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Now is the time to strengthen unions
Published Friday, May 29, 2009
The Employee Free Choice Act receives a lot of press. Despite all of the attention, I’m not sure the public understands what workers face when they try to form a union.
Here’s a pretty accurate description: imagine a football game between one team with cleats, helmets and shoulder pads playing another that doesn’t have any equipment at all. It’s not only that companies have all kinds of advantages, but that workers are so vulnerable to abuse. The Employee Free Choice Act will help even the playing field.
I’ve been through two organizing campaigns, and I hope sharing my experience will explain why we desperately need this legislation.
For 24 years, I’ve worked at a plant in Hampton where we manufacture parts for airplanes. Over the years, we’ve steadily fallen behind. I make $2 an hour less in real wages than I did in 1985. Retirees’ pensions are not enough to live on. Sadly, too many are coming back to work as temps, when they should be enjoying time with their grandkids.
I asked our managers, “What would you do if you were in my shoes? What would you do if you didn’t have medical benefits when you retired, if your pay wasn’t keeping up and if your insurance premiums were constantly rising?” My bet was that they’d do what we did, and that’s try to form a union.
So we began forming a union with the United Steelworkers. But the company fought back with a flood of intimidation. At the beginning of each shift, the company held meetings bashing the union. Consultants coached our supervisors on what to say.
As the election approached, the company held mandatory meetings every other day in which anti-union propaganda was forced down our throats. After two months of this relentless campaign, we lost.
Fear is a powerful weapon. The company won by constantly threatening that the plant could close and our jobs could be shipped overseas, and that tactic eventually ran its course.
Following the election, I was suspended for two weeks. The union took my case to the National Labor Relations Board, and I was awarded back pay. The company also had to post a notice explaining what they did. Right now, this is considered adequate punishment for breaking the law.
I’m one of roughly 31,000 cases in 2005 in which management illegally threatened, coerced or fired a worker. In my experience (and I’m not the only one), corporations have the power, and they often abuse it.
We continue to fight for a union, because we want a chance to bargain for livable wages and benefits. More importantly, though, we want dignity, respect and a voice.
There’s a saying that workers can either bargain collectively or beg individually. I’m scared that, because of the economy, workers will be less likely to stand up individually. They’ll believe they’re lucky to have a job, and they’ll take whatever corporations throw at them. With the economy teetering on the edge, this is the time to empower workers.
Our labor laws have been whittled away. Now is the time to modernize them and to even the playing field for workers. We shouldn’t stand by as corporate America flexes its muscle and tries to defeat a bill that restores fundamental rights to workers.
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Comments
Posted by OD (anonymous) on May 31, 2009 at 8:58 a.m. (Suggest removal)
This is a huge part of what destroyed GM and Chrysler. Now we as taxpayers are "owners" of Government Motors aka Obama Motors and Chrysler is in bankruptcy. GM is about to declare it as well. I feel for the workers only to a certain point, They are closing plants here in the states but because of NAFTA and Obama's pledge to be the worlds leader those plants in other lands remain open. The unions supported the man who is actully putting them out of business and or dictating to them what they will receive. and the bond holders are being screwed. Its called Socialism 101. Mine and your grand kids and great,great grand kids and others yet to be born are footing the bill for this castrophe known as Obama.American voted for hopey and changey and the changey isnt looking good for the majority of Americans who did and did not vote for this man.
Posted by Laura_D (anonymous) on June 1, 2009 at 6:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Kudos -- Billy Mason. Your courage in the face of employer intimidation and propaganda is the story you share with other great American heroes who fought for the basic democratic rights that all Americans share.
I agree that Americans probably don't understand the intimidation and harassment that workers face in just trying to band together to ask for the best deal they can get from employers. And let's not forget that in the past 30 years, as unionization has dropped to its lowest level ever, executive salaries have risen to historic highs.
Executive salaries now average 400 times as much as the average worker.
What has caused companies like GM and Chrysler to fail are the bad management decisions, bloated executive pay and bonuses, and dedication to cutting corners and building inferior products.
The auto companies were strongest when unions were strongest -- through the 1950s and 60s. Coincidentally, that's the period of the greatest middle class expansion in history.
Lets level the very unfair playing field where workers and employers can play together. That's an American value I think we can all get behind -- a fair deal for hard working Americans is all the Employee Free Choice Act is.
Posted by OD (anonymous) on June 2, 2009 at 7:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)
And there has been no intimidation and propaganda coming out ot the WH? Investors are being screwed, the UAW as well. Obama isnt Henry Ford as much as he thinks he can be.What investor wants to invest in a company that the govt is going to run if they dont like it? The track record of the govt isnt all that inviting.Obama has appointed a 31 year old grad student to head up this rebuilding of a once great company.He has NO EXCPERIENCE. You want politicans running a company that those same politicans can't run this country much less a balance a check book. Why arent the plants out of the country being shut down?CAN YOU SAY PROFITS at the expense of the men and women like Billy Mason? How about NAFTA? I understand the plight of the unions, but there lies part of the blame. Unions serve a good purpose and Obama needed their vote and he got it. Now he is taking and breaking the cookie apart and is spoon feeding the union and is screwing the investors, but says Govt Motors needs them in their investing into the new and better GM...Mason and others if you think in reality they the unions are getting it two ways and it isnt good either. The only real union that I can support has been and will be the Garment Workers, it was founded to protect children in sweat shops. One other thing taht the WH nor any pundit or expert has brought up is, we are engaged in two wars at present. This country could be on the verge of a war in Korea and with Iran. Based on the Iranian situation we have the advantage in firepower with our Navy, Airforce and technology. where as with Korea we are looking at a massive army that can overun the border maybe like a hot knife thru butter. My point is what about GM and the military needs????? We are talking about defense of this country. Its better to be liked and be at the mercy of our enenies. If were were to get into another war and had to ask the owners of Revlon to shut down its commercial operations, how long would it take to switch over to producing cartriges to be used in the production of ammunition?
Same wih GM and Chrysler in producing tanks,trucks etc etc...Its not just abt cars.
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