Statement by AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka On Pay Freeze for Federal Workers

[Omaha Steve]

Reuters (no link)


In Monday statement, labor president calls proposed halt a “race to the bottom” in wages "bad" for middle class, economy and business.

Statement by AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka On Pay Freeze for Federal Workers
November 29, 2010

Today’s announcement of a two-year pay freeze for federal workers is bad for the middle class, bad for the economy and bad for business. No one is served by our government participating in a “race to the bottom” in wages. We need to invest in creating jobs, not undermining the ones we have. The President talked about the need for shared sacrifice, but there’s nothing shared about Wall Street and CEOs making record profits and bonuses while working people bear the brunt. It is time to get our nation back on track, but we should not do so by placing an even greater burden on the middle class.

[BrklynLiberal]

1. I wonder who Trumka will be campaigning for in 2012?

[polichick]

4. If not a Dem who really represents the people, maybe a populist third party candidate...

If someone already in the public eye wants to make a move, 2012 is the time.

[katandmoon]

2. K&R

[provis99]

3. how come we never elect union leaders as presidents?

It's always lawyers or businessmen, the two groups of people who are most lethal to a functioning society.

[patrice]

5. +1~

[joeybee12]

6. There's nothing shared indeed about this...knr

[panader0]

7. Obama is not freezing union wages

But for Senators and Reps to get raises every year while most of us are getting less and less is wrong.

[DrDan]

8. here is what has me a bit confused

it is argued that the tax cuts are good for the economy because it puts money in the pockets of those that will spend it.

But . . . Obama is now freezing wages - which seems to me to do the opposite.

Is any of this anything but political posturing?

[doc03]

9. Why shouldn't they get a pay freeze, the job I had was

represented by Trumka's union and we took concessions every contract dating back to the late 70s. I had to sign up for my pension and SS because they shut my mill down and there are no jobs. I don't get a COLA for my SS or my company pension, we are their employers we have been screwed over for over 30 years it's time they make some sacrifices.

[Omaha Steve]

10. I'm trying to follow what your saying

Trumka is AFL-CIO. That isn't a union. http://www.aflcio.org/aboutus/

The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) is a voluntary federation of 57 national and international labor unions. The AFL-CIO was created in 1955 by the merger of the AFL and the CIO.

The AFL-CIO union movement represents 12.2 million members, including 3.2 million members in Working America, its community affiliate. We are teachers and miners, firefighters and farm workers, bakers and engineers, pilots and public employees, doctors and nurses, painters and plumbers—and more.

In 2009, delegates to the 26th AFL-CIO Constitutional Convention elected Richard Trumka as president and Liz Shuler as secretary-treasurer. Arlene Holt Baker was re-elected as executive vice president.



Trumka was a United Mine Worker. He started out in the mines. I'm not sure where you are directing your anger.

Your mill was shut down but you still have a pension. Your much better off than many other retirees. Since your mill was shut down, that tells me concessions kept the place open longer than it would have stayed open without concessions. It was your local union that negotiated on your behalf. Did you voice your opinions to your local or bargaining committee at the time?

Or are you saying screw just government workers? Taking the millions of raises that were due these workers shorts the national economy. It is the stimulus in reverse.

I hope you will fill in some of the blanks so I can make a better response without all the guess work.

OS

[doc03]

11. The USW is a part of the AFL-CIO, it's a long story

that I am sure you will refuse to believe anyway. I get a small pension from the PBGC and the other one from the company, we earned it. We went out on strike for nearly a year and refused to accept what the International tried to ram down our throats.
We are the employers of the government workers and we can't afford to keep supporting government employees with better wages, benefits and pensions than us in the private sector. I am on SS, did I get a COLA this year? no Next year? no Do I get a COLA for my PBGC pension or my company pension? no
I may have been misled but I have heard government employees get a COLA with their pensions. I read an article in the USA paper a couple weeks ago and I believe they said federal employees got a 25% wage increase over the last 8 years and even this year they got 1.8% I think. The US government, our state and local governments are saddled with employee benefits that we just can't sustain. At one time we took a 30% pay cut along with benefit cuts in order to keep our employer afloat, I don't think a pay freeze will put any government workers in the soup line.

[Omaha Steve]

12. I believe you

But taking it out on other workers is not really labors or the DUs way. There was a long post and many replies in GD on this too.

I'm always willing to talk about this more when you want.

OS