please post any proof you have to support your wild fantasies ! On Dec 17, 6:24 am, mark <[email protected]> wrote: > nope it is the other way around. the unions are trying to hang on for > dear life, while the economy falls all around them. the dems and > their brothers in the unions have created this worldwide financial > crisis. > > On Dec 17, 5:30 am, Florida Cracker 532 <[email protected]> > wrote: > > > > > Is GOP Risking the Economy to Win the PR War Against > > Unions?http://www.truthout.org/121608LA > > Even as the auto industry teeters on collapse, union-bashing > > continues as the mainstay of a GOP propaganda war against organized > > labor. With three million jobs at stake, potentially costing > > taxpayers > > $150 billion in unemployment insurance, Medicaid, other aid and lost > > tax revenues, unions remain the primary targets of the GOP blame game > > for the troubled auto industry and the failed bailout deal. The Bush > > Administration, while dithering over the scope of any bailout with > > federal funds, has faced mounting pressure from Republicans to impose > > the same sort of union-wrecking conditions that scuttled a deal in > > the > > Senate last week. > > > The hostile response to a bailout, even though some form of > > rescue > > package is still likely this week, is doubtless fueled by recent > > polls > > confirming that a majority of the public is opposed to an auto > > industry bailout and doesn't believe that its collapse would > > significantly hurt the economy. > > > So far, it's right-wing demagoguery 1, progressives zero in the > > battle over the bailout. Public support was further harmed, of > > course, > > by the plutocratic PR blunders of the auto industry executives' > > initial jet-setting appeal to Congress. In fact, the latest > > Washington > > Post-ABC News poll reveals, the conservative propaganda campaign > > against an auto bailout has even hoodwinked some union members: > > "Union > > households are no more apt than those without a union member to favor > > the plan, 44 percent compared with 42 percent. However, the union > > householders who support the plan are more likely to be strongly > > behind the bailout, " the Washington Post reports. > > > All this should serve as a wake-up call for all unions, the > > broader progressive movement and allied media outlets: Will they be > > able to launch a truly effective counterattack against the propaganda > > blitz, ads and misinformation spread by conservatives, corporate- > > funded front groups and the mainstream media? Meanwhile, right- > > wingers > > are using the bailout mess to lay the groundwork to defeat the > > Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) needed to secure organizing rights > > and > > allow the American middle class to grow. > > > As Harley Shaiken and David Madland of the Center for American > > Progress observe, "Labor's decline squeezes the middle class, raises > > inequality, and undermines democratic values." > > > And that's apparently just fine with most Republicans and > > business > > leaders, who are gearing up for a large-scale, $120 million lobbying > > and PR war against union organizing. The centerpiece of their attack > > is the false claim that the bill would take away the secret ballot > > for > > workers, when it just offers them another option as well: majority > > sign-up through a "card check" procedure. > > > Indeed, the attacks against the UAW are not only a "dress > > rehearsal" for the fight against EFCA's organizing rights, as > > economist Mark Brenner of Labor Notes calls it, but part of a > > broader, > > longstanding pattern of weakened unions, three decades of stagnant > > real wages and corporate "wage theft" of owed money to workers that > > costs Americans billions each year. > > > As Kim Bobo, the executive director of Interfaith Worker Justice > > and author of Wage Theft in America, denounced the Republican attacks > > on the Web radio show I co-host: "It's despicable that they would use > > what's indeed a crisis in the industry to bash unions. Unions are > > both > > one of the best ways to get a middle-class job and one of the best > > vehicles for stopping and deterring wage theft," which robs millions > > of workers of owed salaries and overtime. "We need more unions in the > > society, not fewer," she declared. > > > She also pointed out at a recent event unveiling a new Center for > > American Progress report about failed Labor Department enforcement > > that there's an overlooked value to cracking down on corporations > > that > > allegedly break the law (including Federal Express): beefed-up > > enforcement and stiff corporate penalties could also help jump-start > > the economy by putting between $40 and $50 billion in stolen wages > > back in workers' pockets. > > > But the right-wing ideologues in the GOP who helped bring us the > > deregulation-fueled financial meltdown also worked to create a union- > > busting low-wage society where real wages have remained flat for > > decades, so too many low-wage workers were lured by predatory > > subprime > > loans. In December of last year, the AFL-CIO's Associate General > > Counel Damon Silvers presciently warned Congress: > > > The lack of effective regulation of mortgage markets has allowed > > these > > markets to be flooded with products that are misleading and > > exploitative, products marketed to tens of millions of Americans who > > work at low wage jobs or who have inadequate retirement income, so > > they are desperate for a financial short cut to either home ownership > > or adequate income. > > That, in turn, led to phony investment vehicles built on these > > risky loans and a $7 trillion credit meltdown that helped bring low > > the auto industry. In other words, these anti-union, free-market > > zealots get us coming and going, and are still seeking to demonize > > unions, no matter how much such attacks pave the way for a weaker > > economy. > > > The Southern Republicans, such as Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), > > whose > > states have spent over $3 billion in incentives to lure non-union > > foreign firms, and their allies, are still peddling false claims > > designed to undermine the American auto industry and advance their > > anti-union agenda. These range from the mythical $70-an-hour > > autoworker pay to blaming the UAW as the primary culprit during the > > failed negotiations. > > > In fact, the UAW and Sen. Corker apparently worked out a > > tentative > > agreement that committed the UAW to achieving "competitive" labor > > costs when the contract expires in 2011 (not counting billions the > > union already gave up in concessions during the recent negotiations > > and in 2007 ) - but the GOP Republican caucus torpedoed the deal. > > > So, as Ron Gettelfinger of the UAW pointed out in a news > > conference last week: > > > "It's just easy to take the union and blame us for everything. And as > > you can see, some of those in the Senate who were quick to scuttle > > this plan want to say that it's the fault of the UAW. All they want > > to > > do is say, wait a minute, workers shouldn't have a voice in their > > workplace.... It's very clear that there are those who would do away > > with [unions] tonight." > > The Republicans aimed, essentially, to set a union-busting > > precedent by having the government rip up an existing union contract > > and, apparently for the first time in American history, have the > > government mandate the specifics of a labor contract between a > > company > > and a union. > > > All this scheming went forward even though non-union Japanese > > automakers already pay their workers about the same as UAW members. > > New autoworkers get paid as little as $14 an hour, and even with > > pension and benefits calculated along with wages for today's workers, > > the difference between UAW and non-union workers is as little as $10 > > an hour. > > > UAW President Ron Gettelefinger proclaimed after the negotiations > > failed that he was concerned that he was being "set up" by > > Republicans > > because other stakeholders weren't asked to make sacrifices, and, he > > noted, " They thought perhaps they could have a twofer here maybe: > > Pierce the heart of organized labor while representing the foreign > > brands." > > > Indeed, labor costs account for only 10 percent of car > > manufacturers' expenses - compared to salaries that make up over 60 > > percent of costs for leading Wall Street firms. They were given a no- > > strings-attached $700 billion giveaway of unmonitored bailout funds > > and federal guarantees. > > > Robert Kuttner of The American Prospect calls it aptly "the > > ultimate double standard" : for instance, look at the $45 billion > > forked over to Citigroup, coupled with $306 billion in guarantees, > > compared with the Congressional flaying of the UAW and the auto > > industry asking for a short-term "bridge" loan. > > > It's small wonder that Detroit Free Press columnist Mitch Albom > > denounced Republican Senators in harsh, emotional terms: > > > Do you want to watch us drown? Is that it? Do want to see the last > > gurgle of economic air spit from our lips? If so, senators, know > > this: > > You'll go down with us. America isn't America without an auto > > industry. You can argue whether $14 billion would have saved it, but > > you surely tried to kill it. > > > We have grease on our hands. > > > You have blood. > > > Kill the car, kill the country. History will show that when America > > was on its knees, a handful of lawmakers tried to cut off its feet. > > And blame the workers. How suddenly did the workers - a small > > percentage of a car's cost - become justification for crushing an > > industry?... > > > And when did Detroit become the symbol of economic dysfunction? Are > > you kidding? Have you looked in the mirror lately, Washington? > > > In a world where banks hemorrhaged trillions in a high-priced gamble > > called credit derivative swaps that YOU failed to regulate, how on > > earth do WE need to be punished? In a bailout era where you shoveled > > billions, with no demands, to banks and financial firms, why do WE > > ... > > read more »- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum
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