I gave the following remarks this evening at a candlelight vigil for hospital workers who are negotiating a new contract. They are in serious jeopardy of losing their defined-benefit pension. I was invited to attend by organizers from SEIU. I thank the organizers for the invitation, and I thank the hospital workers for their warm reception. It was an honor to speak at their vigil. They are fighting the right fight for important benefits. I wish them the best of luck. Keep the faith.
Yes, I had a candlelight vigil sandwich on door-knocking bread for dinner tonight. The Good Book advises that a person does not live on bread alone. Similarly, a campaign is not run on door knocking alone. If anybody is so inclined, donations to the campaign would be greatly appreciated. http://www.actblue.com/... Thank you all so much. For my remarks, please read below the fold.
Hi, My name is Tony Barr. Though I am honored to speak to you tonight, I do so with great sadness. Once again, corporate greed seeks to deprive hard working people of just compensation.
I have seen first hand the hard and essential work that hospital employees do. I witnessed the nurses working hand in hand with the doctors at my sons' birth. When I was hospitalized with a brain tumor, oftentimes the only answers I could get were from the nurses. I will always be indebted to the nurses aides who kept regular check on me making sure that I was alive and well. I have been a part of enough organizations to realize that there are many more people involved working behind the scenes without whose efforts everything would seize and crash. To the custodial staff, lab technicians, office staff, and thousand others whose work is not seen, I salute you and your efforts. I get the importance of what you do even if I don't see it.
I know that these hospital workers give their best every day. Day after day, week after week, year after year. You give and you give and you give. Meanwhile the hospital board of directors take and take and take. Yes, the hospital gives some back in the form of wages, but it takes much more from you. And, when you are in your sunset years, it wants to stop giving even though it will continue to profit from your efforts for years into the future.
You are not asking too much from a company that made a profit of over $19 million last year. It is only right for a defined-benefit pension to be part of an adequate compensation package. Unfortunately, doing the right thing is rare in corporate circles these days.
I am here today because it is the right thing to do. This is not an issue that concerns just the couple hundred persons and families who this contract will cover. This is an issue that affects all working people. Tonight the issue is a guaranteed pension for these hospital workers, but this is not the sole issue that affects working people. High gas prices, high food prices, lack of health insurance, outsourced jobs...The list goes on. These are our issues,and the reason that they are issues at all is because corporate and governmental leaders have failed to do the right thing. The time has come for the right thing to be done. The time has come for working people to link arms in solidarity and demand that the right thing is done. We are all in this together.
I call on Chambersburg Hospital to do the right thing and offer these employees a defined-benefit pension in a contract that respects the hard work that these employees do day after day.
I call on the United States Congress to pass the Employee free choice act to protect to the American worker, it’s the right thing to do.
I encourage all of you to keep fighting this right fight.
I thank you for your time. If there is more that I can do, please let me know. If there are other working people out there who need a hand, let me know. My name is Tony Barr. I'm running for Congress, and I'm working for working people. Thank you, God Bless you, and Good Luck!