Union Protest Interrupts Mortgage Bankers Summit

[Rusty Shackleford]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/19/union-protest-mortgage-bankers-summit_n_811003.html


http://i.huffpost.com/gen/166567/thumbs/s-BOFA-PROTEST-large.jpg
WASHINGTON -- About 200 union workers interrupted a meeting of mortgage bankers at a posh hotel Wednesday.
The protest -- aimed at the Pulte Group, one of the nation's largest homebuilders -- quickly turned into a scrum as workers wearing hardhats and shouting through bullhorns overwhelmed the security staff at the JW Marriott, bursting into a crowded conference room before a stunned crowd of bankers.
Shouting "Where are the jobs?" and "Where is the money?" the protesters from the Sheet Metal Workers' International Association and the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, many in overalls and helmets, said taxpayers have provided $900 million in tax breaks to Pulte with the aim of creating jobs. They said they haven't seen the results they were promised.
"Those tax breaks were supposed to create jobs," Wayne Peworchik, one of the protesters, said. "That was President Obama's and Congress's intent."
"Instead, Pulte laid off workers," Peworchik said.
Marc Norberg, the union official who led the protest, said they protested the summit held by the Mortgage Bankers Association of America because "this is where Pulte is, and the mortgage bankers should know."http://www.huffingtonpost.com/images/lightbox/loading.gif

(http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2F2 011%2F01%2F19%2Funion-protest-mortgage-bankers-summit_n_811003.html&title=shahien-nasiripour:%20Union+Protest+Interrupts+Mortgage+Ba nkers+Summit)




UPDATE - See below for a statement provided by the Pulte Group.
WASHINGTON -- About 200 union workers interrupted a meeting of mortgage bankers at a posh hotel Wednesday.
The protest -- aimed at the Pulte Group, one of the nation's largest homebuilders -- quickly turned into a scrum as workers wearing hardhats and shouting through bullhorns overwhelmed the security staff at the JW Marriott, bursting into a crowded conference room before a stunned crowd of bankers.
Shouting "Where are the jobs?" and "Where is the money?" the protesters from the Sheet Metal Workers' International Association and the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, many in overalls and helmets, said taxpayers have provided $900 million in tax breaks to Pulte with the aim of creating jobs. They said they haven't seen the results they were promised.
"Those tax breaks were supposed to create jobs," Wayne Peworchik, one of the protesters, said. "That was President Obama's and Congress's intent."
"Instead, Pulte laid off workers," Peworchik said.
Marc Norberg, the union official who led the protest, said they protested the summit held by the Mortgage Bankers Association of America because "this is where Pulte is, and the mortgage bankers should know."
Story continues below


"Pulte used that money for land acquisition, and that land isn't being used," Norberg said.
He added that the union has been targeting Pulte for years, but the homebuilder won't meet with them.
Union workers said they're with the AFL-CIO, which played a part in the protest.
The roughly 10-minute demonstration ended once more security officers were brought in.
The Pulte Group provided the following statemet to The Huffington Post:

"PulteGroup builds the majority of its homes by working with thousands of highly-skilled and committed local and regional trade contractors. These trade contractors are typically small, independent companies that are the engine of our economy. PulteGroup does not directly employ the majority of the workers at its job sites, which means that the protest today at the Mortgage Bankers Association conference was misdirected and an unfortunate incident. In 2010, PulteGroup invested more than $1.0 billion in new land and development to support its ongoing operations, which enables its contractors to employ both union and non-union workers. As has been well documented, the U.S. housing industry continues to struggle, but we continue to invest in the business to capitalize on market opportunities as they develop."


Originally found this here (http://www.theblaze.com/stories/union-protesters-overwhelm-security-and-barge-into-banking-meeting/) on Glenn Becks news site.

[Rusty Shackleford]

I know this is a double post but it will help separate the articles.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-01-19/trumka-faults-pro-business-obama-criticizes-u-s-rule-review.html


AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka faulted President Barack Obama for a review of regulations that may eliminate some federal rules and said the administration has helped companies lift profits.
Trumka, leader of the biggest U.S. labor federation, said Obama’s order yesterday that federal agencies drop regulations that stifle economic expansion was a “distraction.” Companies have reaped profits during the administration and are “paying the lowest taxes,” he said today during a speech in Washington (http://topics.bloomberg.com/washington/).
Obama is “as pro-business as any president,” Trumka said. “The labor movement has learned something from the last two years about jobs and investment: We can’t count on the political process here in Washington to get the job done.”
Obama’s regulation review has been praised by employer groups and Republicans as a step toward repairing ties with businesses. Peg Seminario, who manages workplace safety issues for the AFL-CIO, said the organization is disappointed.
“We don’t share the view that regulations cost jobs and are a drain on the economy,” she said after Trumka’s speech.
Trumka also said the leaders of the biggest companies on Wall Street (http://topics.bloomberg.com/wall-street/) are backing campaigns that he said are aimed at cutting the pensions of workers.
He said Lloyd Blankfein (http://topics.bloomberg.com/lloyd-blankfein/), chief executive officer of Goldman Sachs Group Inc (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/quote?ticker=GS%3AUS). who is among CEOs meeting today at the White House with Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao, is getting a bonus while backing efforts to cut worker pensions.
Goldman, Blankfein
Goldman Sachs, the most profitable Wall Street firm, is about to pay “$17.5 billion in bonuses to their people” and Blankfein will get $93 million, Trumka said. Blankfein also is raising funds “to attack public employees, based on the proposition that firefighters and nurses and medical orderlies are overpaid,” Trumka said. He called it a “hypocrisy.”
Goldman today announced compensation and benefits in 2010 fell 5 percent, to $15.4 billion, from 2009. Blankfein’s compensation hasn’t been announced.
Trumka said a trade agreement with South Korea (http://topics.bloomberg.com/south-korea/) backed by Obama is a “Bush-type” accord, referring to Republican President George W. Bush (http://topics.bloomberg.com/george-w.-bush/). Opposing the free-trade deal “will be a major priority” of the AFL-CIO,’’ Trumka said.


Union Militancy has been steadily growing in the US. nothing spectacular but there are pickets somewhere in the California Bay Area at least once a week. There was also the Zimline Ship event where the ILWU didnt unload an Israeli Ship for a day in protest against the Freedom Flotilla incident.

Starbucks is getting unionized, and pretty soon, in Ca, public sector unions may be forced to take action if Brown gets his way.

theres labor events all over the country.

[Sosa]

I know this is a double post but it will help separate the articles.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-01-19/trumka-faults-pro-business-obama-criticizes-u-s-rule-review.html



Union Militancy has been steadily growing in the US. nothing spectacular but there are pickets somewhere in the California Bay Area at least once a week. There was also the Zimline Ship event where the ILWU didnt unload an Israeli Ship for a day in protest against the Freedom Flotilla incident.

Starbucks is getting unionized, and pretty soon, in Ca, public sector unions may be forced to take action if Brown gets his way.

theres labor events all over the country .

Good to hear. Pretty soon we'll be going public at my workplace too. Me and fellow co-workers have been working hard for the past 8 months trying to organize.