Related Articles
President Hills letter
to Viacom Mr. Mel Karmazin, President and COO Dear Messrs. Karmazin and Redstone: On behalf of the more than 800,000 active and retired members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, I wish to add our voices in protest of the planned production of The Real Beverly Hillbillies. Working people in the United States have struggled in this prosperous land of ours as income inequality reaches all-time highs, good-paying industrial jobs disappear, and doors to economic opportunity are closed. Now comes insult on top of injury as your company plans to hold the vast discrepancy between the haves and a portion of the have-nots in our society up to ridicule. Some have criticized the protests against your planned program as political correctness. In fact, this nation has gone through decades of social trauma based on past injustices, including the mockery, and thus marginalization, of vulnerable groups in society. It was wrong when done to racial, ethnic and religious minorities. It was wrong when done to women. And it is wrong when done to struggling rural families. I would remind you that those whom you would denigrate as "hillbillies" have served their nation in disproportionate numbers in the military. Their sacrifices have made possible the rights we enjoy in this nation, including the First Amendment, so vital to the broadcasting and entertainment industries. Our unions members including those in Appalachia and other rural communities -- provide vital services to their communities, including producing the electric power that makes it possible for people to watch your shows on television. It is honest, hard, sometimes dangerous work, but our members perform their duties with pride. Our union has a 112-year history of fighting for justice for working men and women. You will find IBEW members at work everywhere from major urban centers, including the studios of Hollywood, to sparsely populated country areas. But the bond that unites them is a strong resistance to attacks on the dignity of any group of Americans trying to make a living under difficult circumstances. You obviously have every right to proceed with the production of The Real Beverly Hillbillies. We are, however, appealing to your sense of common decency to abandon this and all other projects that pander to the base instincts of people and further divide our citizens. We urge you instead to use the power you wield as broadcast executives to make a positive contribution to our society. Sincerely, Edwin D. Hill |
IBEW Adds Its Voice to ‘Hillbillies’ ProtestCenter for Rural StrategiesUnited Mine WorkersU.S. Senator Zell MillerSen. Miller's Wall St. Journal article... |
