*NEW* UFCW for Obama song!

submitted by UFCW member Phillip Mesa

Hello my name is Phillip Meza and I am a proud member of UFCW local 1428 in California. I have been a member of the UFCW for 17 years now and an employee of Albertsons. I didn’t really realize how important our union was until the strike and lock-out that we went through in 2003-2004. That's when I really got active and took true interest in the causes that our union fights for.

With my involvement in the Hip-Hop community I felt it was only fitting to express my views through music. As Mr. Picket Man, I put to music the thoughts, views and struggles into a few songs. All I hoped was to inspire those of us on the picket line the keep our heads held high and keep fighting.

Now in 2008 we are in another fight. A fight to get a man elected to the office of
President of the United States of America. That man is Barack Obama and I truly believe he is the candidate that honestly knows, shows and cares about us.

I feel in my heart that he actually knows our stories and what our lives are like as working people. It has been a long time since I have felt so trusting of a politician, but there is something in him that I Believe and I am ready for the Change that I know he can bring to this great nation.

This new song that I have done is dedicated and donated to the UFCW to express my views of Barack Obama as I pledge my vote to him. I hope that all of you would do the same. If all us as the great Union that we are would cast our vote for Barack Obama on November 4th. I am sure we will all soon be referring to him as Mr. President.

Please realize that we are not just voting for a president but that we are voting for our future.

Thank You.

"OBAMA 08"

Click to listen

"They were telling me How to Vote"

Recently, Wal-Mart has denied holding secret meetings with its department and store managers about the upcoming election. Apparently, they have been warning houemployees that if they vote for Democrats, that they will likely pass the Employee Free Choice Act - makeing it easier for workers to negotiate for better wages, benefits and working conditions. By the way - this is potentially illegal for Wal-Mart to be doing at all. For entire article, click here.

"The meeting leader said, 'I am not telling you how to vote, but if the Democrats win, this bill will pass and you won't have a vote on whether you want a union,'" said a Wal-Mart customer-service supervisor from Missouri. "I am not a stupid person. They were telling me how to vote," she said.

Oh, no! That means, if the Employee Free Choice Act passes, big businesses like Wal-Mart won’t get to keep ALL of the money for themselves. Workers will actually have a say in receiving great benefits, wages and better working conditions. DUH! That’s the point! So, why is that such a bad thing? Why do you think Wal-Mart is so afraid of allowing their workers the chance to achieve the “American Dream, too?” Read the true benefits of a union, here.

All of America’s workers should have the right to freely decide whom to vote for, and all of America’s workers should have the ability to form a union - free of employer pressure and intimidation.

You can ask the Federal Election Committee to investigate Wal-Mart’s potentially illegal intimidation, here. You can also take action against Wal-Mart by joining the Wake-Up Wal-Mart movement which is dedicated to making them a more responsible employer. Sign-up and show Wal-Mart that they MUST treat their workers better.

Related Article:
The Huffington Post

Introducing Brittney Spears, Paris Hilton….and John McCain?

What matters to you? Health care costs? The cost of food and gas? Wages? Brittney Spears?

The latest McCain ad calls Barack Obama a celebrity along the lines of Brittney Spears and Paris Hilton. Republicans say he is more of a celebrity than a leader. But, Brittney Spears and Paris Hilton…oh, com’on! Watch Senator Obama’s response.

Right before this ad aired, McCain was defined as a “political celebrity” when he first announced his entrance into the presidential race. Of course, now it seems that he's no longer claiming celebrity status. Google's has McCain's claim to fame cached.

McCain defined Obama as arrogant, out of touch and unprepared. Of course, "John McCain is aware of the internet," and he doesn’t know the price of gas.

Tell us what you think: Who's out of touch? McCain or Obama?

How Are You Working For Change?

Registering voters. Volunteering at food banks. Phone banking for candidates. Organizing workers and improving working conditions. Raising money to fund research for important cures.

These are just a few of the things young workers are doing throughout the nation to make a differnce. With health care costs out of control, the economy a mess, rapidly rising gas prices, escalating college costs, the mortgage crisis, a broken immigration system...our nation needs all the help it can get.

This is a year for change if there ever was one. And hundreds of thousands of UFCW members will be working hard to send Barack Obama to the White House to make that change real.

But change doesn't start with the President or the people in Washington, as Senator Obama points out in his speeches.

Change starts with us. We can make a difference. We can help UFCW members, workers, and fellow Americans around the nation in times of trouble. We can oppose greedy CEOs and corporations, and fight for better wages, affordable, quality health care for all, improved working conditions, and the dignity of a secure retirement.

We can speak together and become more powerful. We can stick together and make our voices heard--and we can shout out for a real shot at the American Dream for each and every person in this country.

We can all be leaders. Young workers can and will lead the way to the change we need today.

How are you working for change? Tell us what you're doing to make this country a better place.

This is Our Moment, Our Candidate

Barack Obama officially became John McCain’s opponent in the 152-day dash to the White House Tuesday. Obama’s historic run for and winning of the Democratic nomination was marked around the world, but now it’s time to work.

Senator Obama’s candidacy reflects our nation’s progress, but more importantly it represents the promise of a better tomorrow. A tomorrow in which all workers have their rights protected and their hard work respected; a tomorrow that brings affordable health care, real retirement security, economic prosperity, national security and worker safety.

For the past five months, the UFCW has mobilized its 1.3 million members across the country to support Senator Obama’s candidacy, and his message of hope and change has struck a chord with UFCW members of all ages. The UFCW will continue to mobilize, organize and energize our members to support Senator Obama and fight to regain the rights and protections that America’s workers have lost under the Bush Administration.

Obama said Wednesday he spoke with New York Senator Hillary Clinton, and he is confident the party can be brought together. Many Clinton supporters are revisiting the “Dream Ticket” rumors from a few months ago, pushing for Obama to name Clinton as his running mate. Privately Clinton has said she’d be interested in the VP slot. There are many othere potential running mates listed here, let us know who you think would be the best veep.

Senator McCain welcomed the Illinios Senator to the race by criticizing Obama’s inexperience and attempting to woo Clinton supporters onto the straight-talk bandwagon.

The past seven years of the Bush Administration have been a hard road to travel for America’s workers as they struggle to cope with the high cost of housing, health care, food, fuel and education. The fragile state of the economy, coupled with a sense of national foreboding, has led many Americans to believe that they will never achieve the American Dream of owning a home, providing their families with health care coverage, or retiring comfortably.

“This is our moment,” Obama said Tuesday night in Minneapolis.

Can we capitalize on it? Yes We Can!