Welcome to the
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
Local #612 Home Page
December 2009


Well folks my 40 year career has come to a close. I am
retiring December 10th.
I hope some of you younger people come up to the plate as
far as Union jobs are concerned. I've seen the AFL-CIO
lose 2/3rds of our members in my time. Your employer is
looking for weakness. You will lose if you do not remain
UNITED. Hold their feet to the fire! Show your productivity.
The Unions are pretty exclusive now a days.
Our apprentices start at $30 per hour! Earn it!
Please don't let a few do the work of the Union, help out by
attending meetings. Don't cop out or make excuses, its
everybody's Union!!!!
MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
I sincerely care and hope the best of all of you. Stay Safe,
you do not have to work unsafe. Be careful and be proud of
your Union.
Vote Your Pocket book.



Ken Svigel






Updated for 2008, it's "Just the Facts, Folks!"
July 14, 2008

Back by popular demand, it's "Just the Facts," the IBEW's
graphic depiction of the national economy under Democrats
versus Republicans since 1969. Hint: Republicans in the
White House preside over higher unemployment and deficit
spending than Democrats.
First printed in 2000, “Just the Facts” has gone through
several revisions, said IBEW Political/Legislative
Department Director Brian Baker. Through the George W.
Bush years, the graph continues the trend of record-high
deficits followed by higher rates of unemployment.

“The Democratic Party is often labeled as a party of big
spenders, but if you look, you’ll see that it’s not the
Democrats,” Baker said, noting the graph’s simplicity. “You
don’t have to be an economist to understand the story that
this graph tells.”
(The Graph can be viewed at the IBEW web page.)

Using figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Office
and Management and Budget and the Congressional Budget
Office, the graph paints a picture of the how the policies of
each president since Richard Nixon affect the economy.

In 2008 the national deficit – the amount the government is
spending in the red – is projected to climb to nearly $400
billion. The lowest monthly unemployment rate since 1970
was 3.8 percent under President Clinton but in May 2008,
unemployment is again on the rise, reaching 5.5 percent, a
significant increase from last year

JUST THE FACTS, FOLKS! JUST THE FACTS!
Do Large Deficits Mean High Unemployment?
Chart revision #9, prepared by the IBEW® Research
Department, 6/20/08. © 2008 International Brotherhood of
Electrical Workers®
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics; Office of Management
and Budget; Congressional Budget Office.
1 The budget surplus of 1969 is due to the budget submitted
by Lyndon Johnson.
2 Congressional Budget Office, An Analysis of the
President’s Budgetary Proposals for Fiscal Year 2009
(March 2008).
3 April 2000 figure.
4 May 2008 figure.
Bush/Quayle produced what
was then the highest deficit
in the history of the United
States, $290.3 billion.
Clinton/Gore reversed the
trend, achieving a surplus
in 2000 of $236 billion—
a $526 billion turnaround.
The Clinton/Gore surplus was
erased as Bush/Cheney produced
the highest deficit in U.S. History
in 2004: $412 billion.

JUST THE FACTS FOLKS
IBEW Local 612