Demonization of unions puzzles me. Except for public employees unions, most American labor organizations have lost their teeth.
Institutions that secured workers on-the-job safety standards, the 40-hour work week, unemployment insurance, workers compensation, minimum wage standards are barely relevant in the age of Wal-Mart.
What good is a 40-hour work week when workers need two or three jobs to meet minimum living standards? What purpose does a minimum wage that fails to provide for the most basic needs of existence serve? What role does a National Labor Relations Board play when employers are allowed to terminate employees who attempt to organize?
How effective is unemployment insurance when workers cannot find replacement jobs for months or years? What bargaining chips do unions have when 15 million Americans are unemployed and millions more have been forced to accept underemployment?
Even public sector unions are feeling the bite. Privatization of traditionally public sector jobs is gaining momentum. Years of bloated, unsustainable budgets have made deep state and local government cuts inevitable.
Did the unions play a role in their decline? Yes. Frivolous strikes. Demands that were unsustainable for their industries. Leaders who forgot who they represented. Corruption. But no other institutions so ably represented the American working stiff (the "small" people).
Who else cared about nurses being forced to work long, arduous double shifts? On-the-job haz-mat protection? Whistle-blower protection? Child labor? Teachers confronting violence in the classroom and huge class sizes? Air traffic controllers working under agonizingly stressful, understaffed conditions (does anyone even remember THEIR superhuman efforts on 9/11)?
From the day the Great Communicator fired the striking air traffic controllers, the handwriting was written on the wall: "the 'small' people have no place in the shining city on the hill."
Here's what I think...
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
FedEx Media Blitz against UPS
The FedEx Brown Bailout campaign is a fight against unionization. The use of the media savvy term "Brown Bailout" is disingenuous. It is a massive lobbying campaign to preserve a competitive edge against UPS and avoid unionization of FedEx workers. The fight against this legislation has been ongoing for several years.
The Web, including Facebook, is saturated with FedEx-sponsored links that bring you to a simple petition to fill out and submit in support of FedEx's anti-labor campaign, without ever offering an explanation of exactly what you are petitioning against.
The focus is a reauthorization bill from the Federal Aviation Administration which would enable FedEx drivers to unionize on a terminal-by-terminal level under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), rather than under the Railway Labor Act (RLA).
Because FedEx began as an airline, FedEx Express workers came under the Railway Labor Act, which was passed in 1926 to prevent disruptions of national air and train traffic. The RLA requires unionization to have a national vote by every worker at the company.
"The NLRA covers most private-sector workers... including delivery drivers, truck mechanics and workers at sorting facilities both at UPS and FedEx Ground." (Click on the post title for the link to the source material. Although this story is a year old, the controversy has heated up again in recent months.)
The deceptive nature of this campaign is a clear warning to do some wider research before jumping on any web-touted bandwagon. THEN, once you make up your own mind, email or write to your congressman and senators stating your position. It will carry more weight and result in better decision making.
The way this campaign is being conducted could easily mislead union advocates who oppose the recent corporate bailouts to petition against the very cause they support.
The Web, including Facebook, is saturated with FedEx-sponsored links that bring you to a simple petition to fill out and submit in support of FedEx's anti-labor campaign, without ever offering an explanation of exactly what you are petitioning against.
The focus is a reauthorization bill from the Federal Aviation Administration which would enable FedEx drivers to unionize on a terminal-by-terminal level under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), rather than under the Railway Labor Act (RLA).
Because FedEx began as an airline, FedEx Express workers came under the Railway Labor Act, which was passed in 1926 to prevent disruptions of national air and train traffic. The RLA requires unionization to have a national vote by every worker at the company.
"The NLRA covers most private-sector workers... including delivery drivers, truck mechanics and workers at sorting facilities both at UPS and FedEx Ground." (Click on the post title for the link to the source material. Although this story is a year old, the controversy has heated up again in recent months.)
The deceptive nature of this campaign is a clear warning to do some wider research before jumping on any web-touted bandwagon. THEN, once you make up your own mind, email or write to your congressman and senators stating your position. It will carry more weight and result in better decision making.
The way this campaign is being conducted could easily mislead union advocates who oppose the recent corporate bailouts to petition against the very cause they support.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Our Town
The small city in which I live is a microcosm of American urban society; however economic and ethnic groups are sometimes separated only by a few buildings, rather than sectors. The buildings represent every significant period of American architecture (largely because the city spent so much of its history economically depressed, few were torn down to be replaced by newer structures). Many of these gems have been purchased by "New Yorkers" or "newcomers" who have lovingly restored them at significant expense. The visual results are incredibly beautiful. The demographic results are charged with stress between the "natives" and the "carpetbaggers."
My office is located at the lower end of the main street. Pedestrian traffic outside the front door is a constant source of fascination. The daily parade of the day care center's pre-schoolers. Tourists drawn by the antique stores, boutiques, great restaurants and beautiful buildings. BMWs, Subarus, Mini Coopers and Audis share the road with Fords, Toyotas, rusted-out jalopies and SUVs booming rap with the bass set to rock the buildings. Skateboarders practice new tricks during breaks in the traffic. Women in saris and burkas share the sidewalk with girls in skimpy tops paired with tiny skirts or shorts. Yuppies, crunchies, geeks and artists stroll by. You see tattoos ranging from true artistry to gang-banging ugliness.
If you are alert, you might see a drug sale or a hooker hooking up. Children lovingly accompanied by watchful adults contrast with children dragged along by caretakers who do not take care. There have been incidents of gun violence one street over.
The Salvation Army kitchen is located off the main street on a major route into the city. It struggles to keep up with demand increased by the recession. Its efforts are not universally appreciated. Currently there are a lot of objections about the location of its dumpster. The recent excessively hot, humid weather has rendered its contents highly pungent, much to the discomfort of its neighbors. The dumpster recently was moved to the edge of the lot, allegedly at the request of the health department. This has resulted in many complaints aimed at the charitable operation.
I cannot help wondering which is the greater nuisance to the protesters, the odoriferous dumpster, or the presence of the impoverished hungry people the Salvation Army feeds.
For another perspective on this story: http://gossipsofrivertown.blogspot.com/2010/08/talking-trash.html
My office is located at the lower end of the main street. Pedestrian traffic outside the front door is a constant source of fascination. The daily parade of the day care center's pre-schoolers. Tourists drawn by the antique stores, boutiques, great restaurants and beautiful buildings. BMWs, Subarus, Mini Coopers and Audis share the road with Fords, Toyotas, rusted-out jalopies and SUVs booming rap with the bass set to rock the buildings. Skateboarders practice new tricks during breaks in the traffic. Women in saris and burkas share the sidewalk with girls in skimpy tops paired with tiny skirts or shorts. Yuppies, crunchies, geeks and artists stroll by. You see tattoos ranging from true artistry to gang-banging ugliness.
If you are alert, you might see a drug sale or a hooker hooking up. Children lovingly accompanied by watchful adults contrast with children dragged along by caretakers who do not take care. There have been incidents of gun violence one street over.
The Salvation Army kitchen is located off the main street on a major route into the city. It struggles to keep up with demand increased by the recession. Its efforts are not universally appreciated. Currently there are a lot of objections about the location of its dumpster. The recent excessively hot, humid weather has rendered its contents highly pungent, much to the discomfort of its neighbors. The dumpster recently was moved to the edge of the lot, allegedly at the request of the health department. This has resulted in many complaints aimed at the charitable operation.
I cannot help wondering which is the greater nuisance to the protesters, the odoriferous dumpster, or the presence of the impoverished hungry people the Salvation Army feeds.
For another perspective on this story: http://gossipsofrivertown.blogspot.com/2010/08/talking-trash.html
Friday, August 6, 2010
Littered Cigarette Butts Kill the Fishies
I wouldn't dream of throwing trash on the ground, but for many years I did not consider cigarette butts trash. WRONG!!!
I am a smoker and after 40+ years am likely to remain one. But I don't want to kill the fishies or the rabbits, chipmunks or skunks either for that matter (squirrels I have to think about). Litter from cigarette butts is highly toxic and usually ends up in the water system through run off. (Click on the title for source material.)
Increasingly strict limitations on smoking have made it far more difficult to find a public ashtray. I notice this during my morning walk. Across the street from our local hospital, where it is illegal to smoke on the grounds, is an unofficial smokers' station. It borders private property and the sidewalk and surrounding grass and shrubbery are THICK with discarded cigarette butts. I wholeheartedly sympathize with my fellow smokers needing to feed their nicotine cravings. But between them, both they and the hospital have created a public nuisance and a mini toxic waste dump. The hospital would have done better to place containers for discarded cigarettes in a designated area on the perimeter of its grounds. The smokers need to be made aware that they are ultimately responsible for responsibly disposing of their used butts.
Sooo, if you are a smoker, PLEASE extinguish the butt and either dispose of it in a public trash container or keep it on your person until you can safely dump it in your own trash. You will be doing your part to preserve our environment and save a fish, or a small mammal.
A second source on the subject:
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Publications/GreenTeam/default.cfm#CigaretteButts
Let's prove ourselves more responsible than the oil and petrochemical companies.
I am a smoker and after 40+ years am likely to remain one. But I don't want to kill the fishies or the rabbits, chipmunks or skunks either for that matter (squirrels I have to think about). Litter from cigarette butts is highly toxic and usually ends up in the water system through run off. (Click on the title for source material.)
Increasingly strict limitations on smoking have made it far more difficult to find a public ashtray. I notice this during my morning walk. Across the street from our local hospital, where it is illegal to smoke on the grounds, is an unofficial smokers' station. It borders private property and the sidewalk and surrounding grass and shrubbery are THICK with discarded cigarette butts. I wholeheartedly sympathize with my fellow smokers needing to feed their nicotine cravings. But between them, both they and the hospital have created a public nuisance and a mini toxic waste dump. The hospital would have done better to place containers for discarded cigarettes in a designated area on the perimeter of its grounds. The smokers need to be made aware that they are ultimately responsible for responsibly disposing of their used butts.
Sooo, if you are a smoker, PLEASE extinguish the butt and either dispose of it in a public trash container or keep it on your person until you can safely dump it in your own trash. You will be doing your part to preserve our environment and save a fish, or a small mammal.
A second source on the subject:
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Publications/GreenTeam/default.cfm#CigaretteButts
Let's prove ourselves more responsible than the oil and petrochemical companies.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Gulf Oil Spill - The Oil has Miraculously Disappeared!
According to the Federal Government, 75 percent of the estimated 172 million gallons of oil spewed into the Gulf of Mexico by the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster has disappeared!
"It was captured. It was skimmed. It was burned. It was contained. Mother Nature did her part," announced White House energy advisor Carol Browner, appearing on NBC's "Today" Show.
I guess this means "no harm, no foul," right? Everything is once again hunky dory and we can all forget it ever happened as we continue to take ever more damaging chances with the life sustaining systems of the only world we have to inhabit.
Click on the title for the source ABC News story.
Additional information available at: http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2010/0727/Gulf-oil-spill-Where-has-the-oil-gone
Why don't I find this information reassuring?
"It was captured. It was skimmed. It was burned. It was contained. Mother Nature did her part," announced White House energy advisor Carol Browner, appearing on NBC's "Today" Show.
I guess this means "no harm, no foul," right? Everything is once again hunky dory and we can all forget it ever happened as we continue to take ever more damaging chances with the life sustaining systems of the only world we have to inhabit.
Click on the title for the source ABC News story.
Additional information available at: http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2010/0727/Gulf-oil-spill-Where-has-the-oil-gone
Why don't I find this information reassuring?
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Imports Surge. Job Growth? Not So Much.
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew at a sluggish 2.4 percent annual pace last quarter, down from 3.7 percent in the first quarter. Imports, most probably purchased by businesses, surged 35 percent. The flood of imports reduced GDP growth by 4 percentage points, offset by a U.S. increase in exports of 1.2 percent, for a net negative impact on GDP of 2.8 percent.
(Click on the title of this post for my source, a recent report in the Christian Science Monitor.)
What do these numbers mean? Imported goods are not produced by American workers in American factories, many of which have closed their doors during this recession. Labor continues to look for jobs that are not there. American capital continues to be drained overseas by a steep balance of payments deficit. Tax revenues continue to under perform on federal, state and local levels.
Unemployment insurance, intended to bridge the gaps of economic and cyclical downturns, is turning into a long-term product with no end in sight.
It's a complex global economy out there. Complete economic self sufficiency is not possible and very likely not desirable; however, the crippling balance of payments deficits the U. S. has run for more than a generation are flushing this country down the toilet. They are the reason so many foreign governments own U. S. debt. The debt constricts our ability to deal with our internal problems.
We hear a great deal about ending the Bush-era tax cuts. This is probably a necessary if bitter pill to swallow. Nowhere have I heard suggestions of increasing tariffs on imports. There is a great deal of space between using imports as a source of revenue and "protectionism." A touch of carefully crafted protectionism might go a long way toward revitalizing American small industry. The multi-national corporations would not benefit, but the smaller, more innovative companies just might gain enough breathing space to get off the ground.
To see where the U. S. Government gets its revenue go to:
http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/briefing-book/background/numbers/revenue.cfm
It is interesting to note that both corporate taxes and excise taxes are below historical trends.
Why wouldn't an across-the-board increase of tariffs on imports be a good idea?
(Click on the title of this post for my source, a recent report in the Christian Science Monitor.)
What do these numbers mean? Imported goods are not produced by American workers in American factories, many of which have closed their doors during this recession. Labor continues to look for jobs that are not there. American capital continues to be drained overseas by a steep balance of payments deficit. Tax revenues continue to under perform on federal, state and local levels.
Unemployment insurance, intended to bridge the gaps of economic and cyclical downturns, is turning into a long-term product with no end in sight.
It's a complex global economy out there. Complete economic self sufficiency is not possible and very likely not desirable; however, the crippling balance of payments deficits the U. S. has run for more than a generation are flushing this country down the toilet. They are the reason so many foreign governments own U. S. debt. The debt constricts our ability to deal with our internal problems.
We hear a great deal about ending the Bush-era tax cuts. This is probably a necessary if bitter pill to swallow. Nowhere have I heard suggestions of increasing tariffs on imports. There is a great deal of space between using imports as a source of revenue and "protectionism." A touch of carefully crafted protectionism might go a long way toward revitalizing American small industry. The multi-national corporations would not benefit, but the smaller, more innovative companies just might gain enough breathing space to get off the ground.
To see where the U. S. Government gets its revenue go to:
http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/briefing-book/background/numbers/revenue.cfm
It is interesting to note that both corporate taxes and excise taxes are below historical trends.
Why wouldn't an across-the-board increase of tariffs on imports be a good idea?
Monday, August 2, 2010
Pet Peeve: Productivity Gains
When I hear that American productivity has improved, I visualize...
1. Wringing the last drop of sweat from American workers.
2. Stagnating wages.
3. Elimination of benefits like vacation days, sick pay, health insurance and pension plans.
4. Off-shoring every job that can possibly be placed in a country that does not have minimum wage standards.
Labor-intensive sectors suffer competitive disadvantages in an era of productivity gains. The spiraling costs of education, health care and government are often blamed on inefficiency. But cost control frequently results in:
1. Larger classrooms per teacher, elimination of extracurricular programs, dropping "non essential" academic subjects like music, art, foreign languages.
2. Hiring more aides and fewer RNs, using physicians' assistants and nurse practitioners in place of physicians, decreasing the number of minutes per visit a health care professional spends with patients, heavy reliance on pharmaceutical therapies.
3. Privatizing military functions and prisons, infrastructure deterioration, underfunding watch dog agency budgets (FDA, EPA, SEC, etc.).
I suspect automation of repetitive tasks and increased efficiency through the placement of advanced technologies in factories and offices are no longer the major components of "productivity gains."
1. Wringing the last drop of sweat from American workers.
2. Stagnating wages.
3. Elimination of benefits like vacation days, sick pay, health insurance and pension plans.
4. Off-shoring every job that can possibly be placed in a country that does not have minimum wage standards.
Labor-intensive sectors suffer competitive disadvantages in an era of productivity gains. The spiraling costs of education, health care and government are often blamed on inefficiency. But cost control frequently results in:
1. Larger classrooms per teacher, elimination of extracurricular programs, dropping "non essential" academic subjects like music, art, foreign languages.
2. Hiring more aides and fewer RNs, using physicians' assistants and nurse practitioners in place of physicians, decreasing the number of minutes per visit a health care professional spends with patients, heavy reliance on pharmaceutical therapies.
3. Privatizing military functions and prisons, infrastructure deterioration, underfunding watch dog agency budgets (FDA, EPA, SEC, etc.).
I suspect automation of repetitive tasks and increased efficiency through the placement of advanced technologies in factories and offices are no longer the major components of "productivity gains."
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