It will likely to come as no surprise that I’m in support of the protesters and labor unions in Wisconsin and across the U.S. right now. After all, the Labor Movement gave us the weekend, and that’s reason enough to celebrate and support as far as I’m concerned.
Moreover, though, it’s obvious by legislation coming up in several states across the country (all at roughly the same time, I might add) that there is a concerted effort to further disenfranchise, disown, disavow, and disrespect workers. Not coincidentally, the legislation is being introduced or supported or rammed through by newly elected Republican governors – governors who just happen to have been supported by large corporations and businesses and “special interests” (that are also funded by large corporations and businesses).
The more I think about it, the more I really can’t understand why an average person wouldn’t support the labor movement right now. Unions are one of the few ways that people can protect their own livelihood and their families. Unions are one of the few ways people can ensure that they get paid a fair wage that matches what it truly costs to live in this country (especially when gas is $3.50/gallon here in my area, while the rest of the economy is still far from recovered).
And, most important, unions are perhaps the only tool left for protecting workers from giant, multi-national corporations and conglomerates using and abusing workers.
The labor movement began at a time when one guy or a couple of people owned one big factory, and the conditions within that one place were terrible. Safety concerns weren’t on the radar, and if somebody fell over from too much work, there was someone else looking for a job to fill that slot on the line.
Those companies, though they could have grown to be considered “large” in their time, are nothing compared to even just one arm of one of the multinationals operating nowadays. And if you think those organizations wouldn’t lower wages/benefits/conditions/standards to pinch pennies and make the stock price look even prettier, then you may be dangerously out of touch with our present reality.
I’ve had jobs in the past that needed a union. Sitting in a cubicle writing about whatever the project was that particular day – No. Watching friends work 14-16-hour days for barely minimum wage, with health “benefits” that cost too much to even consider enrolling – Yes.
In essence, businesses will get away with virtually anything they can up until someone tells them to stop. There are a handful of labor laws built in to federal and state levels to protect workers, but far from the standards that unions and their members protect.
I realize that Republican leadership in Wisconsin is not discussing abolishing the weekend, or paying all their employees in Gouda, or anything silly like that. But what they are discussing is stripping people of their ability to sit down and come to a reasonable agreement about wages and benefits that is agreeable for both parties.
In the interest of honesty, I will say that I think there have been a number of instances in the past where unions have overstepped, or where employers have overpromised. Case in point – the U.S. government has had to prop up the automakers in this country a few too many times for my liking. But, those automakers also promised the world to those workers without much consideration for the future. (Their lack of ability to foresee the future shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who, like me, is still waiting for their damn flying car and jetpack.)
Back to my point – It is not that I unreasonably oppose employers (including local and state governments) having to say to their employees “we need to find a way to come to an agreement that helps us rein in some of our financial burdens, or we’re going to be in a bad spot here pretty soon”. What I do oppose is employers telling their employees “no, we don’t have to talk to you, and we’re not going to talk to you, and if you don’t like the seven clam shells we pay you per week, there’s always McDonald’s”.
Unions (and their members) are capable of making some pretty significant concessions in the here and now, so long as it ensures that their families will be cared for now and later. That’s the primary concern of virtually every union member everywhere. But they can’t demonstrate that if their employers aren’t even willing to sit down for a chat.
Good post. I think it’s telling that Walker is unwilling to drop the union busting parts of the bill even though the unions are willing to accept all the financial elements of the bill. Although getting paid in gouda? I could think of worse things than a cheese component in a compensation package…as long as it’s good cheese.