Honeywell Retirees Vow to Keep Hounding Trump at Campaign Rallies

NEWS FROM GOOD JOBS NATION

South Bend, IN – On Saturday October 6, Honeywell retirees Larry Alexander and John Carter reported-back to hundreds of people gathered at the UAW Local 9 union hall about their conversations with Brad Parscale – Trump’s 2020 campaign manager – and other top campaign executives at the President’s recent rallies in Wheeling, WV, Rochester, MN and Evansville, IN.

“We’ve been following President Trump around the Midwest to deliver a simple message – ‘companies with huge federal contracts should not be stealing retiree health care and shipping good union jobs abroad,” said John Carter, 67, who retired from Honeywell after 37 years of service.  “President Trump has the power to tell federal contractors to keep their hands-off our health care benefits, but so far he has refused to tell Honeywell to respect its retirees.”

Ahead of the 2018 midterms,  President Trump has used his campaign rallies to declare that “jobs are pouring back” and “the economy is booming.”  Trump is also using a new slogan – “Promises Made, Promises Kept.” Carter and other South Bend retirees and soon to be laid-off workers aren’t buying Trump’s rhetoric.   “The President has broken promises to working families and we’re not going to let him get away with it,” added Carter.

“Members of our delegation spoke directly to Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale and told him that  President Trump has failed to keep his promises to workers,” said Larry Alexander, 72, who retired from Honeywell after 37 years working there.   “He told us that he ‘talks to President Trump everyday’ and he will bring our problems straight to the Oval Office. We’re going to keep going to rallies until we get a response from the President himself and his campaign manager.  They are on notice.”

The South Bend Common  Council passed a resolution in support of the 4,700 retirees and spouses last month, while the St. Joseph County Council will vote on Tuesday on a similar resolution.   

To date, the Trump Administration has awarded nearly $10 billion in federal contracts to Honeywell, a major Defense contractor, according to research by Good Jobs Nation, a worker advocacy group in Washington, DC.

The South Bend rally was part of Good Jobs Nation “Promises Broken” Pickup Truck Tour, which is making stops in cities and towns hard-hit by plant closures.     

“Right now, President Trump is out campaigning using the slogan ‘Promises Made, Promises Kept’ and claiming that ‘jobs are pouring back’ into America.   The goal of our tour is to show that the president’s rhetoric doesn’t match reality when it comes to saving American jobs and benefits.” said Joseph Geevarghese, executive director of Good Jobs Nation.