5-16-08, 10:41 am

Describing John McCain simply as a 'Bush sequel' and Republican Party campaign tactics as 'divisive' and 'destructive,' a May 12th statement issued by the International Executive Board of the United Steelworkers (USW) called for the unity of working people to defeat the Republicans in the November 4th elections.

'Getting that message out immediately to all our members and supporters is crucial,' the USW statement read in part, 'and we must not let either the last few days of the Democratic primary process or the everyday McCain lies rob us of the chance to end the Bush assault on us, our union and our families.'

The statement described Republican attacks on Senator Obama, who is the likely Democratic nominee, as 'deeply troubling and completely unfair.' The statement praised Obama for his 'undying allegiance to our country and to working-class Americans.' It further applauded Obama for 'his outspoken commitment to a vibrant middle class which grows from the bottom up and which recognizes that when it comes to economic policies and trade, American workers must come first.'

The steelworkers contrasted their view of Obama with McCain's 'vicious anti-worker record with our members.' For example, the statement noted, 'John McCain has never seen a free trade deal that he doesn’t love – and as a candidate he’s already cheerleading for even more of them.'

More broadly, 'Senator John McCain is shaping up as simply the 'Bush Sequel' – with more war in Iraq, even more tax cuts for the rich while the middle class struggles mightily, and courts packed with even more right-wing activists intent on undoing decades of progress in civil rights, civil liberties and other vital areas.'

While McCain now panders to workers, he can't hide from his record. 'Senator McCain has made it abundantly clear,' the statement continued, 'that he offers nothing more than a continuation of the Bush administration’s sorry record of relentlessly assaulting the well-being and interests of working people and of our nation’s unions.'

McCain is offering a health care plan, the statement emphasized, that will not provide universal coverage, will tax employee benefits, and likely dismantle collective bargaining agreements. It is a proposal 'that is a health care industry-driven rehash of the approach that employers have been trying to shove down our throats for years.'

'Most disturbing,' the statement read, 'have been attempts to define working people’s voting decisions in this contest as somehow racially based, while completely ignoring the fact that for years Senator McCain and many of his Republican colleagues have treated all working people with complete disdain, whether those workers are white, Black, Hispanic or otherwise.'

Taking racist campaign tactics head-on, the statement added that 'Dividing working people along racial and ethnic lines is the oldest and meanest game in the book, and it is the one the Republicans are already using to distract attention' from their disastrous policies of the last seven years.

The statement urged full, united support for winning a November victory for the Democratic candidate. 'All workers have a common need to be represented better than they have been by George Bush or will be by John McCain, whether he or she is a retiree, a worker in one of our facilities, or one of the fine young men and women fighting right now to protect our nation. '

The steelworkers' statement expressed full support for the union's leadership from top to bottom talking about 'Senator McCain’s vicious anti-worker record with our members, and to encourage them to understand that media attempts to sensationalize differences among working people based on race, ethnicity or religion will only distract us from the real need to change our nation’s policies on health care, trade, workers’ rights, energy and foreign affairs.'

On May 15th, the USW announced its endorsement of Barack Obama for president. It's 600,000 members are strongest in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Michigan.