TPP And The Labor Wars To Come

As Varys said in the blockbuster series, Game of Thrones, "Men of talent have a part to play in the wars to come," I believe all men and women will have a part to play in the labor wars to come.

President Obama fired a shot across the bow at progressives this past weekend when he was attempting to sell the secretive NAFTA 2.0 Trans-Pacific Partnership(TPP).  Obama claimed, "I agree with Elizabeth(Warren) on a host of issues, but she's wrong about this."  If you're trying to prove someone else is wrong and you are right, it doesn't help if you are purposely keeping the details confidential.  This is why the labor community almost unanimously opposes TPP.

After being hoodwinked on how NAFTA would be great for American workers by the last Democratic president, unions are rightfully wary of being so trusting this time around.  This is probably the most likely single issue to cause a split between the Democratic Party and labor unions, but there are a few other under-the-surface issues as well.

The biggest of these issues is the continued focus of labor unions on political lobbying over direct action.  While unions were able to stick their thumb in the dam for a while to stop the hemorrhage of union density, the Citizens United ruling has made it impossible for unions to compete long-term, which we are already seeing with the anti-union legislation that has passed in Wisconsin, Indiana, and Michigan.  It should be no surprise that the Koch Brothers recently proclaimed Scott Walker as their preferred candidate.

With lobbying no longer a viable long-term solution, the obvious(and possibly only) solution is a return to non-partisan, direct action that was so effective in the early part of the 20th century.  The times are ripe for the return of general strikes, and other forms of mass demonstrations.  Inequality is at an all-time peak.  If the labor movement cannot galvanize now, then perhaps it may be too late, and it will have to die and be reborn.

In Solidarity,

Joseph Riedel

A Few Things I'd Like To See This Labor Day

Here are a few things I would like to see this Labor Day:

1. An actual push by the labor movement to organize new workers. I actually kind of liked the AFL-CIO commercial last year, but I'd like to see one this year that simply lists the benefits of being in a union vs. non-union with a message that says "If you'd like to learn more about joining a union or starting one where you work, call this number" with a number set up by the AFL-CIO to direct people to the appropriate labor union.

Sounds simple doesn't it? It is, except it would mean that big labor would actually have to spend some money on organizing - what a concept!

2. While millions of Americans are watching football, wouldn't it be awesome to see a commercial(maybe even the sort of one listed in number 1) featuring some of the biggest names in the NFL, who oh, by the way, happen to be union members, publicly supporting unions and encouraging people to organize?

3. Since it hasn't happened up to this point, wouldn't it be nice to have a union friendly President come out publicly in support of unions, and the right to organize freely under the Employee Free Choice Act? Does anyone remember Candidate Obama saying he'd be right out there on the picket line with workers? If anyone has a picture of Obama in Wisconsin, or at the Ohio Statehouse, or on the picket line with Verizon workers, please send it to me - I think I missed something.

In Solidarity,

Joseph

p.s. - if you are interested in joining a union, please post a comment and I'll direct you to a union in your industry.

Missing Person Report: Candidate Obama

“It’s not enough just to help those at the top. Prosperity is not just going to trickle down. We’ve got to help the middle class.”

“The fundamentals of the economy have to be measured by whether or not the middle class is getting a fair shake.”

“The problem with a spending freeze is you’re using a hatchet where you need a scalpel.”

“You know about the families all across this country who are out of work, or uninsured, or struggling to pay rising costs for everything from a tank of gas to a bag of groceries. And that’s why you know that we need change in this country.”

Is anyone else wondering where this guy disappeared to?  Perhaps we could pitch in for a reward of some type?

If having a Treasury Department loaded with Goldman Sachs weren't enough for the progressive wing of the Democratic Party to revolt, then this should:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/21/obama-picks-jeffrey-immel-ge-jobs-overseas_n_812502.html

My good friend Chris Townsend, National Political Director for the United Electrical Workers, informed me that Jefferey Immelt, the CEO at GE, has overseen the closing or outsourcing of nearly 30 plants in the United States in recent years.  

So apparently, the supposedly labor-friendly candidate Obama who was the darling of big labor, has morphed into President Obama who thinks that the guy who thinks shutting down plants and shipping them overseas is the best guy to put in charge of job creation.  

I don't even know where to start on this one...

At least there is one politician with enough testicular fortitude to call the White House out on this steaming pile of you-know-what:

Bernie Sanders.  I am all for cloning if we can get a few more of his kind into Congress.

In Solidarity,

Joseph

Why The Federal Pay Freeze Is Clintonian Triangulation, And Why Having a Union Contract Matters

This past week, the White House announced a proposal to freeze all federal employees for two years, with the exception of active duty military personnel.  This seems eerily similar to President Clinton's behavior after the massive losses in 1994.  Obama, like Clinton, is making a foolhardy attempt to prove that his "Presidency still has relevance," and is proposing this pay freeze in order to beat the GOP to their own position.  This makes me wonder if Dick Morris is hiding out somewhere at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

My problem with this proposed freeze is that there is a better solution if President Obama wanted to institute a freeze while sparing the middle-class federal workers - Institute the pay freeze, with an exemption for employees making under $50k.  Since federal pay increases are based upon percentage of salary(I received .30 an hour last year), the real money savings are on the overpaid management salaries.  For instance, cutting the President's salary from $400k to $200k for one year would save more money than freezing 320 employees with my salary.  Cutting the salary of one member of the House of Representatives from $177k to $100k for one year is the equivalent of freezing over 160 federal employees with my salary.  There are 435 members of the House of Representatives.  Drop their salaries for a year to $100k(still overpaid), and you have the equivalent of  freezing the salaries of nearly 54k federal employees making under $50k.

So what good is a union contract if they are going to freeze federal pay?  Our union contract guarantees our longevity and performance-based pay increases.  This safeguards us from instances like this when we become a political football.  Without our union contract, we would almost certainly have all pay increases frozen.  Before we kick and scream at our union leaders for a federal freeze that they are already fighting against, we should thank the members of the bargaining committee from the last contract negotiations.

In Solidarity,

Joseph