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Leo Helmer had good reason to be upbeat about the future of America as he went through the hallways of the Capitol buildings. He ran into other unionists who were also pushing for fair treatment. A group of United Food and Commercial Union activists, for example, sought congressional help in getting decent treatment from the Smithfield company.
Unite-Here!
unionists were trying to get the Employee Free Choice Act passed. It has sufficient
co-signers in the House of Representatives to insure its success, but the bigwigs
who control the agenda won't let this, and other progressive bills, on the House
floor!
Back at the convention, speakers continued to educate the delegates about legislation affecting America's seniors. The recent pension "reform" bill, it was explained, benefitted the financial services industry much more than it benefitted pensioners. Even though the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation (PBGC) will be strengthened by the bill, many companies will find it easier and more profitable to "opt out" of traditional defined benefit pension plans.
"We have moved farther away from a system that encourages defined benefit plans," said the analyst.
Experts on governors' races, House races, and Senate races predicted that more
progressive leaders will be elected in the Fall. "We have a chance to take
22 
governors
and take over the majority in this country." Said Penny Lee of the Democratic
Governors Association. As for tactics, Lee said, "There is nothing more
impressive than a neighbor to neighbor campaign."
Conventioners got involved in traditional democratic discussion over the resolutions
that were offered. One of them was returned to the incoming Executive Board
for further work. Speakers said that it emphasized insurance fraud by patients
instead of the fraud perpetrated by insurance companies, which is by far the
larger issue. The seniors agreed unanimously on getting national health care.
A resolution calling for a national plan for medical records met with a lot
of arguments, but was eventually passed. Speakers said they didn't want any
information accumulated that might be grabbed and misused by the government.
Click here for more about the convention