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New House ‘Workforce’ Committee Highlights Anti-Union Goals
Last week, we highlighted a move by House Republicans who are so incensed at the word “labor”—because some folks might complete the phrase with the word “union”—that they ripped out the word “labor” from the name of the House Education and Labor Committee.
While the re-naming game comes off as childish and petty, a look at what the newly named House Education and Workforce Committee has at the top of its agenda is a serious assault on workers and their unions.
The committee’s revamped website includes a screed against workers, unions and labor laws decked out in rhetoric about defending workplace democracy.
Their idea of defending workplace democracy involves repealing a rule that enables airline and rail workers to choose to join a union by majority votes. The National Mediation Board (NMB) rule passed last year.
At a time when millions of jobless workers need retraining to get employed, these House Republicans are targeting rules on Trade Adjustment Assistance for workers who lose their jobs to unfair foreign trade.
They are singling out laws that protect wages of construction workers and are even upset that President Obama talks with labor leaders. Of course, they conveniently forget the president also meets with corporate leaders. These Republicans prefer to hear just one side of an issue and frankly don’t give a hoot about opposing views.
Hey, look. This isn’t our first rodeo and these outrageous accusations and sensationalist charges were not unexpected, nor is the hypocrisy. Who really expected House Republicans to mount a zealous campaign against corporate corruption, excessive CEO pay and perks, or denounce the lack of shareholders’ rights and lack of fair and free boardroom elections?
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30 Comments
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I think Obama supports Big business. He bailed many of them out of bankruptcy. I belong to a union. I am for private unions and against public unions. We taxpayers cannot afford public unions with their high salaries and big benefits. Time is running out for public unions. Its just a matter of time before many of them will lose their jobs because the states and cities cannot afford it.
Quite the contrary, we need public unions. We already know the government workforce is paid less by some $22,000 for a college graduate. The government needs talent to police the would be crooks on Wall Street and elsewhere in the country. It was deregulation that led to the economic disaster we are now facing. It was lax enforcement that led to the deep Water verizon tragedy. We need people in government who think that corporations should follow the law, that they should not be allowed to lie, steal and cheat the american consumer. FAIR is FAIR and if all workers were paid FAIR wages, then the taxes would follow to support programs:education, defense, fire, safety etc. The repugs gained power promising smaller, more efficient government and CHEAPER oprations and no tax increases. They never produced a better, more efficient govt and they squandered money with inefficiencies and privatizing govt services. WE can afford to support our national interests and our society, but the burden has to be shared and the corporate liars, cheats and thieves need to be in jail along with the HAMMER.
I never could understand unions fighting each other. I don’t want a reply about it, it is just stupid. We need public unions because they are unions and they help keep our wages and bennies livable. SOLIDARITY! Ever heard of it.
Sweartogod, you are either a kool-aid drinker or a corporatist agent: I tend to believe the latter.
By focusing on public unions, the media whores are able to keep people from focusing on the criminals on wall street. They are able to continue their assault on the middle class and even enlist some of the more stupid members of the middle class in their own demise.
@sweartogod
I agree Obama supports big business. He also supports Wall St. and the banks. He has to because many of his large donors are from that sector. He supports labor as he needs to as he needs the votes but the problem is that what labor supported him on he has just about turned his back on us. Single payer healthcare and E.F.C.A. never seen the day of light and he does little things just to make it look good.
As for your stance against public sector unions you are absolutley wrong. Do you think it is the workers that are the problems for these cities and towns. It easier for the pols to blame them than to really start looking around and pointing the fingers at themselves and the corporations that funnel them big campaign donations. Do you follow what is happening where you live. If your like alot of people who don’t but listen to the radio and read the one sided newspaper stories and believe the spin then you need to pull your heead out of the sand. We all need to stick together or we will be beating each other and the corporate side will be victorious without any bruises.
I recommend rewatching Michael Moore’s documentary – “Capitalism: A Love Story” – it is clear the wealthy do not want to share – and as they have most of the power, as a result of their wealth, (buying off members of Congress, ) the playing field is not level, to put it mildly, -
nothing in our Constitution refers to capitalism, – check out the interview with the Wall Street Journal ‘writer’ – he’s not particularly interested in democracy – no fooling! – but he sure does like the unfettered hoarding of wealth by the rich – advice is basically “pull yourself up by your own bootstraps” – as Micheal points out – that isn’t really permitted – but it’s good to have the masses think that it is – the masses are simply in the way of these folks – the minimum wage worker is all they want – and sooner or later, that is the only job that will be left, if these goons have their way!
I have watched a couple Michael Moore movies including Capitalism, A love Story. Our union at work even had a special meeting which paid several workers to miss work and one of the things they did was watch Capitalism, A love story. I personally find this sick, because Michael Moore is so one sided with, Sicko I believe having so many fallacies and problems with it. I watched Capitalism and found many things sad, but I can garuntee you if I had the time and Resources of Michael Moore I could make a smear video showing abuses and corruption in just about anything. The worst part of that movie was the topic of derivatives. He basic premise was that many people don’t understand how derivatives work and so they should be all banned. They when used correctly are simply hedges, I agree there shoud be some reforms but not made by people who don’t understand them either. Many of the insurances we rely on are essentially derivatives, like life insurance, home insurance. Airlines use them to keep the fuel costs regulated.
By his logic pensions should be outlawed to because if I asked you to explain how they function, I know many don’t. We don’t need propaganda, we need an honest discussion to come to the similiar goals that the majority of Americans have.
Jay Gould was right . . . . you can hire half the working class to kill the other half.
Sweartogod wants to deny a section of the working class (that he does not belong to) the right to organize and belong to unions and to have some say in their terms and conditions of employment. And people wonder why the labor movement is in dire straights. No solidarity, just me, me, me all of the time. If you are envious of public sector wages and benefits, negotiate better ones for yourself if public employees don’t need a union to get paid fairly, neither do you.
What happened to “an injury is one is an injury to all”?
I find comments like sweartogod’s truly depressing – some of y’all just can’t understand until it happens to you.
Keep pointing these outrageous developments out to us. I don’t think the American people are buying the poison they’re selling!
–Gene Lantz in Dallas
hey sweartogod, be careful what you wish for. It’s not, you could be next, it’s more like, when will you be next?
They only one who will get me is big government. They have the power to take everything except one thing. And that is my immortal soul that will live forever while big government will be gone at the end of the world.
Brothers and sisters – sweartogod is just one of those intelligent young kids who reads and therefore, in his 20s, already thinks he knows everything. Debating with him is a waste – only life at this point can teach him.
It is important, however, to address some of the lies and fallacies he promotes in an educational manner, as well as his elitist attitudes which are anathema to labor solidarity. Saying only private unions is the same as saying no unions at all. Now, I will contradict my own suggestion and offer sweartogod some advice.
Sweartogod – if you are only concerned about big government – why not consider a move? I would suggest Iceland, Lichtenstein, Palau, or maybe Martinique. You will find the government much smaller in those places. Also – consider those countries with almost no government, like Haiti, Somalia, or Antartica. As far as your ‘immortal soul’ – good luck.
I agree with obama being a big business slave (indentured servant, he sold himself into servitude following in the foot steps of bill clinton the price of his freedom is the carnage of the working class just look at bill he lives the life of royalty now.). If you think people working for our government, I mean the banksters government are payed to much then you need to do some research, find out what over paying a person means. if you believe berry Goldwater “any one that works for a living is only worth a dollar a day”. can you live on a dollar a day? there are some abuses but for the most part they are not over paid. If you want to be upset then be upset at the ones that are running our government and our economy into into a 4th world status, the owners of the Federal Reserve board, the wall street owners, the foreign bank owners and their corporate partners both foreign and domestic. these are some of the things to do to make a real differance in the lives of our children and all future generations. Get active and push a drive to get Ron Paul’s end the FED bill passed. that will end the privet banksters extortion racket that keeps our society in servitude to them. start a national bank and state banks and use community credit unions. Move to amend to end corporate person hood. I would say that included in that also needs the regulations that the Founding Fathers imposed on the feudalistic corporate business model. Then we could take back our government. End the conservative corporate nanny state. End NAFTA and GATT . Impose tariffs on imported products and we would get our jobs back. but what kind of jobs? I think they would be better than the fast food jobs available now. Take the time to, a few minutes, ten or more times a day to pray for the end of all exploitation.
I am not a union worker, never have been, but I believe that WORKERS are the backbone of the nation and the source for rebuilding the middle class which makes our country so unique. I am tired of the Reagan minions condemning unions and workers and look forward to working with you to stop the bleeding of american jobs overseas. The republicans serve their corporate masters and protect the Cowards behind the corporate shields that are robbing our nation of its resources and moral authority.
If this is a repeat, I apologize. Am new to the site. But, I really believe that american workers need to unite against the corporate giants and their minions in the republican party to rebuild the american middle class. Ronald Reagan started the demonization of workers when he actively participated in union busting. And he had no shame demonizing the “enemy”: the poor, the unions, the government. Now our country is suffering from his FALSE promises in advancing TRICKLE DOWN ECONOMICS. Eugene McCarthy said it best ” republicans feed the sparrows by feeding the horses.”. I don’t know about you, but I really am tired picking through corporate fesces to get a piece of the american dream. Mr. Trumka, help save our fragile democracy from the corporate oligarchs, who want to keep our nation divided and angry. I am exhausted from being angry. How about you???
@sweartogod
You have accepted the information fed to us by the corporate owned media that Public Union workers make a lot of money and get benefits that cost too much as true. The fact is that they do not. The vast majority of Public Union workers are paid according to their skill and education. They have a contract with the Federal Gov. or the State Gov. They kept their bargain(contract) but the Government did not. The government was to pay a contracted amount into the workers pension fund. But while continuing to give the corporations tax abatements and subsidies as they sent American jobs overseas, the government was not paying into the pension fund. They have not done so for 13 of the last 17 years. They have yet to offer an explanation nor were they ever asked by the media where that money went? The corporation already took care of the Private Unions Pension funds by selling them the idea of the 401k which the corporation has the responsibility of contributing through stock without having to diminish their cash flow and can now free up monies to pay their executives the exorbitant salaries. We all know what happened to most of the stock purchased when the great recession hit. Wall street doubled their profits while the pensioner lost over half the amount of their pensions and the corporate executives got huge bonuses for continued layoffs and downsizing.
http://ourunionvoices.com/2011/01/11/in-honor-of-rev-dr-martin-luther-king-jr/
I think there are infiltrators on this blog – they are propagandizing -
derivatives are fine, yeah?
please explain to us all how they work – and the name of your employer would be nice, too.
I didn’t say derivatives are fine, there are reforms that can and should be made. To say that all should be banned, coming from people who don’t understand what there are and what functions the are used for is not right. I’m not saying I know everything about them either which is why I can’t say I know what should be done exactly either. His premise is flawwed that is all I’m saying.
I work in a plastic factory in Wisconsin in a union shop as an apprentice millwright. My biggest problem with your previous statement is that it seems to come from a position of a victim. As if we have no control. As if we must beg for someone or something to save us. I am young at 25 and see so many opportunities in the world and yes things might go wrong in more ways than in the past but I also don’t see any reason not to use the plethra of resources available to us in America like no time in history.
You bought it didn’t you. The enthusiasum of youth. Military enlisment officiers, corporate management and used car salesmen love your optimism. Considerably older and probably more experienced, I think time may bring a more realistic view of life. We have to save ourselves, but as a worker I’ve learned I can’t do it alone. In a little over 40 years, facing retirement, if all your dreams haven’t come true you may wish for social security and universal health care. If the politicians don’t whittle it away, help could be available if you need it. I do not consider myself as a victim, but a battle scarred warrior for the working class. I hope you find your way without the self-centered, selfish, solely profit motivated approach to life found in the management and ownership of so many businesses and corporations. It’s OK to help yourself by helping your fellow workers and the less fortunate. Together we can make a more just and equitable society – and enjoy the benefits ourselves. Solidarity!
I see that if I myself need help, how can I possibly help anyone else. It sounds as if you are a little older than me. As with many of the people I work with. The biggest problem I see is that your generation was promised pensions, social security, and medicare. My generation grew up for the most part without pensions ( I have one but would much rather have the profit sharing plan the company offers but our contract excludes me from). Social Security and medicare are still promised but most in my generation see the current math doesn’t work. We grew up with the advent of IRAs, ROTH IRAs, and 401ks. We grew up for the most part knowing we knew we had to do it ourselves. I feel for the older generation because you guys were decieved, you were told one thing and reality changed. I just want to fight for a secure future for all. That will take personal responsibility and effort from all. We will hold our futures in our own hands, not dependent on anyone else following through on their promises.
What the Republicans do when given the opportunity shows who they represent, and it is only the rich, particularly those among the rich who most ferociously seek to destroy unions and turn all of us who work for a living into modern slaves who create massive wealth for the ‘elite’ while being unable to adequately feed and care for our families or secure education for our children. Unfortunately, we have no representation in this government, and are left with trying to find less evil among some Republicans than others. There are two types of Republicans representing Big Business in government – Republican Party Republicans and Democratic Party Republicans. The Democratic Party Republicans love to be in the minority, so they can seek the anti-Labor compromises which are their hallmark, while at the same time blaming the Republicans for ‘forcing’ them to compromise against us. Even when they were in the majority in Congress, they pretended to be the hostages of the minority. The Blue Dogs stepped in to the gap to hold the right wing seats until they were returned to the Republican Republicans in the last election. What a sham! It could not continue if we would only break free and use what little democratic rights we have left to form out own Labor Party. Our inability to hop off of this merrygoround of impoverishment makes the rest of the world scratch their heads at our apparent inability to understand reality.
ok – my son is an accountant, and has done forensics – this “derivatives” thread is an example – what exactly is a derivative? it is a made-up phenomenon –
it is a game – I recently read that 60% of the entire NY Stock Market is OWNED by a handful of people – not exactly an even playing field, is it –
and these “billionaires got “bailed out” – and now get billions of dollars in bonuses off the backs of the American taxpayer? really?
please connect the dots!
throw a few million my way, and I’ll be happy to “share the pain” – otherwise, no pay cuts for the poor, the workers, the elderly, the disabiled –
no – not one penny!
Yes like life insurance, is the easiest way to describe them without getting too complicated. Derivatives have been around for a long long time. Recently they have become more complex to match the system in the world. Like I said there are abuses but all should not be banned and someone how actually understands them should draft legislation if any comes out.
Are you speaking of NYSE that went public a couple years ago with a board owning around 70% at that time or the companies on that specific exchange? You do realize that the original bailout of $700 billion will end up costing less than $25 billion if anything?
I’d love that article so I can become educated.
One problem I see is people’s misunderstanding of money. Some think that there is a certain amount of money in the world and that is it. Many things would be different if this were true but it is not. The dollar amounts have become so absurd that people don’t understand what a million or a billion or a trillion is for that instance. Lastly I hear so often that the “rich” have so much. I’m not saying they don’t but with as much as they have I sure do have a lot too. My parents have international students from South Korea and it is quite interesting to see from their view how small my town is. They are so cramped. I own land and can go in my backyard and throw a ball, or have a fire or run with the dog. These are things that we take for granted. We spend so much on cars and trucks and many of them don’t need to because they are so built up. We have so many things that I can’t help to feel but rich, see how much we have just over the last 50 years. There is a price to pay for the luxury we have, I don’t mind paying it.
So when those students from South Korea go back home, and then end up with your job, because the plastic factory moved there or China or any other Asian Tiger for cheaper labor just to satisfy the stockholders, i.e. your 401k. What are you going to do? My guess is blame the union. Then again you are very blessed with all your stuff, and you won’t need help from anyone else I assume. You’ll pull yourself up from your boot straps, on your heavily taxed early withdraw of your 401k and unemployment benefits, until the House Education and “WORKFORCE” Committee say we aren’t paying for welfare anymore.
Wow lots of ignorance and false asumptions there.
First off the thing that people don’t seem to understand is that many of these countries have vibrant or developing middle classes. These are huge opportunities for US manufacturers to export there. The South Koreans are not a bunch of poor unskilled workers that you seem to think. I believe if people actually understood this they might understand some of positions the US takes in the global economy. This is why free trade is important. We can’t survive by feeding off ourselves we need these markets to fuel our growth. My plant would have a hard time moving overseas because the shipping back here would not be a profitable endeavor. Many of the companies that start operations overseas do so to supply demand there, but with our tax laws make it fanacially irresponsible to bring the money back to the US.
As far as the South Korean culture goes, they are succeeding becuase of what they focus on. Kids don’t start working mostly until after schooling years are done. Kids go to school and get tutored at night as well. Is there any wonder why these countries are pulling so far ahead of us? They then join the military for 2 years as a matter of honor. The students I know would not take my job because they are into things much more advanced than operating a machine, pushing buttons, and doing repairs. They are creating.
As far as my 401k, do you realize that 40% of the revenue earned by the companies in the S&P 500 comes from overseas operations? These companies are very important to the retirement of millions of people. I personally would be unhappy if my plant was outsourced. Most likely it would be outsourced to another state in the US as that is where the majority of “outsourced” production plants go. I however live to what I talk about. I have no debt behind mortgages, so my expenses are low. I can live off of my emergency fund and unemployment would cover my expenses and leave money for savings. I have lived frugally but still enjoy pleasures in my family life. By doing that during the good years and making prudent investments I feel secure in my future. I’ve worked at McDonalds before for 5 years and if I could find nothing else I would gladly work there again as I worked to find something better as I work toward a time when my investments will sustain me as well as grow for the future.
The union wouldn’t get blamed by me unless there was a take this job offer or leave it a nd the union chose to leave it , then I might be mad. My goal is to help people be financially secure so they can too enjoy life and not feel victimized by the government , corporations, other countries, or even unions for that matter.
I would like to know one country in the modern world where we have FREE trade? The U.S. is the only one, we offer it one way and don’t ask for it back. That does not help. Have you ever heard of the trade gap? We are on the negative side with every single country. As for them not moving your job to China or S.K. you must be very short sighted if you think they can’t make it cheaper and send it over here on a boat, its called subsidizing, they can and they will. I agree, S.K. is not third world, but they are know where near our level of wage, benefit, or enviro standards, so once again it is still cheaper and they will continue to move work there with more one sided FREE trade.
Can you name one company that sent jobs to south korea that sent products back here. I’m sure you can but they are not our enemies and are much more advanced than you realize. China is a different story about 15 years back but we need these countries as trading partners.
Please tell me how much research you have done to validate your beliefs. Use government statistics and other more unbiased sights. If the extent of your study is shopping experience and qhat the union tells you, you really don’t understand what is going on.
as far as my company moving overseas. Nope, subsidies would have to be too massive and still wouldn’t help. After I left school and decided on my lifepath, I studied business as well as in school. Some of this study lead me to mold my views but also see the misconceptions that many people have and how misunderstood business is especially because with the advent of the global economy.
I have a hard time convincing my Republican friends that no sane labor union wants to bankrupt the company or industry they work for. Far too offen companys come to their unions and tell them they have to take pay and benefit cuts in order to keep the company competative. OK, let’s look at your books and see what we ALL can do. “Oh no we can’t let you do that. Trust us”. OK we will take a pay cut. How much of a cut is management going to take. And not just a reduction of their bonus’. I can go on and on, but I think you get the message. When they say an across the board pay cut, they mean an across the board union pay cut. Remember, organized labor created the middle class, and as union membership decreases the middle class is decreasing along with it.
You are right companies should share in the cuts with all levels. Companies should work with unions and open their books more to get the trust desired. In order for this to happen someone in the union needs to have a great understanding of business function and accounting or else it is simply a waste of time to show them. If I show you a path to riches but it is in Chinese, will it help you? The other problem I see and hear about is mostly in local government. I hear of cuts in wages to non-union employees because the unions have a contract. I understand this but also would like to see a way that those other workers don’t have to suffer doublely because the union members won’t.
You are absolutely right, sane unions don’t want and have no benefit from bankrupting a company. There needs to be a better dialogue between the company and unions. There is so often a toxic atmosphere between the 2 it is hard to accomplish common goals in that environment. Costs need to be addressed constantly not put off until a contract is up. It seems people are greedy during a good time and are getting screwed during the bad times. We gotta stop the extremes
Its time for our International Union Leaders to change the way Unions do business. Lets start with politics, no more money to poor at best Union supporters. If a candidate regardless of party affiliation requests our support during their campaigns he/she can join our brothers and sisters in a Union PR campaign of televison/newspaper/radio advertisements exposing the falsehoods labeled by self-serving politicans/groups on Union Members. Next our Union International Leaders should recognize and elevate those states, corporates and companies who employ Union Members throughout the United States and identify those corporates/companies who paid millions to anti-union law firms to defeat the EFCA Act. Inform and educate the public as to who we really are, or the only the LIES will be known!