Updated: March 1, 2002
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Union voters could rule at polls
Even a small percent of union members registering to vote could put working families in control of national politics, recent figures from the AFL-CIO show.

Consider this: the 2000 presidential race came down to 537 votes in Florida – a state with 227,320 unregistered union voters. In state after state the pattern repeats. Gore lost Tennessee by 78,691 votes, a state with 104,707 unregistered union voters. He lost by Ohio by 176,513 votes, home to 314,758 unregistered union voters. Only 78,695 votes made the difference in Missouri, which has 117,513 unregistered union members.

But Labor has no reason to hang its head and every reason for optimism. Union members register and vote at one of the highest rates of any group in America, and labor’s performance is only getting better. In 1992, union members accounted for 21.6% of all ballots cast. That improved to 26.3% in 2000. Not bad, considering union members comprise 15% of the total U.S. workforce.

“We have a strong base to work from. The figures show that working families do not have be victimized by NAFTA, Enron-style robbery, sky high medical bills and all the rest. Imagine the power working people would have if each member registered just one more member or family member,” said IP Tom Buffenbarger.

Recession takes a toll on billionaires
It’s lonely at the top and getting lonelier, according to a Forbes magazine report showing 83 fewer billionaires in the world this year.

Forbes’ annual survey shows the “billionaires club” shrank to only 497 and their combined net worth fell from $1.73 trillion to $1.54 trillion. Even that lower figure means the 497 richest people own more wealth than the poorest 3 billion people in the world, combined, U.N. figures show! More than half the world’s billionaires inherited their wealth, Forbes reported.

Microsoft CEO Bill Gates remains the richest man in the world, with $52.8 billion in the bank (down from $58.2 billion last year). The “Top 10 Richest People” also include the five heirs of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton.

Click here for the complete list of billionaires (perhaps you’ll find an uncle or neighbor!):  http://www.forbes.com/static_html/bill/2002/print/rank.html

Gear up for Workers Memorial Day 2002
April 28 is Workers Memorial Day, a day to honor those killed or injured on the job and to renew the fight for safe, healthy working conditions.

Organizing kits for Workers Memorial Day events are being posted on the AFL-CIO’s web site: http://www.aflcio.org/safety

The material includes ready-to-print handbills, fact sheets and posters; order forms for pre-printed materials and proclamations for presentation to town and city councils and state legislatures.

“The Toll of Neglect,” an annual state-by-state report on job-related deaths and injuries, will be posted soon. Other top-quality materials available at the web site include a “Safety and Health Toolkit” (basic data on safety and health rights, how to file OSHA complaints, fact sheets on various hazards, etc.) and “Stop the Pain” campaign kits to build the fight against ergonomics injuries – the nation’s biggest occupational health problem.