran unopposed in 2004.
Kingston's influence as vice chairman of the House Republican Conference and as a member of the Appropriations Committee have helped him raise a formidable sum to defend his seat.
Nelson, 57, the pastor of Cokesbury United Methodist Church, insists he has a shot in his first race for office. He's already raised more than double the money Kingston's last opponent could muster.
"People are starting to believe," Nelson said. "I wasn't a relatively unknown, I was a totally unknown. So we've come a tremendous distance."
Yes, we all read Georgia Politics Unfiltered, too.
Campaign shakeups are nothing new or surprising in politics. Stuff happens. My support for Rev. Nelson isn't dependent on how many big money donors he has or who runs his campaign.
We knew this would be a tough fight, is what I'm sayin'. The fact that this is an uphill battle does not come as a surprise to Nelson supporters.
I respect Jason a great deal and I wish him well on his future endeavors. I'm sure the campaign will have an official statement about what went on.
In the long and short of it, though, campaign shakeups are small potatoes. Moving the country in a new, more positive direction is. I will vote for Rev. Jim Nelson regardless of his campaign management.
I respected Jason, too, until he threw his little hissy fit and started putting out this false "Nelson Campaign has no money" nonsense. Just hope Claudia (Graham, the new campaign manager) posts on this blog soon to clear things up.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
I think the positive jason said far outweigh the negative.
harvey said.
"He (Nelson" is a tremendous person and I still think he would be a terric congressman".
AND.
"I'm actually fearful I'm jumping ship for financial reasons and (Nelson) will win".
Right on both points Jason
mac rvn 68-72
Post a Comment
<< Home