Posted October 11, 2006

1) Do you feel CEOs are out of touch with American workers?  

Yes – for the most part. They tend to be more interested in their own money instead of the folks at the bottom who work hard every day. Unfortunately, their concerns are the corporate hierarchy and the numbers – it’s all about the bottom line to them.  

2) What are some of the things CEOs can do to better understand the challenges facing workers?  

First, they should talk to some of the hard-working people who help their company operate and listen to their complaints and concerns. As it is now, CEOs let management get away with too much. If everything was operating smoothly and workers were being treated fairly, we wouldn’t have any need for a union.  

3) Has not being part of a union put you at a disadvantage in speaking your voice to the management of your company?  

Actually, trying to unionize my company has empowered me to speak out even more. While I don’t get to talk to executives at my company, I’m able to voice the concerns of my co-workers. Being part of a union will give us more opportunities to get our message across, which is what we hope to do every day.  

4) If you could be CEO for a day, what would you do to improve working conditions?  

My first priority would be listening to (and understanding) the little guy who works hard on my behalf. I’d get everyone together to hear their concerns individually and make change happen. One of the top concerns I hear about every day is health care, so as CEO I’d definitely do something to improve our company’s health plans. One of my co-workers who was with the company for 30 years was recently let go because he was out of work for an extended period of time with a heart condition. Now he’s struggling to get care because he’s no longer covered by the company. As CEO, I’d make sure that type of thing doesn’t happen to people who worked hard to get the job done.

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