The Walker Approach: Forsaking the Economy by Forsaking Workers
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker proposed last week to suddenly erase 50 years of collective-bargaining rights for Wisconsin's public workers within a week, to be backed up by calling up the National Guard (Walker spokesmen later clarified that the Guard's role would be limited to replacing prison guards).
Walker's plan drew a crowd of 30,000 to 50,000 public workers and their supporters Wednesday at the State Capitol in Madison, united in their opposition to Republican plans to almost entirely take away their rights to union representation.
Yet Walker's hard-line stance has been applauded by Marquette Law Prof. Rick Esenberg ("Union model doesn't work for public jobs," (Journal Sentinel 2/15/11 at ) who praises Gov. Walker's attempt to deny the fundamental democratic right to form authentic unions to public workers.
Esenberg's argument regrettably reflects the Right's increasing contempt for basic pillars of democracy, human rights, and a vision of broadly shared prosperity for America.
Esenberg can conceive of union representation for workers only as a barrier to maximum cost savings for management without regard to human rights or social costs:
"In the context of public employment, elected officials are management. Taxpayers are shareholders. Imagine how the shareholders of General Electric would feel about a CEO who promised to fight for unionization of the company and higher compensation for its employees."
First, this imaginary GE CEO would merely be complying with US labor law. The CEO would be observing a universally respected international standard human rights by acknowledging workers' democratic right to unionize, a value in virtually all democracies except the US. Would law professor Esenberg instead prefer that the GE CEO defy the law and deny workers their rights?
Further, contrary to Esenberg's claims, the shrinkage of union membership in America is not a matter of worker choice, but rather the systematic denial of choice by US employers over the last several decades.
As Business Week (5/23/94) accurately reported, "US industry has conducted one of the most successful antiunion wars ever, illegally firing thousands of workers for exercising their right to organize." Moreover, the wave of "offshoring" jobs to low-wage, high-repression nations like Mexico and China has both directly caused the loss of millions of union jobs and provided management with leverage to drive down wages through the threat of relocation at remaining plants in the US.
Second, enlightened corporate leaders since Henry Ford have recognized that paying their own workers decent wages is a strategically-sound business strategy to build up the US domestic market. Family-supporting wages increase the total buying power of the working class and thus raise product sales and profits. In contrast, the cuts in pay and benefits which Gov. Walker seeks to unilaterally impose would deprive Wisconsin businesses of between $900 million and $1.2 billion in spending by public employees, according to a Institute for Wisconsin's Future study.
Instead of injecting a stimulus into Wisconsin's still-suffering economy, Walker's package of destroyed labor rights and pay cuts would seriously drain the state of economic vitality. But the Walker approach does have its advantages for favored constituencies.
Namely, the Walker approach shields Wisconsin's large corporations–about 60% of whom paid no corporate income taxes in recent years–and Wisconsin's richest 1%–who haul in about 24% of all income–from tax increases that would demonstrate their commitment to share in the vast sacrifices the recession has imposed on less-fortunate citizens of the state. Further, Walker has been expanding corporate tax breaks while proclaiming that the budget deficit is the state's chief problem.
In sharp contrast to Walker, a more visionary and humane view of how the economy can serve all citizens comes, ironically, from the late British billionaire Sir James Goldsmith:
"In the great days of the USA, Henry Ford stated that he wanted to pay high wages to his employees so that they could become his customers and buy his cars. Today we are proud of the fact that we pay low wages.
"We have forgotten that the economy is a tool to serve the needs of society, reverse. The ultimate purpose of the economy is to create prosperity … and not the reverse. The ultimate purpose of the economy is to create prosperity with stability."
Tragically, Gov. Walker and his cheerleaders like Prof. Esenberg seek to return the state and the nation to the dog-eat-dog world of 19th-century capitalism, where wealth and economic rights are the exclusive province of the super-rich and their allies and where workers' isolated voices can easily be ignored.
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17 Comments so far
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It's heartening to see state governors, including the Democrat Andrew Cuomo, finally standing up to these union goons who have been holding up the citizenry for years. Finally, now that non-governmental union workers comprise only about 7% of the workforce, the political tables have begun to turn and the unions are headed for the dustbin of history.
right wing nut job above
Horace
You seem to be in favor of the "throwing out the baby with the bath water" approach. Have public unions abused the public trust, yes at this point as they seem to be unrelenting in their refusal to acknowledge fiscal reality.
But the original reason for public unions was to protect public employee's from the vagaries of political parties and appointee's. That reason remains and if you remove a union's ability for collective bargaining you remove the union for all practical purposes.
Fascinating to see an argument of percentage used. As if a small number involved lessen's the need to address right or wrong.
"Have public unions abused the public trust, yes at this point as they seem to be unrelenting in their refusal to acknowledge fiscal reality."
What rot is this? They earned what they have thru blood and death.
What a waste of comment to appreciate what they have done, then denegrate them.
Rot joecool9? To make believe that the public employee's are 100% in the right here is rot. Of course they should be appreciated, but you and they must acknowledge the reality that there are abuses by the unions as well as the politicians.
I find no "denigration" in saying that they have been excessive with public money in many areas and in various locale's at various times. Thats the truth. To say that they are completey in the right is simply, wrong.
I can't think of a sinlgle instance where a public employee was killed "earning" these union rights. Jerry Brown's original permission to now, I am unaware of any. Or blood for that matter. What are you referring to?
Republican Gov Jeremiah Rusk in 1848 called out the national guard on striking Wisconsin workers and ordered them to fire on the workers. Seven people died including a 13 year old boy. In 1934 2 workers were killed and over 40 were injured during a strike against Kohler company. I am sure I could come up with many other examples of the rich killing the poor to satisfy their greed but I trust you got the point. At least try to get some facts before making collossaly ignorant assertions like: "I can't think of a sinlgle instance where a public employee was killed "earning" these union rights."
And then there was Kent State, innocent college kids.
What are we America?
If it weren't for unions, there would never have been a middle class in America…..and it looks like they're doing their best to get rid of it now. Serfdom will certainly be in style now.
Yes, they should continue to gut the middle class until the whole house of cards comes down. Then we can consign this country to the dustbin of history.
Right, drive out all the public workers and "Hocus Pocus" the entire state
is owned and operated by foreign multinational corporations as planned.
And a state senator in Missouri, Jane Cunningham, has presented a bill to wipe out all child labor laws. Great! Now little Johnny and Janey can join the workforce as soon as they're tall enough to reach the cash register or conveyor belt…..those kids shouldn't be lolling at home eating potato chips, anyway. Get them into the real world and start contributing something to the country!
glogrl…I could hardly believe it then I went and looked. Here's here bill.
SB 222 – This act modifies the child labor laws. It eliminates the prohibition on employment of children under age fourteen. Restrictions on the number of hours and restrictions on when a child may work during the day are also removed. It also repeals the requirement that a child ages fourteen or fifteen obtain a work certificate or work permit in order to be employed. Children under sixteen will also be allowed to work in any capacity in a motel, resort or hotel where sleeping accommodations are furnished. It also removes the authority of the director of the Division of Labor Standards to inspect employers who employ children and to require them to keep certain records for children they employ. It also repeals the presumption that the presence of a child in a workplace is evidence of employment."
Are we China, Nicauragua, Guatemala, is it a move to bring back sweat shops so whorporates make more money?
Is she for real? How insane is that? Does she actually think that kids who should be in school, should be allowed to work in a manner that will destroy their life? She looks like she may have been victimized herself as a child, or maybe someone should go to her house and make sure her kids are ok.
Congratulations to the workers in Wisconsin for making a stand. I hope that defending workers' rights is a trend that will spread across the nation.
It is very interesting to see the lack of interest by the main street media shown to this story. Where is the support by Barack Obama for these brave people who are willing to stand up for their own dignity? I suppose the prez is too busy hanging out with his good friends Dimon, Blankfein, Daly and Rubin. It is said that you can judge a man by the company he keeps.
Unions had a good time while they corroded and nearly bankrupted the public fisc. Their day has come and is soon to be gone, thankfully, along with that of all their communistic friends, fellow-travelers and supporters.
I think you're on the wrong site. Red State is somewhere else.
Eye of Horass- will you STOP leaving your stains all over this site????
Slimshady…are we still being Horassed…ROFLMFAO