The Great Lakes Zephyr - Wind Energy & Hydrogen Journal

Thursday, August 19, 2004

This Monday: Bush Overtime Cuts Begin:

Dear Working Families e-Activist:

For more than a year we've fought to save the right to overtime pay for the millions of America's workers targeted by the Bush administration's overtime pay take-away. Responding to the avalanche of letters, faxes and phone calls you've sent, three times senators and representatives have said 'No' to these pay cuts with bipartisan votes. But each time the White House, working with Republican leaders in Congress, has blocked the legislation that would have saved workers' right to overtime pay.

On Monday, Aug. 23, the overtime pay take-away—the biggest pay cut in America's history—goes into effect. Employers will begin to decide who loses the right to overtime pay at their workplaces. Unfortunately, they'll have some help from Uncle Sam. The U.S. Department of Labor will be using your tax dollars to offer "assistance" to companies trying to figure this out.

This is an outrage. And we will not let this day pass without making our voices heard.

On Monday, we will launch an important new petition to demonstrate our outrage to the media, Congress and the Bush administration. We're going to demand they repeal this massive pay cut for America's working families.

Our fight doesn't end on Monday. It begins again and will last through Election Day, Nov. 2, and beyond until we reclaim the right to overtime pay for all workers.

While we keep fighting, we'll be assessing the price working families are paying for Bush's overtime pay take-away. Fortunately, many union members will be protected by their contracts. And now, nonunion workers can turn to a new organization for help-Working America, a community affiliate of the AFL-CIO for nonunion folks.

Working America is launching two new Internet resources right now to help people cope with the Bush overtime pay take-away.

Overtime Pay Take-Away Test from Working America:

This short online questionnaire from Working America will help you figure out if your employer may try to take away your right to overtime pay. Please click below now to check out the test.
http://www.workingamerica.org/issues/ot_quiz.cfm

Ask a Lawyer from Working America:

Through Working America, a labor lawyer with expertise in wage and hour laws is available to you via the Internet. Submit your question and Working America will help you get an answer--for free. This doesn't substitute for legal advice, but it helps. Just click below to get started.
http://www.workingamerica.org/issues/ot_askalawyer_main.cfm

Stay tuned for Labor Day actions and opportunities to make a difference when Congress returns in September. We'll be looking for thousands of volunteers and we'll need your help!

Thanks for all you do. Look for more e-mails soon.

In Solidarity,

Working Families e-Activist Network, AFL-CIOAugust 19, 2004

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Illinois Renewable Energy Association site

---------------
The AWEA's annual expo:
Global WINDPOWER 2004
McCormick Place
Chicago, Illinois, USA
March 28-31, 2004

I was there...
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Why I Publish This Blog:

"One thing that many people do not realize is that states like Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana,
and Michigan are sitting on a gold mine of wind energy potential. Or, more properly, next to the mine.
The Great Lakes are probably the area in the USA with the third largest inland wind energy potential.
Think of just the nickname for Chicago. "The Windy City". Milwaukee is even windier, I can tell you.
Why? Because they sit on the edge of a great flat area where there is both a land-water temperature
differential, and a large flat expanse of water that is comparably shallow.
Oilrigs certainly operate in deeper waters. And you won't have to construct transmission lines all the
way from the plains of Montana to put it to use.

The Great Lakes area has an opportunity to get the jump on wind energy's future, if that fact is
recognized and exploited. Wind energy means jobs for construction and maintenance workers, thousands
of them. Wind energy means leasing rights and extra money for family farmers struggling to make it on
agriculture alone. In most cases farmers can grow crops right up to the base of a windmill. The land
footprint has a small impact on total farm acreage. Wind energy also means freedom from fluctuating
fuel prices. Wind is free. The cost of a barrel of polluting oil can be raised or lowered drastically
based on fears or political whims. The potential gains are enormous. We've all seen the flow of good
manufacturing jobs out of the area. Well, they can't tell the wind to blow in another country so it's
more "convenient" or cheaper to produce. The wind is perfectly happy to whip up opportunities for us
right around here. Most of all, because we here in the Great Lakes region have the potential to have
a huge positive impact on U.S. energy industry emissions' contribution to global warming."