JOBS were the focus of nearly 1,000 people who gathered outside President Obama's fundraiser in Seattle on Sunday, Sept. 25, 2011. Labor, community groups, seniors and everyday people rallied to support the President and to hold him accountable in his promise to protect the middle class, create jobs and not cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.Howie P.S.: Jay Inslee appears at the end of the video to express his support.
Zaid Jilani (Think Progress):...despite the many benefits unions have provided the United States, right-wing politicians and business interests have for years sought to undermine the ability of Americans to organize to demand better pay, benefits, and conditions. From the anti-worker Taft-Hartley Act to the recent GOP-led efforts to kill public worker collective bargaining rights, these assaults have successfully decreased union membership over time. In the prosperous 1950′s, nearly one in three Americans was in a union. Today, it is closer to one in ten. MORE...H/t to Marcia Kato.
In this March 5, 2011, file photo, people protest against legislative efforts to do away with teachers' collective bargaining rights in Nashville, Tenn. The measure passed in Tennessee this year and ended collective bargaining for teachers unions in the state. Photo: Mark Humphrey / AP
"Obama campaigned big, but he's governing small," said Larry Hanley, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union.Labor remains a core Democratic constituency and union leaders will stand with Obama in Detroit this Labor Day, where he will address thousands of rank-and-file members during the city's annual parade Monday.But at the same time, unions have begun shifting money and resources out of Democratic congressional campaigns and back to the states in a furious effort to reverse or limit GOP measures that could wipe out union rolls.
The AFL-CIO's president, Richard Trumka, says it's part of a new strategy for labor to build an independent voice separate from the Democratic Party. MORE...
Ben Smith (Politico):In a major strategic shift, the Service Employees International Union plans to use its giant political operation to try to build a grass-roots movement of public protest and organization similar to the massive show of pro-labor support that overran Madison, Wis., last month.
The SEIU’s ambitious effort is a dramatic departure from its straightforward approach to the 2008 campaign. That year, the union pressed a single-minded and ultimately successful focus on getting Democrats to commit to a health care overhaul. Then it spent more than $32.5 million in independent expenditures to elect President Barack Obama.
SEIU President Mary Kay Henry acknowledged in an interview that the new strategy, which would include aggressive outreach to non-union members, is “a risk.” MORE...
As a wave of anti-union bills are introduced across the country following the wake of Wall Street financial crisis, many analysts are picking up on the theory that award-winning journalist and author Naomi Klein first argued in her 2007 bestselling book, The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism. In the book, she reveals how those in power use times of crisis to push through undemocratic and extreme free market economic policies. “The Wisconsin protests are an incredible example of how to resist the shock doctrine,” Klein says. [includes rush transcript]
...Walker could have had all the budget savings necessary simply by negotiating compensation adjustments with the unions.You know…like Gov. Christine Gregoire (D-WA) did!
This morning on NPR’s Weekend Edition, host Liane Hansen spoke with Gregoire (who is suffering laryngitis) about public employee unions and the Washington state solution:
Last fall, Gregoire was elected Chair of the National Governors Association, establishing that she has the trust and respect of her peers.
So in this forth year of the Bush Recession, when almost every state is struggling with budget issues, maybe newly elected gubernatorial nut cases like Scott Walker should study and emulate the successes of the more experienced and respected Governors in the nation. MORE...
At the Academy Awards tonight, best cinematography winner Wally Pfister made a point during his acceptance speech of thanking his union crew on “Inception.”
Backstage he went further, expressing shock at Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s budget proposal, which would limit union’s collective bargaining powers. Opponents of the plan have been protesting at the state capitol for 21 days.
“I think that what is going on in Wisconsin is kind of madness right now,” Pfister says. “I have been a union member for 30 years and what the union has given to me is security for my family. They have given me health care in a country that doesn’t provide health care and I think unions are a very important part of the middle class in America all we are trying to do is get a decent wage and have medical care.
Amanda Terkel (HuffPo):Though thousands of Americans have turned out this week to show solidarity with Wisconsin's public employees and oppose a threat to their collective bargaining rights, union officials say they have not been able to place a labor voice on this Sunday's editions of the weekly public-affairs TV shows. The shows' producers, they complain, are shutting out the workers' perspective.
A union official told The Huffington Post that when none of the Sunday shows' producers reached out to them to book a labor representative this week, several unions started to pitch the shows with affected workers and local and national leaders who they felt could discuss the protests. The official said the response from the shows was essentially "thanks, but no thanks." MORE...
Leaders of major public and private sector unions have agreed to set aside longstanding divisions and turf battles and coordinate in a campaign to counter challenges to their political and contract-bargaining power in a growing number of states.
The plan requires each union to commit a certain amount of money to fund a $30 million campaign. Funds will be dedicated to paid media, lobbying, work-site leaflets, and a range of other campaign items, including opposition research into groups that unions believe could be funding state efforts to restrict union rights, such as the Koch Brothers, and the Scaife and Walton Foundations. MORE...
President Obama greets supporters after giving closing remarks Tuesday at a small business forum at Cleveland State University. Obama has only weighed in once on the union protests in Indiana, Ohio and Wisconsin.Union organizers are ramping up their efforts in state capitals across the country, emphasizing that what began in Madison could have national consequences. Although there are real stakes for Washington, President Obama's team is working to keep the focus on the statehouse, not the White House. MORE...Howie P.S.: The Daily Beast says "16 States Going to War on Unions." Can you guess what state is #10 on their list? A little hint:
MoveOn.org:On Saturday, February 26, at noon local time, we are organizing rallies in front of every statehouse and in every major city to stand in solidarity with the people of Wisconsin. Go here to see where the "RALLY TO SAVE THE AMERICAN DREAM" is planned in your state.
The Huffington Post's Senior Political Editor Howard Fineman appeared Tuesday night on MSNBC's "The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell" to discuss Wisconsin and the current dispute over labor unions.
Fineman pointed out that "the public is already on the side of the public employee unions." He elaborated, "lots of other Republican governors, Mitch Daniels in Indiana, Tom Corbett in Pennsylvania, Rick Scott in Florida, all have said to one degree or another that they would not go after employee bargaining rights in order to cut the budget...the Governor of Wisconsin is way out there on a limb and Obama wants to just leave him there."
Expanding on the political calculations of the White House, Fineman said, "the President and his advisors feel that they're getting some political benefit out of this nationally. And one way they are is a fired up labor movement."
"...there’s been a wave of propaganda over the last couple of months, which is pretty impressive to watch, trying to deflect attention away from those who actually created the economic crisis, like Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, their associates in the government who—Federal Reserve and others—let all this go on and helped it. There’s a—to switch attention away from them to the people really responsible for the crisis—teachers, police, firefighters, sanitation workers, their huge pensions, their incredible healthcare benefits, Cadillac healthcare benefits, and their unions, who are the real villains, the ones who are robbing the taxpayer by making sure that policemen may not starve when they retire. And this is pretty amazing, like right in the middle of the Madison affair, which is critical." MORE...
While state budgets are tightening across the country, a lot of attention is being focused on union power. Is an economic downturn the right time to limit the power of unions? State, county and city employees in our region have already made salary and benefits adjustments, and they're facing pressure to slash further. In other states, however, the anti–union forces are far stronger. States are considering banning teacher strikes and prohibiting unions from charging fees. How much power should unions have in challenging economic times?Howie P.S.: I was pleased to hear about the $3 billion in tax breaks given out to "special interests" by the Washington state legislature in the last few years.
Guest(s)
Reginald Fields is the statehouse bureau chief for the Cleveland Plain Dealer. His state of Ohio has an incumbent Republican governor seeking to change collective bargaining law and prevailing wage rules. Ohio faces an $8 billion budget deficit.
Jeff Johnson is president of the Washington State Labor Council.
Paul Guppy is vice president for research at the Washington Policy Center, a conservative Seattle–based think tank.
Tim Welch is a spokesman for the Washington Federation of State Employees.
David Rolf is the president of SEIU 775, which primarily represents health care workers. The union recently tentatively agreed to give up overtime pay and to take a cut in benefits.
William George, president of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, blames the card-check bill. Alan Hughes, AFL-CIO chief in Arkansas, blames Wal-Mart. Charlie Flemming, a union leader in Atlanta, blames Democratic politicians.Howie P.S.: Chuck Todd Tweets--"Move over PA SEN, hottest Dem SEN primary is now AR SEN. LG Halter will challenge Sen. Lincoln. Progressives v White House?"As they meet in Orlando, Florida, this week to plan their 2010 political campaign, union leaders are reeling from a succession of defeats they never expected after helping President Barack Obama and the Democrats win elections in 2008.
The union-organizing bill known as card-check, labor’s top priority a year ago, has stalled. Obama ignored union pleas to use his executive powers to appoint a National Labor Relations Board nominee blocked by Republicans. Senate Democrats such as Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas haven’t supported some union goals.
“The labor movement is at a crossroads, and it has to rethink its political strategy,” said Amy Dean, a former labor official who is co-author of “A New New Deal,” a book about reshaping the labor movement. “The conversations that we are having at our kitchen tables and our living rooms that express our disappointment with this administration are very similar to the conversations that we had under the Bush administration.”
The executive council meeting of the AFL-CIO, the largest U.S. labor federation, opens today at Walt Disney World with Vice President Joe Biden speaking to the union leaders.
Unions spent a record $450 million helping elect Democrats to Congress and the White House in 2008. With a mixed record of success going into the mid-term 2010 congressional elections, they are wondering what to do now.
‘Not Happy’
“We’re demoralized,” said Robert Haynes, president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO. “We’re not happy about anything.”
It’s unclear whether unions can persuade enough Democrats to back them. Union membership in the private sector declined in 2009 to a record low of 7.2 percent, according to figures released last month by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The public’s opinion of unions is souring, according to a Feb. 23 poll by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. Forty-one percent of the people polled said they had a favorable view of labor unions, down from 58 percent in 2007.
A year ago, Bill Samuels, the AFL-CIO’s chief lobbyist, said labor was confident that Lincoln of Arkansas would side with unions rather than the biggest business in her state, Wal- Mart Stores Inc., on labor priorities.
Instead, after voting for the card-check measure in 2007, she now opposes it. Lincoln, who faces a re-election contest this year, also was one of two Democratic senators who joined Republicans in opposing Craig Becker, the stalled nominee for the NLRB. The other was Ben Nelson of Nebraska.
Frustrated With Obama
“Our people went to the streets for her,” Hughes, of the Arkansas AFL-CIO, said. “A lot of her friends have turned on her. She’s in Wal-Mart’s back pocket.”
Flemming, the Atlanta union leader, says he can’t see “what the hell good” such Democrats are for the labor movement.
Lincoln “maintains a lifetime voting record of 82 percent with the AFL-CIO,” spokeswoman Katie Laning Niebaum said in an e-mailed statement. “While she hasn’t agreed with organized labor on every issue, she has given their priorities a fair hearing and careful consideration.”
Some of labor’s frustration is turning toward Obama. Earlier this month, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said in a statement that union members were calling the White House and “demanding” -- to no avail, as it turned out -- that Obama appoint Becker during the February congressional recess.
Dean, the author, said Obama never mentioned labor unions or collective bargaining in his State of the Union address in January.
“I am not convinced that the president sees the labor movement as an important part of his governing coalition, and even his electoral coalition,” Dean said.
Which Strategy?
White House spokesman Tommy Vietor declined to comment.
George, of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, says unions may have spent too much capital on the card-check bill and too little on other strategies for advancing their agenda.
The challenge is figuring out whether withholding support from Democrats like Lincoln is a smart strategy, he said.
“I think the Democrats have done a terrible job and made a mess,” he said. “But do we risk getting more Republicans who only vote with us 10 percent of the time?”
State Democratic lawmakers have a revolt on their hands among major labor groups that provide the party crucial support during elections.--State Democratic lawmakers have a revolt on their hands among major labor groups that provide the party crucial support during elections.
The Washington State Labor Council, the Service Employees International Union and unions representing teachers and state workers have either stopped or sharply reduced donations to Democratic caucus political-action committees that back candidates for the state House and Senate.
"I think the labor movement is more serious about withholding support from Democratic candidates this year than I have seen in my 30 years in politics," said Dwight Pelz, chairman of the state Democratic Party.There's even talk of trying to defeat some Democratic incumbents if they don't support issues important to labor in the next legislative session — such as raising taxes to help close a growing budget shortfall.It's not clear what groups are involved in the effort. Union officials wouldn't acknowledge or discuss the request.
The unions said they're angry at deep spending cuts lawmakers made earlier this year to balance the state budget, and at a lack of action on labor-backed legislation and causes.
Rick Bender, the Labor Council president, raised concerns about the influence of conservative Democrats, particularly in the House, which is led by Speaker Frank Chopp.
"The leadership team Frank has put together is pretty conservative, and they don't reflect the caucus as a whole and sure don't reflect where we are on the issues," Bender said.
Chopp, D-Seattle, did not respond to interview requests. Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown, D-Spokane, is out of the country and could not be reached for comment.
House Majority Leader Lynn Kessler, D-Hoquiam, called the action by labor "a sad state of affairs."
"I think we have done a lot for labor," Kessler said. "We have a huge labor agenda every year. It may not be everything they wanted but if we ... go forward with a very good labor agenda and it's still not enough, then I guess I don't know what they want."
All of this puts Democrats in a tough spot. Raising taxes in an election year is politically risky. But so is alienating the party's base. Democrats currently control the House, the Senate and the governor's office.
Labor groups typically donate several hundred thousand dollars a year to the Democratic caucus PACs, controlled by House and Senate leaders, and provide volunteers to staff phone banks and campaign door to door.
But this year, labor donations are a fraction of years past.
Paul Berendt, a former chairman of the state Democratic Party, called the move by labor "a strategy of self-destruction."
Some Democrats worry the family feud could backfire in what may prove to be a tough election in 2010 if the economy doesn't improve.
"I don't think anybody in the labor movement would be served by Republican majorities in the House or Senate," Pelz said.
Reasons differ
The beef with Democrats varies among the different labor groups.
Some are unhappy with lawmakers for not raising taxes to help close the $9 billion budget shortfall earlier this year. To cut costs, the Legislature eliminated pay increases for teachers and state employees and cut health care, education and other state services.
The Washington Education Association wants lawmakers to put more money back into schools.
Some union groups are angry that lawmakers did not approve changes in unemployment insurance sought by labor, including a permanent increase in benefits.
Bender said his members are particularly sore about a flap last session over worker-rights legislation. The bill, supported by labor and opposed by business, would have prohibited companies from requiring employees to attend meetings related to religious or political matters, including labor issues.
The legislation was killed by Gov. Chris Gregoire and Democratic leaders in the House and Senate after a few state lawmakers got an e-mail being circulated among labor groups.
Part of the e-mail said: "Union leaders would send a message to the State Democratic Party and to the Truman and Roosevelt funds from the House and Senate that 'not another dime from labor' until the Governor signs the Worker Privacy Act."
The Truman and Roosevelt funds are Democratic caucus PACs.
Legislative leaders said the e-mail raised "serious legal and ethical questions" because it implied a link between action on the bill and campaign contributions. They killed the bill and asked the Washington State Patrol to investigate. The State Patrol concluded no laws were broken.
Labor criticized Democratic leaders for overreacting.
Bender said that episode, along with a lack of action on other labor-supported issues, "changed our relationship" with the Democratic leadership.
Instead of contributing to the caucus campaign committees, the Labor Council created its own PAC called Don't Invest In More Excuses, or DIME — a play on the e-mail that killed the worker-rights bill. So far, the PAC has raised more than $280,000.
Labor groups say they now plan to support candidates directly instead of sending money to the caucus PACs.
Next session
The next legislative session will be key, they said, to labor support in the 2010 election. A big issue will be how the Democrats close a shortfall approaching $2 billion in the current state budget.
Democratic lawmakers who don't support a tax increase and fall short on other labor issues could find themselves without union support. Or even become a target.
A request has been sent out to hire political consultants to help oversee "challenges against incumbents who are barriers to progress, supporting progressive candidates in open seat races, and defending progressive champions in swing districts," according to a copy of the request obtained by The Seattle Times.
"We will likely target 8-10 legislative races for various levels of activity, including 3-5 core races that will involve substantial full-scale independent campaigns," the request says.
Bender said he had not seen the document but noted "there has been some pretty in-depth discussion about potentially going down that path on a number of races. Nothing has been determined yet, but that could very likely happen."
In the upcoming legislative session "there are people who will have to get off a fence this year and grow some courage," said David Rolf, president of Service Employees International Union Local 775.
He added, "if some of the less courageous Democrats ended up not returning to the House or Senate, that would produce a much more favorable environment overall."
Al Giordano takes on John Judis, who writes:"I think the main reason that Obama is having trouble is that there is not a popular left movement that is agitating for him to go well beyond where he would even ideally like to go.Giordano, after quoting Judis (above) chides him and the "high brow Gospels According to Paul Krugman"... "(and the NY Timesman's frat boy cheerleader squad in some corners of the blog world)" for knocking the Stimulus Bill and Obama and as well as union members and blogospheric activists for1) failing to make "the Stimulus Bill bigger" and 2) refusing to be "adversarial to the popular president." Giordano argues that this misunderstands the current state of affairs and says that comparisons to Huey Long and FDR are off base:
At present, Barack Obama is far more popular among union members than the leaders of those unions. He is more popular among MoveOn.org members than the organization is.In short, Giordano says there is no effective left-wing army of organizers to actually take on Obama from "the outside." He compares Judis to "house intellectuals who "have no 'popular movement' to move, because they haven't rolled up their sleeves to organize one on the local level."
(snip)
The only popular movement that has been constructed in the United States in decades is, in fact, the one that the Obama campaign built over the last two years with its emphasis on training and deploying real organizers. They went out there among the rank and file with the credo of "respect, empower, include," and the results are here today in front of everyone's noses. (And, let's be honest about this point, too. For the various tantrums of teeth-gnashing from some declaring that Organizing for America - the 2009 manifestation of the Obama organization - has somehow fallen short: what other entity on the left in the US has displayed, this year, the convocational power to organize 3,500 house meetings in a matter of a few weeks?)
Barack Obama
