Joint Council 7 TEAMSTER

May / June / July 2012
Newsletter Volume 57, Number 2

Working for our fair share of the pie

If you ever thought you could separate politics from your life as a worker and trade unionist, you’ll have to think again. The politics of our cities, counties, state, and our country play a vital part in what happens to us, every day, as workers.

This November, in addition to the presidential election and other important races, one of the biggest fights we’ll have is to combat the “Corporate Power Grab.” Republicans and corporations are attempting to lock workers out of the political arena. This proposition nips at the heels of the Supreme Court’s unfortunate ruling that allows corporations to donate unlimited amounts of money for their “bought and paid for” politicians and causes

What's going on in this country, anyway?

Let’s start with the good news. Growth in the last quarter of last year hit 3% on an annual basis. February, 2012 marked the third month in a row that job gains exceeded 200,000. This is great, but the news that we should be interested in is that the share of this growth for American workers is at a record low! The economy is producing more goods and services than was being produced prior to the collapse in 2007/2008, and it is now being done with six million less workers. This means that companies have been able to boost profits by slashing payrolls and by outsourcing work to foreign countries.

For those who are fortunate to be working, their share of the pie is now the smallest since 1947, when these statistics first started to be compiled. The profits are going into corporate coffers and into management’s pockets, while routinely, in every new contract negotiation, we are threatened with the unemployment rate and the lack of other jobs. What employers are saying is, “take what we give, if anything, or you won’t be working here.”

This is a false economy. Without a vibrant middle class spending money on consumer goods and putting money back into the economy, the economic growth can’t continue.

What needs to be done?

Well, higher taxes on the rich would be a good start. Governor Brown’s ballot proposition, known as the Millionaire’s Tax, will call upon the rich to pay more—their taxes are the lowest they’ve been in 50 years. We need to support this proposition! The money raised from these taxes could go to wage subsides for the lowest paid workers. It could also assist in job sharing. We also need more of this money to go to education at every level, so our children and many of our members can have a chance at jobs that will elevate their ability to earn a decent income.

We need to stand up and let the right-wing politicians know that their plan to destroy unions and thereby destroy workers’ rights is not going to work. We need to step up, make sure that we are registered to vote, and if your contract allows for DRIVE deductions, make some contributions to defeat our enemies.

Think about it this way—if you are working now, under a union contract, your wages, benefits, pensions and healthcare put you, in many cases, at a higher echelon of the workers’ pecking order. I believe as Union members we have an obligation to participate for our sisters and brothers who are out of work, and for all of the unrepresented workers who don't yet know the benefits of union representation.

We need to step up, get actively involved in the political system, and work to make sure that we don't allow corporate greed to take away our rights. We need to stop them from taking away our fair share of the pie!