At a street corner rally outside AT&T offices in downtown Minneapolis, top labor leaders and local elected officials Tuesday criticized corporate America and the Bush administration for the continued outsourcing of American jobs to low-wage countries.

AT&T workers, in particular, have suffered mass layoffs as the company sent jobs overseas, said Shari Schalwig, president of Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 7205. She said that AT&T employed 300,000 U.S. workers 10 years ago but has cut that number to 57,000. An additional 1,500 union workers at AT&T, Schalwig said, today were expected to receive 60-day notice of new lay-offs.

"We?re here today in defense of our jobs," said Barbara Easterling, national secretary-treasurer of CWA. "ATT is shipping jobs to India, Mexico and other low-wage countries."

"A once proud company is now a mere shell of its past self," Easterling said. "If there?s ever someone who should be voted off the island, it is AT&T CEO Dave Dorman."

Demonstrators say AT&T is sending too many jobs overseas to low-wage countries. Photo by Steve Share, Minneapolis Labor Review

National AFL-CIO President John Sweeney was among the rally?s featured speakers. "Brothers and sisters, it?s a crime what AT&T is doing to their loyal workers by outsourcing jobs? to low-wage countries," he said. He faulted the Bush administration for supporting outsourcing and giving tax breaks to companies who send jobs overseas. "He?s using our money to ship our jobs overseas," Sweeney said.

"They want to wipe out the jobs of the very people who built this country. That?s wrong," said Tom Woodruff, international vice president of the Service Employees International Union.

Some 9,000 information industry jobs have been lost in Minnesota alone since January 2001, when George W. Bush took office, and August 2004, the Minnesota AFL-CIO reported. The nationwide figure is 200,000 jobs. Altogether, 1.6 million private sector jobs have been lost since Bush took office.

"Are you more secure in your job than you were four years ago?" Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak asked the crowd of about 200 union supporters. "No!" they shouted back.

"The only thing that?s going to be good for American jobs is to outsource Bush on Nov. 2," said Jim Meyer, political director for CWA Minnesota.

Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin urged people to talk to friends and neighbors in the two weeks remaining until the election. "Don?t let our friends and neighbors be confused by gun issues or social issues," he said. "Let?s talk about what?s happening to working families."

CWA Secretary-Treasurer Barbara Easterling said AT&T once was a great employer -- but no longer. Photo by Steve Share, Minneapolis Labor Review

AFL-CIO President John Sweeney listens to other speakers and awaits his turn at the microphone. Photo by Steve Share, Minneapolis Labor Review editor

Steve Share edits the Minneapolis Labor Review, the official publication of the Minneapolis Central Labor Union Council, AFL-CIO. Visit the labor council's website, www.minneapolisunions.org