United Way's Ray West dies
Ray West, organized labor's liaison to the United Way of Southeast Michigan, died June 10, 2003. A Pipe Fitters Local 636 member, Ray was 68 years old and suffered from various forms of cancer.

"He was just a great guy," said Local 636 Business Manager Jim Lapham. "He found a niche for himself at the United Way and I think he really took a lot of pride in being able to help other people. I know I called him a lot when we needed charitable work, and he was particularly proud of the handicap ramp program."

In fact, Ray was the go-to guy for most of the building trades when it came to getting help or advice for charitable causes. 

In April, Ray celebrated his 50th year in Local 636 and received a coveted letter of recognition from United Association General President Martin Maddaloni. Ray served as a business agent in Local 636 for three years before taking over the post at the United Way in 1991. 

A Korean War veteran, Ray is survived by wife Caroll and sons David (Local 636 member) and Ray. One of six brothers, Ray is survived by his brother Frank, a retired business agent and apprenticeship coordinator with Iron Workers Local 25. He was pre-deceased by his brother Lonnie, who served as business manager of Local 25 and as a business representative with the Greater Detroit Building Trades Council.

Ray's counterpart at the American Red Cross, labor liaison Frank Culver, remembered Ray as "a caring person who never blew his own horn."

"It was a pleasure working with him," Culver said. "I know how he felt about the handicap ramps - when the crew completed the job, he would always ask the person in the wheelchair to roll down the ramp, and as he said, 'not be a prisoner anymore.' He always enjoyed helping others."

Bush's job outlook promise too rosy?
WASHINGTON (PAI) - The Bush Administration sold its tax cut plan that was passed by Congress on the premise that the tax reduction would lead to the creation of 1.4 million new jobs by the end of 2004.

The job creation process better get cracking.

To reach his goal, President Bush's tax cut stimulus will have to stop the ongoing loss of 100,000 jobs per month and then create an additional average of 78,000 jobs over the next 18 months.

And Bush hardly has a track record in the area of jobs creation. Since Bush took office, private companies have dumped 3.1 million U.S. jobs - an average of nearly 100,000 per month.

The labor-backed Economic Policy Institute is dubious that Bush and the nation will reach that goal.

EPI co-directors Laurence Mishel and Jared Bernstein told the Senate Democratic Policy Committee that Bush's tax cut is the wrong kind to help generate jobs.

"Nearly all economists agreed that excluding taxes on dividends and capital gains will have very little effect on job growth in the near term," they said. "Tax breaks for businesses will also not create jobs...What business needs is more customers."

But customers won't be there if workers' incomes don't rise, which is why lawmakers should instead push for "temporary one-time tax relief" to put money in the pockets of low- and middle-income workers, Bernstein and Mishel urged. Those workers lost income last year, and will lose again this year and possibly next year, they pointed out.

And unemployment has risen so much, from 4 percent under President Clinton to 6.1 percent under Bush, that incomes--the engine that really drives the economy--fell last year across the board for the first time in a decade,

Median income, the point at which half of the nation's workers are above it and half below, declined by $934 per person last year, they said on June 6.