Region 8 Director Gary Casteel and
Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries Ron Sparks Address Retirees

The Local 2195 Retiree Chapter in Athens, Alabama held their annual Fish Fry on Monday, September 13, 2004. This annual event has become one of the chapter’s biggest meetings of the year. Lynn Layton Chevrolet in Decatur sponsored the fish fry this year.

A large crowd was on hand to enjoy the fish and fellowship. The meeting also featured nominations for the officers for the Retire Chapter.

The event featured two keynote speakers this year. UAW Region 8 Director Gary Casteel and Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries Ron Sparks where on hand to address the crowd. The following comments are paraphrased from their speeches.

UAW Region 8 Director Gary Casteel
“I would like to begin by thanking our retirees for helping pave the way to where we are today. It has been your efforts that have brought the UAW this far and we thank you. I am going to cut right to the chase and address the current situation with the Bush Administration in Washington. We all talk to family, friends and neighbors on regular basis, and we should tell them what is going on in Washington. Sometimes people will cast their vote on one or two issues, without looking at a candidate’s record across the board. Our retirees are our most productive group when it comes to being able to get the word out and we are seeking your help. America’s working families have not benefited one bit from this administration.

We have to keep the issues out in front of the public. Who served where and when is not as important as the fact that 45 million Americans have no health care, and millions more are under insured. In the past four years we have lost 3 million manufacturing jobs in this country. There are 40 million Americans – 13 million of them children – living in poverty. While we are speaking about our children, lets not forget the $500,000,000,000 deficit that this administration has left for them.

We have a huge challenge in front of us this election. We have to tell the people we know what is going and remind them that they aren’t going to get anything different from this administration. The only people who have benefited during the past four years are the wealthy, and they will be the only ones to benefit over the next four years without a change. The only way to overcome this hurdle is to use the same idea that as worked for the union in the past and that is solidarity.”

Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries Ron Sparks
“One of the joys of my job is to get the opportunity to go around and meet with good folks like you. I would like to echo the sentiments of your Regional Director and urge you to look at the issues in the upcoming election. The question is not about who served when or where, but are you better off than you where four years ago? I am tired of hearing the Republicans talk about how they are the only ones with faith. I am here to tell you that I was raised by a great lady, my grandmother. She spent 43 years working in a hosiery mill in Fort Payne. Every Sunday we went to church and worshiped God. I was raised on Christian values and keep them at the front of everything I do.

We need to look at the real issues. The State of Alabama had over 250,000 family farms 50 years ago. Today, that number is down to less than 45,000. I think we need to make it a priority to save the family farm in Alabama. I recently made a trip to Vietnam to view the area where these fish companies are importing as catfish are grown. The water was filthy, with sewage draining into the river. We need to stand up and say no more fish imported from Vietnam. You have a right to know where you food comes from, and imported food is not grown to the standards our farmers are held to.

While we are talking trade, I wish someone would tell me why it is we have trade with Vietnam and Libya but there are trade sanctions against Cuba? Cuba buys most of their food from around the world. Alabama farmers are easily within range of Cuba to sell them chickens, vegetables and other farm products. But we can’t tap into that market because trade sanctions. It appears that we can only do business with those interested in selling us products rather than buying from us.

Last year alone, Alabama lost 10,000 jobs. To add insult to injury, a Bush aide tells the press that outsourcing of jobs is good for America. I can tell you right now, if one of my staff made a statement like that they would be fired on the spot. I believe our workers can stand shoulder to shoulder with any workforce in the world if the playing field is level. But, are workers placed at a disadvantage against this slave labor in other places so they must constantly push up hill.

We have to sit down with folks and talk to them about health care, Social Security and jobs. Nothing is more important than the health care of our children. Do you know that Alabama leads the national in number of cases of Diabetes? It is time to take the snack machines filled with sugar out of our schools and replace them with Alabama grown fruits and vegetables. We need more physical education in our school curriculum as well to promote healthy activities.

I tell you I am the luckiest person alive. Everyday I get to wake up and go to a job that I love and get paid for it on top of that! But I wont you to know that I work for you. That is what I was elected to do and I will continue to do that. The day any elected official forgets that, they need to find a new profession. Thanks for all that you do.”