Labor union members in Iowa are rallying around a mobile billboard that symbolizes hundreds of lost jobs. Tom Buffenbarger is president of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers and he’s accompanying the so-called Wall of Shame to dozens of Iowa cities through the weekend. Buffenbarger says the large sign is being carried on the back of a 40-foot flatbed trailer. One side of the sign is painted to look like a brick wall and more than a thousand of the bricks carry the names of Iowans who have lost their jobs. He explains how the wall came into being in Cedar Rapids, initially.When the Goss Corporation laid off hundreds of union members, a representative in eastern Iowa came up with the idea to represent all Iowans who’ve been laid off in recent months and seen their jobs go to other countries. Buffenbarger says the wall is being taken to union halls in many Iowa cities for rallies and so workers will add the names of friends and family who lost jobs in what he says is the worst employment crisis since the Great Depression.The wall is in Cedar Falls today after a stop yesterday in Cedar Rapids. Other cities where it will appear in the next several days include: Clinton, Bettendorf, Burlington, Middletown, Sioux City, Council Bluffs, Omaha and Des Moines. For more information, visit “www.goiam.org”.
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