Gretchen Clearwater will. She's tired of workers being blamed for demanding a fair wage to support their families and decent benefits like health care and a modest pension, while CEOs make ever-increasing millions by shipping our jobs to Mexico or elsewhere. That's one of the reasons she's running for Congress here in the Indiana 9th (in the Dem primary on May 2nd).
That's why she recently went to Clarksville, Indiana, to talk to workers from the Colgate plant there, which recently announced that it's closing and moving production to Mexico.
Read about her trip and what she plans to do in Congress to help our workers, (and see a snazzy picture of the famous Colgate clock) below the fold...
(cross-posted from my Clearwater 4 Congress
blog)
Colgate's closing its plant in southern Indiana. They can't afford, it would seem, to operate here. But they CAN afford to pay their CEO, Reuben Mark, an average of $47 million a year (according to Forbes). And it's quite easy for them to move operations to Mexico and to a right-to-work (aka right-to-screw-workers) state, thanks to NAFTA, CAFTA, and eroding union protections.
Gretchen has pledged not to vote for any trade agreement that doesn't include protections for workers here and abroad. She'll vote to strengthen unions by passing the Employee Free Choice Act. And she'll work to end corporate welfare and incentives to outsource, to increase corporate responsibility, and to do something about runaway CEO pay.
Working families in southern Indiana are responding to Gretchen's message-- a message of standing tall for Democratic values, standing up to George Bush and his rubber stamp Republicans (like IN-09 incumbent Mike Sodrel), and strengthening our democracy through increased citizen participation. Gretchen has also taken a bold stand on lots of other issues (like Iran), as you'll see if you visit her web page.
We're about to get on the air with radio ads across the district. Please consider learning more about Gretchen and her campaign. Then consider donating, volunteering, or just spreading the word.