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Guess What, Heritage: Strong Economies Have Strong Unions |
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This week, the hard-right Heritage Foundation—a major funding source for corporate-friendly and anti-union research and spin—released its Index of Economic Freedom, an annual ranking of the economic climate of the world’s nations. Using Heritage’s numbers, it seems the organization should take a second look at its anti-union spin: The figures show that many of these countries have, by comparison to the United States, very high rates of union membership.
Matthew Yglesias, a fellow at the Center for American Progress Action Fund, compares the union density of the top 10 economically strong countries on the Heritage list:
- Hong Kong—22.1 percent
- Singapore—18.5 percent
- Australia—20.0 percent
- Ireland—35.0 percent
- New Zealand—21.1 percent
- United States—12.0 percent
- Canada—29.7 percent
- Denmark—80.0 percent
- Switzerland—25.0 percent
- United Kingdom—28.4 percent
What’s more, most of the countries Heritage considers to have a high degree of “economic freedom” have far more worker-friendly labor laws than we do in this nation. In Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Canada, Denmark, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, the process for forming a union and bargaining is controlled by workers, not by bosses. Indeed, of the top 20 countries on the Heritage list, 16 have labor laws similar to the Employee Free Choice Act, letting workers have the choice to form unions through majority sign-up. In giving corporations veto power over how workers form unions, the United States is a rare exception among industrialized democracies.
Heritage’s own numbers show the hollowness of their attacks on the Employee Free Choice Act. Strong economies around the world go hand-in-hand with the freedom to form unions and bargain for a better life. Indeed, one of the biggest impediments to U.S. economic performance is that prosperity isn’t broadly shared, and workers lack the purchasing power and economic security that allows them to reach the middle class and participate in creating economic growth. Without the power to bargain for better wages and benefits, Yglesias notes, U.S. workers have been trapped in an unsustainable cycle of debt.
In part because of the lobbying efforts of anti-worker groups like Heritage, corporations in the United States treat workers’ freedom to form unions as a threat, and block workers’ ability to exercise this basic human right. That’s not economic freedom—and it’s not helping our struggling economy.
So take a look at your own numbers, Heritage. Widespread union membership and worker-friendly labor laws can—and should—be part of a healthy economy.
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Prision Guards to Walkout.
One More Reason Why We Need The Employee Free Choice Act Now!
PEARSALL — News 4 WOAI has learned guards could go on strike at a detention center in South Texas Detention Complex. Negotiations over a pay raise have stalled and it could end up costing you money.
The South Texas Detention Complex in Pearsall is where illegal immigrants are held while waiting to be deported. But soon those detainees may have no one to guard them.
The union’s chief negotiator Howard Johannssen from the International Union, Security, Police and Fire Professionals of America (SPFPA says, “This employer refuses to give them a pay raise of any sort.”
The Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), sponsored by Senate and House Democrats, would level the playing field and restore workers’ freedom to form unions and collectively bargain by: 1) strengthening penalties for companies that coerce or intimidate employees; 2) establishing mediation and binding arbitration guidelines when employers and workers cannot agree on a first contract; and 3) enabling employees to form unions when a majority express their desire to do so by signing authorization cards.
That employer is GEO, a private company hired by the government to run the prison. After six months of negotiations GEO says the offer is now final and it doesn’t include a raise. The union says it hopes it doesn’t come down to a walkout, but if it does it’ll work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to set a strike date.
Johanssen says, “I want the inmates in a safe place. I want the people who protect them in a safe place, but we cannot go on as we’re going on now.”
If there is a strike, one possibility would be that all the detainees would have to be moved to other facilities across the state and that would be a huge expense to taxpayers.
A union representative estimates it’d be 10-15 million dollars to make the arrangements to move the detainees.
The union is scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday to discuss its options. If union members reject GEO’s offer, a strike is possible. GEO, based in Florida, says its policy is not to comment on negotiations.
ICE Statement:
News 4 WOAI received the following…
“Discussions are underway between the GEO Management staff at the South Texas Detention Complex (STDC) in Pearsall, Texas, and the union that represents its bargaining unit employees. GEO is under contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to operate and maintain STDC. The employees involved in these discussions are not employed by ICE or the Department of Homeland Security. ICE is not directly involved in these discussions. Any questions regarding specific issues under discussion should be directed to GEO or to its union.”
“ICE is committed to ensuring that all ICE detainees — at the STDC and throughout the country — are maintained in a safe, secure and humane environment. Whatever the result of the ongoing discussions at STDC, ICE is prepared to respond appropriately to ensure the continuation of safe and secure operations at the facility.”
“ICE encourages all the parties involved to continue their efforts to reach a fair and equitable agreement. However, it would be inappropriate for ICE to comment or speculate regarding hypothetical situations, especially while discussions and negotiations are underway.”
The International Union, Security, Police and Fire Professionals of America is the largest, oldest and fastest growing 9(b)(3) in the world today.
http://WWW.SPFPA.ORG
http://www.thenewsroom.com/details/3608869
For More Information on the EFCA please Visit
http://www.employeefreechoiceactnow.org
http://efcanow.blogspot.com/
the other thing i noticed about the Heritage Foundation’s Index of Economic Freedom is how harmful to the economy it is for a country to have universal health care….uhhhh wait!