Post Bulletin, April 7, 2011, Thursday

Post Bulletin

April 7, 2011, Thursday

Post Bulletin

Unions merely try to protect workers

Share Posted: Apr 07, 2011, 4:20 am

In his column of April 4, Olmsted Republican boss Bruce Kaskubar rhetorically clubs organized-labor members as "cons, fighting mobs, and union bosses."

Clearly, this "Us-vs-Those-People" argument is part of a larger GOP strategy to divide the labor movement into factions; i.e. Private Labor — Sort of Good vs. Public Employees — Very BAD!

Apart from our wondering what happened (in their minds) to the concerns of working women, Kaskubar's protestations that they aren't really "against the working man" the question: Does he really believe his party's revisionist spin on this; or merely think workers know as little of history as he?

There is much empirical fact to prove labor’s positions. See, for example, what the research of Kate Bronfenbrenner, director of labor education research at Cornell’s School of Industrial Relations, shows: Her '09 report “No Holds Barred: The Intensification of Employer Opposition to Organizing,” demonstrates the kinds of unfair practices workers everywhere are up against.

For example, 63 percent of employers have supervisors interrogate workers in mandatory one-on-one sessions; 57 percent of companies threaten workers with plant closings; 47 percent threaten to cut wages and benefits even when/if they win representation; a majority of workers still don’t have a first contract after a year; and the right to collective bargaining only guarantees a place at the negotiating table.

Considering such relentless assaults from conservative leaders, is it any wonder unions now represent fewer than 12 percent of American workers?