What Will the Democrats Do For Labor?

[AuntiePinko]

Dear Auntie Pinko,

It seems like everyone wanted to ignore Labor Day this year except stores running sales and candidates pimping Union votes. Almost nothing in the mass media and not even a nod from our distinguished Chimp-in-Chief, not that I expected anything from him. The Republicans have spent the last seventy years trying to roll back the gains labor made in the 20th Century and it looks like they are succeeding. I don’t see anyone in the Democratic Party exactly elbowing each other out of the way to help the working people in America either. If I vote Democratic in the next elections what will the Democrats do to help working people?

Mike
Decatur, AL


Dear Mike,

It has been a tough few decades for workers, indeed. But while you may feel disenchanted with the current lot of Democratic leadership, keep in mind that the Democratic Party as a whole still values labor and has a long history of helping working people and standing with labor. The Party’s 2004 platform includes ending tax breaks for companies that ship American jobs overseas, tax incentives for job creation here at home, investing in small and medium-size businesses (who create the most jobs,) requirements for labor and environmental standards in international trade agreements, protecting the rights of workers to organize and bargain collectively, and prohibiting the permanent replacement of workers striking legally.

Unfortunately, since the Democratic Party controls no part of the Federal government, none of these priorities have been enacted. Since they’re in the minority, it’s very easy for Democratic legislators to make excuses for not taking action to help workers. If you know that your vote opposing some GOP initiative that will harm workers is pointless anyway, why not trade it away for leverage on some question where the GOP doesn’t necessarily have a solid majority? Many Democrats have made such pragmatic trade-offs, and it is discouraging for workers who feel effectively abandoned.

If working people get out to vote for Democrats, though, Democrats will know it, and will have a good reason to guard the interests of the working people who voted for them. How much they can actually do, and how fast, in the face of many urgent economic and national security priorities, is still questionable, though. It’s easy to forget that the terrible economic crash of 1929 dragged into nearly three years of Depression before Franklin Delano Roosevelt took office and found enough support (or maybe it was desperation) to make profound changes very quickly.

There are too many varying opinions about what is good for labor and workers, and who should benefit and who should pay for it, to allow any Democrats elected in 2006 or 2008 to make similar dramatic changes to Roosevelt’s. It would take something as dramatic and prolonged as the Depression to build enough unity and political will for (as an example) a single-payer National Health program, laws requiring responsible employee retirement program administration, a moratorium on tax breaks and subsidies for big corporations, or a major investment in forcing employers to keep from exploiting undocumented workers. All of those measures would make a very dramatic difference for workers, but none of them is likely to happen quickly.

Nevertheless, unless Democrats are elected, not only will they not happen at all, but those gains of the early 20th Century will continue to slip away, creating a corporate management class of wealthy elite and everyone else: underpaid, overworked, exploited and denied their rights to organize and bargain for safe workplaces and decent treatment.

Thanks for asking Auntie Pinko, Mike, and don’t forget to vote Democratic on November 7th!

[INdemo]

1. Not included in this summary was

Enact legislation that protects the workers pension funds.

We need laws that prevent union leaders from skimming pension dollars off the top and listing those funds as administrative costs in the debit column of the ledger.

[Demeter]

2. Frankly, I Would Be Relieved If Congress Would Just Stop the Killing

any halt to the destruction of America will help American labor, even if it isn't labor-specific. Our country is under attack from our so-called leaders, who have proven time and again that they hate us for our freedoms.

[benny05]

3. There was one Dem out there stumping for Labor: John Edwards

He visited 3 states in ONE day to join Labor Unions and workers at their rallies and picnics.

From the One America Blog:

Senator Edwards had a very busy Labor Day traveling to New Hampshire, Illinois, and Missouri. His goal was to raise awareness about the struggles of America's workers and to discuss the many ways unions can help workers move out of poverty with better wages and benefits.

From the AP:

"Preaching to Monday's choir, he(Edwards) called organized labor the nation's "greatest anti-poverty movement."

The manufacturing jobs that everyone is so worried about losing to overseas competition "weren't good jobs before the union," he said.

Edwards said he favors increasing the minimum wage to $7.50 an hour and banning the hiring of permanent replacements for striking workers. He also backed making it easier for workers to unionize.

"If Americans can join the Republican Party by signing their name to a card, they should be able to sign a card to join a union," he said."

The best account of the NH AFL-CIO breakfast was vlogged by Citizen Journalist mbair on the Daily Kos. She has links to the videos she put on You Tube and added more content about the myths of why people aren't joining unions. Edwards said that we need to make it where if a majority of employees wanted to sign a union card instead of a secret ballot, it will make it easier for the employees, and companies should go with the majority.

From the Des Moines Register (IL Labor Picnic):

"In the spirit of the national holiday and speaking for the multitude of union workers present, Edwards urged the audience of several hundred people to recognize the value of laborers.

He disagreed with reports on the decline of the labor movement, saying an expanding service industry would bolster union ranks.

While there have been divisions among competing unions and a decline in the percentage of the work force that is organized, Edwards said there are 15 million service sector jobs in the nation and another 10 million likely to be added over the next few years.

While Edwards said there is potential for growth in the service sector, he admitted that the labor movement faces significant challenges because of strong resistance from employers."

From the Springfield News-Leader:

"More than 1,000 people leaped to their feet, whistling and hooting, when former senator and 2004 vice presidential candidate John Edwards took the stage Monday afternoon at Fassnight Park.

Addressing the Labor Day crowd --mostly union members and Democratic supporters -- he touched on the debate over raising the minimum wage from $5.15 to $6.50 an hour but reserved most of his time for national and international concerns: poverty in America, the war in Iraq, a potential nuclear Middle East and what he perceives as America's hunger for leadership.

"We have two responsibilities: Our first response is to look out for the interests of America," he said, " ... But, as the preeminent power on the planet, we have a second responsibility. And that responsibility is to humanity. And that means that America must lead on the big issues that face the world."

Edwards' appearance -- part of the Labor Day parade and picnic activities organized by Teamsters Local 245 --_was the primary draw for many in the audience. But support was nearly as deafening for state Auditor Claire McCaskill, the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate whose speech preceded Edwards'.

"Whether those jobs pay the minimum wage or a strong middle-class salary depends on whether they are organized or not," he said."

And on Saturday, John Edwards as well as Ned Lamont (who also cares about us) will be traveling to SF for a

[philgobluemi]

4. Edwards on Working Families

Raise the Minimum Wage (at federal and state levels): http://oneamericacommittee.com/action/increase-the-minimum-wage/

Create "Working Society" (not Bush's "Ownership Society"): http://oneamericacommittee.com/action/fight-poverty/

http://oneamericacommittee.com/news/speeches/poverty20050919/

Employee Free Choice Act: "The best anti-poverty program is union membership"

etc, etc, but I've got to run.

[TechBear_Seattle]

5. The platform is meaningful if AND ONLY IF the party acts on it

Sadly, the platform has ceased to be a roadmap showing what we can expect from elected representatives and has become, instead, nothing more than a recruitment brochure.

So what if the platform mentions "ending tax breaks for companies that ship American jobs overseas, tax incentives for job creation here at home, investing in small and medium-size businesses (who create the most jobs,) requirements for labor and environmental standards in international trade agreements, protecting the rights of workers to organize and bargain collectively, and prohibiting the permanent replacement of workers striking legally." It means absolutely nothing when Democrats in Congress continue to help send jobs over seas, take bribes from mega corporations, does nothing to actually improve labor and environmental standards and makes no waves over how Labor is being dismantled by the Current Regime.

As the old saying goes, talk is cheap. And much to my dismay, the platform is overvalued even then.

[sparkleon]

6. Good Question

Democrats would like to lift people out of minimum wage jobs and promote more unionization and skilled labor. By doing this, not only will it help the recipient, but also will help all business's by giving the worker more money to spend. John Edwards has been going around the US to support lifting the minimum wage and getting people out of poverty by encouraging people to join and form unions.

[mbair]

7. hey - great post Auntie

this post reminded me to put up my vlog. I went to the AFL-CIO breakfast in NH last Monday, Edwards spoke. He did a bit on holding pols accountable to labor. Here's the video: Video: Edwards gilds the lily on unions

[sadiesworld]

8. Very little, I'm afraid.

The Job Creation Act of 2004 (which didn't require that any jobs actually be created with repatriated profits) was passed on a bi-partisan vote. The usual DLC suspects voted with the repubs to pass CAFTA, a trade deal conspicuously devoid of labor and environmental protections. And the dems, walking in lockstep with the Bush Administration and Corporate America, are supporting Guest Worker Programs (about as Orwellian as The Job Creation Act).

The dems have been shitting on labor for some time now, talk is cheap.

[ACK]

9. Don't turn your back on the base

* Fight to prevent any change of the rules to remove overtime pay
* Raise the minimum wage
* Remove the litany of laws put in place to make it harder for people to organize.
* Ban immoral tactics of union-busting.