A Serial Job-Killer Is Stalking America

[marmar]

from Too Much: A Commentary on Excess and Inequality:




A Serial Job-Killer
Is Stalking America
Conservatives in Congress, predictably enough, are going after the wrong suspect. In the process, CEOs are getting away with economic murder — and labor law reform stands imperiled.

April 27, 2009

By Sam Pizzigati


A new crime has burst out onto America’s political blotter. Move over drug pushing and car stealing, meet the new menace. Job killing. But fear not. We now have in Congress a dedicated army of self-selected saviors who have loudly vowed to keep us protected.

And just how are these lawmakers going to keep our jobs secure? They’re going to put the kibosh on labor law reform.

Americans who believe all workers have the right to bargain collectively with their employers have been battling for labor law reform for some time now. The plentiful loopholes in our current labor law, they note, let companies make life intolerably miserable for workers who want to start a union. But reform had no chance so long as George W. Bush sat in the White House.

With Barack Obama’s election, real reform has once again become politically viable. And America’s anti-union business leaders know it. They’ve been spending furiously on anti-reform ads and lobbying. And now the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is threatening a “firestorm bordering on Armageddon” if Democrats in Congress try to get reform onto President Obama’s desk.

Business groups are claiming that passage of the Employee Free Choice Act — the prime pending labor law reform bill — would “harm the economy and cost millions of jobs.” In Congress, reform foes are echoing that pitch at every opportunity. Labor law reform, as South Dakota Senator John Thune enjoys asserting, would be “a job killer for our economy.”

This drumbeat won’t be letting up anytime soon. Corporate interests have even named their anti-reform front group the “Alliance To Save Main Street Jobs.” ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.toomuchonline.org/articlenew_2009/april27a.html

[ixion]

1. the law allows companies to make life miserable for their employees in general

union or no.

[HillbillyBob]

2. Time for real workers rights, I have lived in the South all of my life

My dad was union he would not have been able to raise us in a decent manner if it were not for union wages. I knew folks that worked at non union jobs in other states for the same jobs/industry and the pay difference was about 50% less.
I worked as an electrician in so called right to work states for 40% less than a union job would pay..I could have moved up North I suppose, but I can't take cold weather, truly.

[Citizen Worker]

3. Unions bring more than improved wages and benefits

There's a direct correlation to better wages and benefits in a
Unionized workplace.  We need only look at what has happened
to wages over the 35 year period from 1974-2004 as Union
representation has dramatically declined.  Median incomes,
according to a study by the Brookings Institute, have declined
by a whopping $1,800 per year!

When Reagan came to power the former president of the Screen
Actor's Guild set about destroying the Labor movement.  In
1981 Union representation stood at 25% today it stands at 12%,
including public sector workers.  Without the public sector
Union density falls to 8%.  Reagan smashed the Air Traffic
Controllers giving the green light to the corporate mavens to
smash Unions with impunity.  Admittedly Labor failed to meet
the attack in kind.  

In the nearly 30 years since then productivity has increased
manifold times while wages have declined, benefits have been
eroded, and defined benefit pension plans have been replaced
by 401k plans many of which have been looted by Wall Street
leaving workers penniless, doomed to work until we drop dead
on the job.

The Employee Free Choice Act would go far in reversing these
downward trends but it will take time.  But what EFCA will
also accomplish is to bring about a shift in the balance of
power in the workplace and bring a small measure of democracy
to workers.  This was made manifestly clear to me when a
manager said, "...if you didn't have a Union to protect
you I'd fire you right now."  I'm still there, a nagging
thorn in the side of management because I'm a Union member.

Employee Free Choice would enable real "trickle
down" economic improvement.  When there's greater Union
density all workers benefit with increased wages, benefits,
and democracy in the workplace.

It is going to be a long, hard fight and it's up to all of us
to make the congress and Obama do what is right.  If we lose
this fight we have only ourselves to blame.