A great column by Paul Krugman on middle class and labor rights:
Op-Ed Columnist
State of the Unions
By PAUL KRUGMAN
http://www.nytimes.com/...
Published: December 24, 2007
Once upon a time, back when America had a strong middle class, it also had a strong union movement.
These two facts were connected. Unions negotiated good wages and benefits for their workers, gains that often ended up being matched even by nonunion employers. They also provided an important counterbalance to the political influence of corporations and the economic elite.
Today, however, the American union movement is a shadow of its former self, except among government workers. In 1973, almost a quarter of private-sector employees were union members, but last year the figure was down to a mere 7.4 percent.
My letter to the ed follows, calling for compromise on labor law reform. The Employee Free Choice Act adds penalties for violations of labor laws but is stalled due to changes on "card check."
Sign petition: http://www.agilepeople.org/
RE: State of the Unions
Dear Editor,
I couldn't agree more with Paul Krugman's column, State of the Unions. As a college educated high tech employee, I was confronted with the dilemma of aiding and abetting the off-shoring of high tech manufacturing jobs or resigning. Forming a union seemed impossible, but just to explore the possibility, I asked my boss if he would let me use our electronic newsletter to see if fellow employees would like to meet to discuss the option.
Although my company allowed the use of our electronic newsletter to organize soccer teams, bicycle clubs, and other non-work related groups, an employee organization to discuss work conditions, wages and benefits, and the pros and cons of unionizing, was deemed unacceptable by management.
After almost two years of harrassment and my completion of a multi-million dollar project, I resigned. A month later the National Labor Relations Board settled a discrimination suit with the company which stated that an employee association could use their electronic newsletter to organize. But by then the jobs were gone, and management had shown that it was willing to attack any dissenting employees.
Today, I run a couple of retail businesses that are trying to rebuild our community and create jobs. Granted they aren't the highly skilled manufacturing jobs supporting the Department of Defense and Homeland Security that our nation has lost to the third world, but they are jobs nonetheless.
I also run a group that advocates for middle class employees and small business and is attempting to find compromise in the Senate to pass labor law reform. As a small business, I compete against out-of-state big box stores that keep their labor costs artifically low by abusing the lack of penalties for violations. My group, www.agilepeople.org, proposes compromise on the EFCA to get enforcement to protect employees, small business, and law respecting big businesses against scofflaw corporations.
While Democrats are unwilling to pass penalties without the union requested changes to "card check" procedures, I believe incremental labor reform is needed prior to the 2008 elections to find out where our candidates stand in supporting the rule of law and basic human rights of employees to join together for mutual aid.
Best regards,
JR
www.agilepeople.org
PS: The disclaimer below is at the request of the company to prevent any confusion. Oddly the same consultant who advises my company on labor issues, advised them on this trademark issue.
Disclaimer: Agilepeople is not sponsored or endorsed by Agilent Technologies, Inc.