The War on Unions
During hard economic times, the people growing fat at the top used to live in fear that people at the bottom would become so angry they would rise up against those who were exploiting them.
Then they figured out all they had to do was keep the have-nots in misery and at each other’s throats.
It’s easy as pie. For two years, Republicans voted to block or scale back every administration program to speed America’s economic recovery and create jobs. To make life for the working class even harder, Republicans even voted against unemployment compensation for the jobless.
Working people became so angry about the slow economic recovery and lack of jobs they voted against the Democrats who’d promised to help them and for Republicans who were busy helping the super-rich.
Republicans figure if they can keep enough Americans out of work for two more years, they can make Barack Obama a one-term president.
Why else would Republican Gov.-elect Scott Walker declare it a “victory” for Wisconsin to lose $810 million in high-speed rail funds that would have created thousands of jobs and spurred economic development around the state?
Now we read about California, Washington, Florida and Illinois “winning” hundreds of millions of dollars and thousands of jobs that originally were supposed to come here. If they’re big winners, guess what that makes us.
So if Walker can lose nearly a billion dollars in new jobs and economic development before even taking office, surely his next priority would be to start creating those “jobs, jobs, jobs” promised during the campaign.
Nope. Guess again. For a week, Walker and Republican legislative leaders have made it clear their next priority will be an all-out war on unions and their workers.
Walker lobbed the first grenade, announcing he would consider everything from decertifying unions representing state workers to rewriting labor laws so the state would no longer be required to bargain with them.
That was followed by even more extreme statements from anti-union Republican legislators threatening to turn Wisconsin into one of those low-wage, redneck, right-to-work states.
In a way, working people have only themselves to blame. Whenever workers support the no-tax-increase pledges of Republican politicians, it’s only a matter of time before those promises come back to bite them. The bulk of taxes go to pay workers who provide public services.
Every time a union is demonized for somehow managing to hang onto decent wages or a few benefits for its employees, that’s an open invitation to those at the top to gut compensation for workers.
A Better Formula
Remember good times? Way back then, ordinary working
people could hope to build a good life for their families, own their own homes,
send their children to college, enjoy a comfortable retirement and maybe even
leave a little something to their children.
It wasn’t just because business was doing well. It
was the reason business was doing well. Because working-class families were
earning good incomes with good benefits, they had more money to spend.
The more money they spent, the more goods were
produced. More goods being produced meant more jobs. More jobs meant more
workers with money to spend and on and on.
When the people at the top increase profits and
governments lower taxes (overwhelmingly for the people at the top) by cutting
jobs and gutting worker compensation, it reverses that upward spiral of a
well-paid working class having money to spend and driving a healthy economy.
Government doesn’t make a profit, but it depends on
revenues. Despite what Republicans say, those enormous budget deficits all states
face right now aren’t caused by excessive government spending. They are caused
by a lack of revenues. When millions of people are out of work or getting their
wages slashed, tax revenues decline.
That’s why Walker’s
declaration of war on state employees isn’t a solution. State employees are
taxpayers. Gutting their wages continues the downward plunge of state tax
revenues.
But under the politics of resentment, we have been
conditioned by anti-worker politicians to resent any union that has succeeded
in hanging onto decent health benefits or pensions for their workers.
Whenever we hear a union has protected its workers
with adequate health coverage without enormous co-pays or—wonder of wonders—an
actual pension, the proper response should be: “Bless you, my children.”
There was a time in this country when strong unions
were building those kinds of benefits for all workers. It created one of the
most successful economies in the history of the world.
If we can stop Republicans from blocking recovery and
start sharing the wealth of this country again with those who do the work, we
could start rebuilding an economy that works for everyone.
Now I know why the Republicans tolerated an extention to unemployment - the unemployed will choose to remain unemployed and blame Obama. But in reality, if unemployment stopped at 26 weeks, the unemployed would probably opt back into the workforce and unemployment would go down.
A real man is always employed and makes lots of money. Only a coward would chose to receive unemployment after 6 months. If you can't find a job in 6 months you are either a coward or a moron. We should not be rewarding cowards and mornons. Cutting them off would prompt them to try harder. When I see a guy on the street corner, blowing random notes from a saxophone, with his hat on the ground, now there is a brave man that is trying. When I see a man standing out the cold in front of Home Depot waiving down contractors jumping up and down, well I respect that. Or the lumper standing outside the grocery warehouse, willing to unload trucks for cash -- there is a real man. Joel thinks they should be on the couch collecting unemployment while the government builds a train to their home so they can ride to some make-work job where they get paid to watch the world go by.
A true American embraces Capitalism and doesn't need a union to speak for him. Its the duty of every American to be making a profit or protecting our country from evil. Chosing to remain unemployed - well the very thought is hateful.
I don't think Walker is gutting anyones wages. He is simply trying to get them in line with reality. In reality, people don't have pensions, they have 401ks, IRAs, and personal savings. In reality people have high deductible health insurance. Its really stupid to have the taxpayer give someone a $100,000 a year job just so they can give $20,000 back. Thats an $80,000 cost. How about we pay them $75,000 and let them pay $15,000 in taxes. Now it only cost the taxpayers $60,000.
But no, Joel thinks we should tax the good people until it hurts and give it to those who do not embrace Capitalism. In the USA we are free to chose our own careers and income. Why should be just give money away to those who have chosen not to earn more money?
No one wants to be unemployed. No one wants to live on unemployment compensation which pays subsistence rates not more than food and shelter. It is the unions that made this country and its people strong. Without Unions there are dangerous working conditions, no limits on the number of hours to be worked, child labor, no wage increases, no pensions, no sick leave; there is only exploitation and pitting laborers against each other for the lowest paying wage. The capitalist cannot do the work; workers are needed and are entitled to fair compensation for their labor. Capitalism is an economic system, not a noble ideal to which one should ascribe or be subservient. If hands-off capitalism isn't working for the people, change the system. The people are the value, not the economic system.--By the way, unemployment isn't "free money"; it costs the employer and the taxpayer. There is no "free money" but in hard times we need to help each other.
You're an ass. I've been out of work for 17 months and have been trying like crazy to find work. I have a BS and MS degrre and have over 100 job apps out, but no replys. Where are the jobs that you claim are out there? You have your head up your ass. Lose you job and try to find work...not going to happen. How about I take your job and you go try to find a job.
PR may have a BS and MS, but a vocabulary problem remains.
"But in reality, if unemployment stopped at 26 weeks, the unemployed would probably opt back into the workforce and unemployment would go down."
Cowards? Morons? What freakin' planet are you living on David? Have you looked at the Want Ads or job search websites lately? How can people "opt" to go back into the workforce when there AREN'T ANY JOBS?
You have well and truly drunk the kool-aid, David Livingston. You should just pray that your corporate overlords don't decide to axe YOUR job. Maybe then you'd get off your high horse and realize that people aren't on unemployment because they're lazy and don't want to work.
@Maria- Denmark used to offer unemployment benefits for 5 years. The administration noticed that, miraculously, a huge percentage of those receiving benefits found work shortly after the benefits ran out. So, they reduced the benefit period to 4 years. Another miracle- they found that most people who received benefits found work shortly after the benefits ran out. Denmark is now down to 24 months of unemployment benefits.
Personally, and I say this shamefully, I have two friends who have been receiving unemployment benefits for over 18 months. Both have been offered work. Both have been offered good jobs, but not their "dream job." It has simply become easier for them to adjust to a lower income level and "take it easy" for a couple years. I fear that both of them will see their skills atrophy and their sense of self-worth deteriorate, and consquently become less attractive to employers. Aside from worrying about their well-being, I admit it annoys me that these two are milking the system- when I know firsthand that unemployment benefits cost employers hard cash on every payroll, and that taxpayers make up the difference between employer contributions and the amount of benefits being paid.
I don't know anyone who has gotten a job from want ads. There are plenty of jobs, people just refuse to seek them out. Nebraska, North Dakota and a few other states have unemployment rates of about 3% -- seek and you shall find. When I'm out of work, I just hit the trade shows in Vegas. Poof - I find work. But I certainly don't expect to find it in want ads or through a government program. People can always opt into self employment. Saying there are no jobs and collecting unemployment is an insult to all the brave people who have chosen to work and be employed.
I remember when my ex wife was unemployed. It was like a paid vacation. We traveled all over and took vacations. When her unemployment ran out, she went back to work. I wasn't complaining, it was free money.
I got fired awhile back and collected for 39 weeks. I know that sounds hipocrytical, but it was free money. Sure I worked but chose not to collect any pay until the 39 weeks was up. I had another business that provided income. Just like the laid off Harley worker who also owns a dairy farm, he is still entitled to collect. Most people who are getting unemployment are working, they are just doing it off the books. Thats fine, but after 26 weeks, its long enough. Time to get back on the books. Most people I know who lose a job will just transfer to some other part of the country. There is always jobs someplace, even overseas.
People need to be more responsible and develop multiple streams of income. So if the lose a job, they have other sources.
I have a few friends who are unemployed. I wish it would be as easy for them to just move to another state to find a job as some would believe. Unfortunately it is not just that easy. They own houses that would have to be sold, in the current market it would take a long time and they would probably lose a lot of money. My friends also have elderly parents that need family near by to help care for them. Hiring someone to do that would be quite expensive.
My friends were not laid off because they were bad employees or poor workers. They were laid off because they were long time employees with great skills and abilities who were compensated for these skills. They lost their jobs because they actually earned higher wages. They were replaced by kids right out of college who lacked the skills and experience and would not receive high wages. My friends were not offered lower wages to keep their jobs, they just got laid off. In some cased this can be done without any problems, it may even benefit a company to replace an older, slower worker with someone more productive. That was not the case with my friends. Their replacements made many costly mistakes when they took over.
It is not that easy to find a job here. Dream job or whatever. Should a person with a masters degree take a job flipping 'burgers just to have a job? Sounds like a wast of material.
I have also heard interviews on NPR with human resourse directors that have stated that they would not hire anyone that is currently unemployed. He believed that they were unemployed because they were the worst employees where they were. For many years some businesses were reluctant to hire anyone over 40 years old because it would throw off their health insurance premiums.
With attitudes like that how is a person to get a job?
One of the points of Mr. McNallys column is that by declaring war on unions Gov. Walker will be bringing the rest of the state down as well. I fear that he is correct. Whatever laws that will be changed to supposedly bring state workers wages and benefits in line with the private sector will only encourage private sector businesses to further abuse their workers. The race to the bottom will speed up. We are not competing with southern states or Mexico, now we directly compete with China. Dollar a day here we come.
I also have friends that worked for Milwaukee County. They started those jobs in the 60's and 70's. They told me stories of their friends in the private sector getting better wages and benefits, new cars every couple years, cottages, boats and generally getting a lot more money. My friends lived with it, they liked knowing that they would have better retirement benefits. At that time the cost of those benefits was cheap. Noone cared, noone complained and everyone was happy. But in the last 20 years or so the economy started to decline. The private sector took a dump on its employees ( trickle down economics? ) while the wages for the highest paid people took off like a rocket. Seems that those riches never quite trickled down like people were told.
Now we get to the present day. The global economy colapsed. People do not have money to purchase anything. There is no demand for the products that keep the factories running. But the roads still need to be plowed and repaired. The garbage still needs to be picked up. The work performed by public sector employees is still in demand.
Some politicians have chosen to use these workers to take the blame for the economic problems that are facing this city, county, state and nation. These workers have not had to take the severe hits that private sector employees have had to endure. Now it is their turn. Many have had their wages frozen, paid higher premiums for their health care and taken unpaid days off. Not enough. Blame them instead of the people that actually caused the problem. The cost of the benefits are too high. Blame the worker. It couldn't possibly be the fault of the insurance companies that charge outragous rates - especially in southeastern Wisconsin.
Get the cost of health care down and you will benefit everyone in the public sector and everyone in the private sector. That will never happen under our new leadership. It wouldn't advance his political career.