New Rosie Icon- and I go on and on about how I love the Union

I am fond of the more traditional Rosie image, but I found this one and had to use it. As a union wife, I thought it was long over-due to have something more in keeping. Here's a link to the original image, which is just fantastic and downright hot!

Thanks, lifecollage , for the link to the AFL-CIO speech given a few months ago. But there's still no such thing as clean coal, but we'll move right past that- the point of the speech holds true.

As a recap to life married to a carpenter for the past ten years-- I have to say. It's been more often than not hellish. quiet_elegance  went through enough jobs that I have a hard time keeping track. Every single shop and handyman job (there was one retail in there) he had featured a boss whose actual job seemed to be to make his life hell, cheat him whenever he could, and work him to pieces. Now that he's been in the union for about a year and a quarter, I hope he never has to leave. They - omg- give him raises. Regularly. Give him training. Health care. They help him save some money, and even give some back every 6 months as "vacation money." When q_e was out of work for about 2+ months this summer, he wasn't remotely stressed. It was the longest he'd ever been out of work, ever- but because he knew that the project would pick up- and it would mean working closer to home and last through the winter. It was worth having an incidental summer vacation. So he honed his WoW characters (something-something-level 60?70?- see? I still don't pay attention, really) and worked on the albatross bookcases. The last non-union job was so bad at a certain point, he was home almost as much as he was during his vacation, but without the unemployment checks.
This is not to say that Union is all sunshine and roses. It's still back-breaking. There are still jerks he has to learn to deal with, but in the end they take care of their own. There's something huge to be said about a living wage and how having it will make life bearable- and even really frickin' good. Woah- who knew?!

I was inspired to say all this because I'm that proud to be associated with an organization like this, with leaders like this. UBC (carpenters) aren't in AFL-CIO, but still. Their goals are the same on my big issues.