Destroy the Unions
If there wasn’t an organized labor movement in the United States, McCain would probably be president. Last month, the Republican Party saw an opportunity to continue the agenda Ronald Reagan began in 1981, when he fired the members of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization.
Republicans consider the union movement as a natural constituency of the Democratic Party, and attempted to destroy another million union jobs by opposing the bailout of America’s automobile industry. The union movement is the largest organized progressive movement in the U.S., and Republican’s believe that they need to get rid of unions if they’re going to return to power.
The automobile industry was in the process of responding to a demand for more fuel efficient cars, but before their new fuel efficient cars came on line, they were hit by high gas prices and the credit crisis. Both Honda and Toyota in Japan cut back on their production and the Swedish legislature appropriated $3.2 billion to bail out Saab, which was a lot of money for a small automobile industry.
Many congressional Republicans saw the unionized American auto industry as being weak and like predators, they jumped at the opportunity to destroy it. They were willing destroy the auto industry, as well as, millions of additional jobs through out America, that depend on our auto makers.
Alexander Hamilton’s 1791 report to Congress on manufactures laid out a six-step plan to build an industrial economy in this country and we followed it until Reagan came along and started taking things apart.
We had built the biggest industrial infrastructure and industry economy in the world. When Reagan came into office, we were the largest exporter of manufactured goods and the largest importer of raw materials on the planet, and the largest creditor. The consequence of Reaganomics has been that in just 28 years, we’ve become the largest importer of finished goods, manufactured goods, exporter of raw materials, which is the definition of a third world nation. Today, we’re in debt more than any country in the world.
The current system for workers to come together to improve working conditions is broken. Corporations can intimidate or lay off employees who try to organize and bargain collectively, leaving millions of middle class people working without health insurance, at unfair wages and in potentially unsafe conditions.
The Employee Free Choice Act puts the power to organize back in the hands of working people, protecting them from corporate coercion and threats. It fixes a broken system that heavily favors corporations over people, and empowers millions of Americans by bringing democracy into the workplace.
Republicans consider the union movement as a natural constituency of the Democratic Party, and attempted to destroy another million union jobs by opposing the bailout of America’s automobile industry. The union movement is the largest organized progressive movement in the U.S., and Republican’s believe that they need to get rid of unions if they’re going to return to power.
The automobile industry was in the process of responding to a demand for more fuel efficient cars, but before their new fuel efficient cars came on line, they were hit by high gas prices and the credit crisis. Both Honda and Toyota in Japan cut back on their production and the Swedish legislature appropriated $3.2 billion to bail out Saab, which was a lot of money for a small automobile industry.
Many congressional Republicans saw the unionized American auto industry as being weak and like predators, they jumped at the opportunity to destroy it. They were willing destroy the auto industry, as well as, millions of additional jobs through out America, that depend on our auto makers.
Alexander Hamilton’s 1791 report to Congress on manufactures laid out a six-step plan to build an industrial economy in this country and we followed it until Reagan came along and started taking things apart.
We had built the biggest industrial infrastructure and industry economy in the world. When Reagan came into office, we were the largest exporter of manufactured goods and the largest importer of raw materials on the planet, and the largest creditor. The consequence of Reaganomics has been that in just 28 years, we’ve become the largest importer of finished goods, manufactured goods, exporter of raw materials, which is the definition of a third world nation. Today, we’re in debt more than any country in the world.
The current system for workers to come together to improve working conditions is broken. Corporations can intimidate or lay off employees who try to organize and bargain collectively, leaving millions of middle class people working without health insurance, at unfair wages and in potentially unsafe conditions.
The Employee Free Choice Act puts the power to organize back in the hands of working people, protecting them from corporate coercion and threats. It fixes a broken system that heavily favors corporations over people, and empowers millions of Americans by bringing democracy into the workplace.
posted by Jim O'Leary | 1:00 AM
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