— Read on inthesetimes.com/working/entry/21970/trump-rules-union-membership-federal-workers-dues-rule-change
First lets lay out the fact that “real wages” were higher in 1973 than they are today,that almost all of the massive national wealth gains in that time period have gone to the .01-1%,who,and unlike the average American,do not send much of that gained extra wealth back into the local economy. Lets also consider that while the economy is good on paper, the federal minimum wage has remained at 7.25 since 2009,and while some states with higher cost of living have increased theirs,a handful of big boy companies have raised wage to 11, and others claim to be 15 an hour (but get around that by hiring most employees through services),there are still more low wage jobs,especially in states with highest poverty levels.
Low wage jobs are NOT only occupied by teenagers,and most low wage jobs offer no sick days,vacation,or benefits of any kind-(some offer no employee discounts either).
Though I will not at this time, I COULD easily name and discuss real local retail chains in my own region who hire ONLY those over 18, who choose to pay minimum salary for most of its employees ( except for their nastiest middle management),and instead of improving workplace conditions, they open more stores with equally pathetic work environments. While the big boys like Walmart are the most nefarious actors and main street destroyers, the greed model works anywhere it is permitted by law.
Next- the stock market. Its booming for sure- problem is,only 10% of shares are actually held by those who work for a paycheck and it is their defacto retirement plan.
Defined benefits/pensions are obviously better for the worker and their families than the market investment 401K. The jobs with the former were once the staple,many of our grandparents or even parents may sustain or did sustain themselves on such,but now they are the exception,and most of those with such a plan are union jobs-the very jobs under attack. I understand this pension can be problematic in the current economic model,that corruption and mismanagement make it worse,but lets be clear- it worked in previous generations and a few differences were higher marginal tax rates,enforced antitrust laws,and pre outsource global free for all ( or some). The first two were particularly effective middle class stabilizer and Corporate behavior checks.
Low unemployment- sure- but the commonly touted numbers do not account for Americans who work multiple jobs,those who have been out of the work ffor about 5 years or more,or those whose wage is so low they must rely on government supplement to make it.( So, the QUALITY of the employment). Its like feeding fruit roll ups and potato chips to children,asserting that the children are indeed fed,and they are even getting fruits and vegetables. ( yes they are being fed,a potato chip does come from a vegetable and there is a trace amount of fruit in the roll ups but by no means are children being nourished or well cared for).
Remember-unions set the wage floor.It was the labor movements that fought&won a voice for workers to obtain living wage,humane conditions&hours,&a promise of dignified retirement.Those Americans who joined these unions,faithfully contributed to their growth,protected them when under attack,and stood in solidarity with other workers, were THE torch bearers of the American Dream,the backbone of the middle class boom,and were behind so much of the building of the modern country that we know. At their peak membership,(when even Republican Presidents supported their existence,)it was the massive strength in numbers, with unions as their vehicle, that enabled workers to ensure the government enforced laws that kept greed in check and that hard work actually meant something. Unions gave those who were not able or apt to go to college a chance to earn a living,and that was when most college tuition was affordable. Now,you can amass massive student debt and not guarantee a job in your field or even a wage that enables both debt repayment AND self sustaining living.
Just like socially beneficial policies and programs,a small cabal of industry leaders and legacy right wing politicians also loathed( and still loathe) the unions,and in the 1970s,a long game plan was put in motion to unravel the New Deal era gains for the average citizen and to infiltrate,demonize,decimate,and eventually neuter labor organization in totality. These efforts have had SO many negative implications for Americans over time,and the ( then) New Democrat coalition of the late 80s&90s got in line behind the corporate interests and helped undermine American labor,even if as a party they were slightly less hostile to labor than the GOP. Many unions were indeed weakened by some of their own bad faith leaders who were corruptible or whom easily capitulated to political pressure. That did not need to happen. The right wing media campaign sought to demonize the unions as communist agencies- the very unions that many of those media consumers own fathers and grandfathers supported and were able to prosper because of. Sadly even today,there is a bad faith connection between some unions and establishment politicians on BOTH sides,that while paying lip service to the union members,are actively working against them to help their own donor class maximize their profits.
The remedy is not ONLY electing labor friendly progressive leaders- ( though clearly its vital). It is incumbent on workers to stand together and defend what they want their unions to stand for, for those who arent already unionized to know their rights,reach out to unions who represent others in their industries,and self organize. For those who already belong to these unions under fire,its time to go on a full scale solidarity campaign. Educate eachother. Support eachother. Make certain coworkers understand what they may lose with no union,that their strength is in numbers,that the media is an effective tool to gain public support,and that organizational rules are only as enforceable as people who will acknowledge and obey them.
For those who have seen the movie “The Bugs Life”- its a lot like the ants and grasshoppers. Once the ants realized they massively outnumbered the grasshoppers,who while scary and destructive,were quite small in number,they no longer fell for the intimidation tactics of the grasshoppers nor lived under their control. Workers are the ants.
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