[Vision2020] Another Way to Honor Moscow's Police Force

[nickgier at adelphia.net]

Greetings:

Thank you Debbie Gray for an eloquent response to my original post.  I respect your position, and my heart goes out to the families of first responders who protect our communities.

Also thanks to Joe Campbell for pointing out that all of us process our grief in different ways.  I am a social activist, critical thinker, and problem solver, and I think that these skills, as well as those of the caring professions, should be respected equally as we recover from this tragedy.

I would just like to remind the list that it was the Moscow policemen and women who voted for the union.  It was their agenda, not mine.  I have supported them openly and forcefully because they continue to have the dignity and professionalism to go about their work quietly, hoping that city officials will finally recognize their right to a union.

I would also like to remind this list that the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) recently left the AFL-CIO, and that my union benefits in no way financially by future SEIU representation of the brave men and women who protect our town.  Everyone benefits from union representation because unionized employees are more secure in their jobs and their benefits.

Finally, if politics is partisan politics, then I need to remind the list that union members are Republicans, Democrats, and Independents and that in the past unions have selectively supported each of these parties in their quest for office.

Democracy in the Workplace is a basic human rights issue; it is not a political issue.

Nick Gier, President, Idaho Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO