A.F.L.-C.I.O. Executive Council’s 1959 advice:
”
In terms of accepted collective bargaining procedures,
government workers have no right beyond the authority to petition
Congress
– a right available to every citizen.
”
It was published in the NY Times.
By Raul Lowery Contreras
A.F.L.-C.I.O. Executive Council’s 1959 advice: “In terms of accepted collective bargaining procedures, government workers have no right beyond the authority to petition Congress – a right available to every citizen.” It was published in the NY Times.
This was the official national labor view of public employee unions in 1959 which, coincidently, is the same year the State of Wisconsin granted public employees the right to form unions. Now, Wisconsin (15% of California’s population) has risen to the forefront of a massive struggle in many of our state capitols. The struggle is between state governments that are supposed to be run by elected officials and prosperous labor unions that actually run many of these governments.
As private sector union membership has fallen to less than 10 percent of the work force, down from 50 percent 50 years ago, public sector unions have grown explosively; cops, firefighters, court clerks, dog catchers, social workers, probation officers, prison guards and most importantly, teachers from kindergarten to graduate school, have unionized.
Can anyone say that government efficiency – absent computers — has improved greatly in the past 50 years? Is Department of Motor Vehicles service better today even with computers? Is the Post Office better today even with computers? Are children reading and adding/subtracting/multiplying better today than 50 years ago, even with computers?
In 1992, 95 percent of Bowling Green University geography students could not find the nation of Kuwait on an unmarked map even as American soldiers were there fighting its Iraqi invaders. Recently, 50 percent, of American public high school seniors could not find Canada or Mexico on an unmarked map of North America. Black and Hispanic children in Wisconsin’s largest city, Milwaukee, have the worst reading/math scores in America. Many Milwaukee teachers ditched school to jam the state capitol in Madison with protesters. So many teachers called in lies that several school systems had to close.
Wisconsin teachers annually earn – for nine and a half months of work with those behind-nationally-average reading and math scores children, $50,000 in pay and $38,000 in pension and retirement benefits. The state pays 98 percent of the pension contribution and 95 percent of health insurance benefits.
Union leaders are fighting for “Cadillac” wages, benefits and collective bargaining rights including state union dues withholding. These unions are the only bastion of political strength left in the country for Democrats outside the Black population.
Wisconsin Republicans ran veteran County Executive Scott Walker for governor in last November’s election. He stomped into office on a no deficit campaign and streamlined government. He specifically campaigned against public union “excesses.” Now he and his majority Republican house and senate, have embarked on trimming public union benefits to help balance the budget which is projected to be $3 billion in the red over the next two years. Otherwise, the state will have to fire 5,500 employees.
Reuters News reported: “The proposal includes limiting state employee wage increases to the rate of inflation unless approved in a voter referendum. Public employees — other than police, fire, and inspectors – would lose many bargaining rights and could opt out of paying union dues after current contracts expire, with dues no longer collected automatically.”
And: “State workers will have to increase contributions to their pensions to 5.8 percent of salary, and double contributions to health insurance premiums to 12.6 percent of salary. Wisconsin’s unfunded pension liability is $252.6 million, according to Moody’s Investors Service.”
It should be noted that Hispanics are not a major part of state, local and teachers unions in almost all states. Hispanics, as a rule, are victims of these unions in that it is their children who are not taught to read and write properly while teachers collectively bargain high wages and benefits paid for by hardworking and tax drained Hispanic workers along with their neighbors.
Enter President Obama. His campaign people have invaded Wisconsin to organize white union members and Democrats to demonstrate like Greeks did a few months ago protesting a two-year increase in government pension eligibility. Big Labor leader Richard Trumka enraged protesters Saturday with blistering anti-Walker and Republican rhetoric while 14 Democrat state senators fled to Illinois to avoid voting on the legislation. The Senate needs 20 senators for a quorum and Republicans have only 19.
The battle continues; emotions rise, conflict grows. There is only one result. To paraphrase President Obama: Republicans won, Democrats and unions lost. Public employee labor unions were set up by state not federal law, thus the state can limit what it has given. There is no constitutional right to organize a public union. Even Democrat President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was against public unions. Teachers who ditched school to demonstrate should be fired and their pay docked. Senators who fled the state should be recalled and fired immediately by constituents. Other states should also limit public unions. Why? We won!
Guest columnist Raul Lowery Contreras has nine books available at amazon.com.
