In Midwest, Former Union Households Adopting Anti-Union Attitudes
All eyes are on Governor Scott Walker and the Badger State, but a detached observer should note that there are deep political changes sweeping the entire industrial rust belt. The idea that anti-union sentiment was limited to quirky Madison, Wisconsin, disappeared last week when Ohio became the first state in the Midwest to end basic public union rights.
Yes, it was Ohio — not Wisconsin — that became the first state to actually begin stripping government workers of the right to strike and the right to collective bargaining. Ohio’s size makes it impressive that it is happening there: it has double the number of Wisconsin’s unionized workers, nearly 665,000.
Certainly, Wisconsin was the first to reveal the disconnect between working class voters and government unions, but it will not be the last. With states facing deep debt and generously paid government workers, it now appears that traditionally pro-union households are prepared to adopt an anti-union stance. If so, there is the possibility the Midwest may become a new conservative coalition with pro-union working class families, a seismic political revolution.
Since the days of Richard Nixon, conservative political strategists banked their political preservation on the South and West, and these areas still constitute a powerful base. The South was never strongly pro-union — it is dotted with right-to-work states. Japanese and European automakers haven’t selected Detroit for new manufacturing plants, they chose places like Tupelo, Mississippi, Spartanburg, South Carolina and West Point, Georgia.
Yet in Ohio, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Indiana, and Pennsylvania the anti-union sentiment is sweeping historically pro-union bastions. There are many reasons why blue collar workers are alienated from their union brethren, and a big part of the reason is the region’s deindustrialization: the closures in the rust belt pulled blue collars out of the union culture.
The idea of a deep transformational political change in the Democratic rust belt was introduced to me by progressive columnist Harold Meyerson. Speaking before the 2010 election, he explained with some sorrow that there was a “triangle area” in the Midwest that was no longer captive to the unions:
From Pennsylvania up to Wisconsin and down to Missouri you have what’s now the post-industrial Midwest, which also is the post-unionized Midwest.
The loss had a major effect on the ability of unions to communicate with their members. And as factories closed down, so too did unions:
The unions served as a vehicle of communication, in a more progressive direction. You still have the folks there, but neither the factories nor the unions are there anymore.
The union communication wasn’t just an occasional email or flyer. It was daily contact to propagandize, persuade, and sometimes to apply a little pressure or even intimidation. It was a cultural connection. More than a dozen years have passed since many Midwesterners have lived in the union petri dish, and since then they’ve been living in the real world. Now they feel as if government union workers are picking their pocket.
U.S. News & World Report columnist Peter Roff illustrates the Wisconsin taxpayer antipathy towards their fellow unionized public sector worker: by astounding margins ranging from 66% to 79%, vast majorities believe unionized government workers must pay more for their health insurance and contribute more for their pension plans, and limited pay raises should be tied to the inflation rate.
Traditional industrial unions have declined in membership because of the priority placed by the leadership in maximizing wages and benefits instead of employment. The most honest of unions were actually more prone to do these then corrupt unions like the Teamsters. The union leadership sought to satisfy the most members so they could win reelection. Workers who lost their jobs from the higher levels of compensation lost their vote. They got kicked to the curb. Over time the unions got smaller and smaller and competitive pressures forced many union organized companies into bankruptcy or to either move to right to work states or overseas. The unions collapsed.
Public sector unions are doing the same thing. In Wisconsin the unions would rather have Scott Walker layoff 30,000 state employees to maintain the compensation levels of the other 270,000. Unlike the private sector, the state can’t move its functions to Alabama or so the thinking goes. But since the State has reached the “Thatcher Point” of running out of other people’s money to spend the unions are going to get much smaller as the state will continue to cut employees to balance the budget. Who knows, maybe someday Wisconsin might move some its operations, like issuing new tags to either private firms or other states where the cost is lower. The unions are in a heads I lose, tails you win situation. If they
“win” their battle to keep the money flowing then they will lose membership and who knows after this year’s 30,000 loss the membership will revolt against their own leaders. The official media plays this as a Harlan County style conflict but Scott Walker is the one who is really standing up for state workers. He doesn’t want any of them to lose their jobs. The union bosses don’t care about the 30K workers who get kicked to the curb.
In fact, the city of Bloomington, IL (where I live) does outsource some of its billing operations to Alabama.
Absolutely. Here in NJ, back in the late 90s some school districts were outsourcing peripheral functions to outside firms and laying off unionized employees. Not enough to get the unions’ dander up back then, but I wouldn’t be surprised to know that the trickle is starting to flow.
The trend in private employers has been towards temps – it just eliminates all the fuss and bother of hiring a permanent employee (soon to be MORE fuss and bother, thanks to ObamaCare.) And, the company is not stuck with having to lay off people when things turn brown, just call the temp company and say “we don’t need ‘em anymore.” Harsh and de-humainizing? Maybe, but the politicians and the lawyers have made it an attractive option. After all this union trouble, wouldn’t be surprised if the public employers start to figure it out also.
The operative words in the article are “CAPTIVE to the unions”. In this “Land of the Free”.
There is another story too that many UMW members think that they were lied to in the last election. The UMW asked them to vote for Obama andmany of them did. Now coal and for that matter other energy sources are under are under attack and they feel anger.
I don’t understand why the UMW feels that they were lied to. Obama SAID during his campaign that that was EXACTLY what he was going to do. Obama said he was going to make coal too expensive to use. That’s one of the few things Obama hasn’t lied about. That they were stupid to vote for him does not mean Obama lied.
And now he’s doing the same thing to Oil and Natural Gas.
The UMW leadership misled the rank and file as to Obama’s intentions with respect to coal.
The Democrats have lost the working class in Missouri. The 2010 midterm elections
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2010/house/2010_elections_house_map_final_results.html
crystallized a trend ongoing for about 10-15 years in this state. The state’s population is nearly equally divided between rural and the sum of urban, suburban and exurban populations. Races for national offices and statewide races turned on battles over the suburban and exurban populations. That war was won decisively in the 2010 midterms by the Republicans with results unlikely to change over the next few election cycles. This was clearly mirrored in elections for state offices as well. Democrats are now competitive only in urban enclaves in St. Louis and Kansas City. I suspect that this is the pattern throughout the Midwest more or less decisive depending on the state.
there is a god.
I would like to second that one.
There was a time when unions were vital and honest. Today they are not vital and have little honesty. More and more they are a real hinderance to recovery of the state and nation. They seem to have more interest in politics than labourers.
The facts are that America is up to its yin-yang in debt. It will take the strong determination of the people to make recovery happen. And with the willingness to do so, it still can happen.
Unions now undermine this determination. People must tighten their belts and bite the bullet. That is the sane approach, just like one would do with a personal budget. Otherwise they stand to lose everything.
In Canada, the Province of Alberta, bit the bullet and put their financial house back into order. Other countries came to them for advice on how to do it, as they were impressed. The big secret? It is no secret. That was what the people wanted and they went after it.
They still had the greedy whiners, mostly from government jobs, but the will was there and it was accomplished.
America can do the same. Even state by state, if that is all they can manage until saner federal government prevails.
“There was a time when unions were vital and honest”
There was a time when unions were honest? Originally they were fronts for the CPUSA; then they became fronts for the Mafia. Frankly, merely being fronts for the DNC is something of an improvement, if small consolation to the 85% of Americans they victimize.
“Frankly, merely being fronts for the DNC is something of an improvement, if small consolation to the 85% of Americans they victimize.”
The unions contributed about $200 million to Obama’s campaign. That’s one reason he has grown the federal government – more contributions available to the DNC.
“… Now they feel as if government union workers are picking their pocket…”
They ARE being pick pocketed!
Never underestimate the scandinavian social democracy ethos that is a big part of the makeup of much of the population in Minnesota, Wisconsin and to a lesser degree the Dakotas and Iowa. Many of them vote as unreflectively Democrat as New York Jews.
ricpic, your commment is a good example of why I for one, learn as much from reading the comments on PJM as I do the articles. Thanks. I didn’t know what was wrong with Minnisotta. The Wisonsin thing I attributed to the birth of Progressives and so forth but Minnisotta has so many decent people and they keep voting in these loons.
ricpic, the tide may be turning at least in Iowa. Here we threw out three of seven state supreme court justices who took that ideology a step too far with homosexual marriages. This in a state that never saw less than 70% of the vote in *favor* of retention. Believe me the Iowa statists wanted the decision reversed and even looked into the possibility of having the practice declared “unconstitutional” by none other than the Iowa supreme court. However there was no support for such a case and many on the left decided that they had already awoken a sleeping giant and they had better not poke him in the eye.
BTW, you left out Illinois in your assessment. For the life of me I cannot understand why the down state farmers keep voting Democrat every year and then can’t explain why the Cook county Democrats continue to leave them to twist in the wind.
I love what is happening here in “flyover country”, while we may still be clinging to our guns and religion, we are no longer voting against our economic interests. Elites on the east coast, stop acting like we are stupider than stupid. All you Pelosi types on the west coast, don’t wait for us to bail you out because we will not–fund your own utopia.
Both of you, knock it off with trying to run everyone else’s life. If you can’t stop this bad habit, please continue flying over. And we’ll keep voting.
LeighB – They don’t call you “the Heartland” for nothing!
If you live in the flyover “Heartland” then what part of the anatomy is the Wash DC area ? – Yes you guessed it “Sphincterland” from where all nasty things eminate and stink up the rest of the nation.
No, you cant have TWO “Sphincterlands” on BOTH sides of the heart, silly….
If the Midwest is the “heart” of the USA, then the coastal liberal enclaves are clearly the ARMPITS of the country…
Funky, smelly and unshaven, home to parasites and other nasties if you dont keep them (politically) clean….Today, the home of most verminous public unions, corrupt public figures, ruinous debt and political correctness that is poisoning the lifeblood of the country are from both (since the sixties) unwashed armpits.
So, Florida and Texas are the legs, Detroit is the waxy buildup in the left ear? Or is that Maine? And Gulfport, MS is ummmmmm.
Sorry, cant resist…
In TEXAS my dear, you will find the BALLS of the country
Could you repeat that I live in Baltimore,Maryland and couldn’t hear what you said as the flushing sound was just too loud.
Mr. Pollock:
“Simply put, they have contempt for blue-collar workers. Shortly around the time of Al Gore’s presidential candidacy, Democratic elites began to write off working class Americans who lived in the “flyover states.” They did not fit into the cultural vision of party activists who were enthusiastic about pacifism, environmentalism, or racial and gender issues.”
Your telescope doesn’t look far enough backwards. The schism between the white blue-collar workers and the DemocRat intelligentsia was apparent in 1968, where the college age hippies were waving Viet Cong flags to the disgust of the traditionally patriotic,(and veteran-heavy), blue-collar whites.
By the 1972 Nixon-McGovern election, it was clear that the Democrats had ceded blue collar whites to the GOP. In large part this was inter-generational antipathy, as the college anti-war kids rejected the values of suburbia and traditional culture that their parents had hewn to,(including the racist parts, it must be said), but also because Nixon, who was of working-class roots himself, knew how to speak to the Hard-hats…and did.
Ever since 1972, the DemocRats have been chasing the “historically oppressed minority of the month” in an ever-widening spiral away from their white working-class roots. The few attempts that they have made to tack back to their one-time base,(the Mondale and Gephardt candidacies), have only taken place with the blessing of the DemocRat PolitBuro…and have been soundly rejected by the electorate because what makes a candidate acceptable to the PolitBuro is anathema to the white working class.
Even in 2008, Obama lost badly to Hillary Clinton in the Ohio and Pennsylvania and West Virginia primaries, yet the Labor Bosses supported the Alleged Hawaiian, (which should tell you how “representative” trade union executives really are NOT). And had the Michigan and Florida 2008 primaries not been disallowed by the DNC, it would have been Hillary, not Obama, who would have been nominated.
Such is the primacy of the DemocRat intelligentsia.
“Now a revolution may be occurring in the heartland of the United States: will organized labor win in these crucial battleground states, or will taxpayers? ”
The taxpayers will win, if not now by the “two-knockdown rule”, then later by a knockout.
What happens in California should be most interesting.
The other revolution is one that I don’t think the DemocRats have thought through enough, (considering that they are fully aware of it, and repeat it like a mantra), namely, that by sometime around the middle of this century, white people are going to supposedly be a minority in America.
Can you imagine how that will change the attitudes of white voters once they are a minority, (although they certainly will be the largest minority), and…
can you imagine the DemocRat Party and it’s platform in such a circumstance?
I might end up as a minority but my kids won’t. They will be of the mixed race majority as most citizens are now. Calling someone black because they have a small portion of their ancestry of African descent is wrong. They are mixed race just as any other combination. They should start thinking of themselves as Americans. We are as mixed race as any anywhere. Oh wait, I’m part “native American”. I guess I’m not going to be a minority after all.
“The schism between the white blue-collar workers and the DemocRat intelligentsia was apparent in 1968, where the college age hippies were waving Viet Cong flags to the disgust of the traditionally patriotic,(and veteran-heavy), blue-collar whites”
I remember a bit of Hunter Thompson (in the hells angels piece?) where he describes this Crystal moment in 1965, when the Angels bashed in some Berkley skulls at a “frat party” that became an impromptu political statement they were annoyed by…He does a nice job describing this split of American Males, into elite yet effeminate left wing hippies, seperate from “the rest” of traditional American boys
Despite the Lefts propensity for “violence” against cars, storefront windows and such, they really are pussies when it comes to a fight.
Rocks and bottles from the anonymity of a crowd, yes.
Standing up to an actual fight, no.
Ricpic, these forces were at play in both Wisconsin and Minnesota in 2010. First hoary old lefty David Obey from northwest Wisconsin surprised many people by deciding not to run for reelection. His seat is now held by a Republican. Then James Oberstar who also had represented northeastern Minnesota since the 1970s got beat in November. Both districts are a combination of rural areas and smaller cities that were once industrial union strongholds.
Oberstar’s defeat was particularly ironic. He had begun his career as a vocal opponent to the federal government putting a sizable portion of northern Minnesota off limits to future mining and logging operations. He seems to have “grown in office” for in 2009 Oberstar sponsored a bill to give the EPA jurisdiction over almost every mud puddle in the nation as a protected wetland. This was not a popular stance in a district that contains most of the best known of Minnesota’s 10,000 plus lakes. A huge slice of the voting public in the district own property on or near a body of water.
OH, NJ, and WI are starting to look like better places to open and operate a business. Congratulations and keep up the pro-business policy. You will see people come back and businesses open up again! Thank you for leading the way.
I am from Ohio and so proud of our voters, Governor and Electives:)
Let’s do it again in 2012 Ohio!
Thank you all!
Good argument, but unfortunately it doesn’t hold true in IL.
We are the puzzle piece on the map that is missing. Just elected almost 100% Dems statewide. Unions worked hard for Quinn and he made it in. First job? He raised income tax 66%. More fees and regulations to follow. I’m afraid IL resembles none of it’s neighbors at all…it’s more like California with cornfields.
As a very conservative Californian, I feel a great deal of sympathy for any conservatives such as those in IL who are surrounded by idiots. We try to use logic to show where they are mistaken and they just don’t get it. Emotion holds sway in both states although Brown is making noises like he may actually have learned something over the years. I’ll believe it when I see it though. Good Luck to you Anonymous.
Anonymous, it might take a few more years, but Illinois will collapse under the weight of all its debt and union obligations very soon. They are now discussing taxing the Social Security of “wealthy” Illinois retires which is just a prelude to taxing all retirement benefits (social security, pension, and otherwise). What Illinois’ politicians don’t seem to know is that for more than a decade, Illinois “wealthy” retirees have been fleeing the state to Tennessee which does not have an income tax and seems to be quite accommodating to their northern neighbors.
At some point there will literally be nothing left for them to tax!
Actually, MOST of Illinois does resemble the other Midwestern states. Looking at an election map, the Dem Gov. Quinn only won a few counties, but the ones that put him over are all those around Chicago with the large (and ethnic) populations. The rest of Illinois really does not have a voice.
We have a similar problem here in CA. If we could split off the west coast from San Diego to just north of the San Francisco Bay and out to include Sacramento from the central valley, the Sierra Nevada’s and all the north of the state above those areas and to the east of those areas, call them Left Kalifornia and Right California, I’d be more inclined to stay here.
I think the antipathy towards the public unions has less to do with pay per se than with the “better deal” in general and pensions for life in particular. I don’t think much of this antipathy could be called “anti-union” as much as anti-injustice… It simply is not fair that taxpayers are asked to increase their sales tax and property tax contributions to fund pensions that reach as high as 90% of final salary.
If everyone was doing well, if unemployment was low and our 401k’s were growing, I doubt this sense of injustice would be as palpable or as intense… So the politics haven’t changed as much as the economics. People just don’t want to sacrifice for others to have $6000 monthly paychecks for doing nothing.
I’m not overly optimistic about the WI activities. The left has been very effective in shouting and shrieking so much that the polls are practically worthless. The WPRI poll was pretty much a mess.
I looked at the crosstabs at their website, and one of the questions asked if people favored the exemption of firefighter/police from the bill. Most people opposed that, just like they opposed the general bill…which of course is something of a contradiction.
Obviously, the left is big game hunting on this. If they can finesse Walker and the taxpayers of WI, then they have their model…which can be applied anywhere. Also, if victorious they might try to expand PEU…Obama would support that 120 percent
Madison is more a trap for the Democrats then an opportunity. Madison is as radical a community as Berkley and this produces a ready supply of sympathetic students and faculty to keep the demostrations going. The state workers have gone home and back to work and the picket lines are manned by your typical radical student and imported union thugs from neighboring states. The reason that you don’t see these demonstrations in Indianapolis and Columbus is that they are larger communities without a radical student base. Most likely the Democrats will see what they want to see in Madison and try to apply it nationwide. Their 2012 campaign will be way off key.
We can only hope they get it so wrong.
It will never happen, but “generalized”, the (retirement)’age’ when Public Union Pensions can be collected should be raised just like the private sector, or they pay a substantial penalty for early pension withdrawal. Just like those in the private sector have to. That would slow everything down…
To pay someone who is 42 and retired at this age until that person by the grace of God lives until he or she is 85 is certainly unsustainable to the tax payers. And we are not talking a measly 1400 a month (if you are lucky) Social Security Check either, many SS checks are a lot smaller.
So, yes, with the economy downturn, the tax payer paid entitlements, there is a huge disconnect here… There is a huge Re-think going on in America when it comes to the public sector and Unions… the gravy train is slowing down dramatically…
I was a union member for most of three decades. About six of those years I had someone whose hand I was willing to shake represent me. The rest of the time I knew the leadership was a bunch of lying, drunken thieves who wanted nothing more than to get all four feet into that fat union dues trough. I voted for a Democrat once in my life, and that was the first time. I learned my lesson and swore Hell would freeze over before I voted for one of those treasonous, sleazy, corrupt, lying, thoroughly despicable bastards again.
Hell doesn’t look like it’s going to freeze over anytime soon.
Gee Mac, Tell us what you really think. LOL. But your opinion mirrors that of my father who was forced to join a union when he was hired by sears to be a truck driver. He told me he attended one union meeting and that was exactly his impression of them. I also joined a union while employed by, well maybe I should not mention it. Lets just say, a very large city in CA and I even voted to strike against that city. But it was because they were paying another department 13% more than my department for exactly the same job. Fairness would have required equal pay for equal work. I would never have voted to strike if they had received the same pay for doing the same job. SEIU tried several times while I was employed there, to take over our union representation but we did not let them. I had the choice of joining or paying the dues anyway. How fair is that???
People should forget this union foolishness and take up billionairing; it is a much better growth industry. Three years ago there were 476 billionaires on the Forbes list. This past year there were 793; many of whom are hedge fund managers earning $1B annually.
I know that we should respect those who create wealth, but my question is: do hedge fund managers create wealth?
Is Algore on there yet? How long before B.O. is there? Are they paying their fair share in taxes?
Hedge fund managers absolutely create wealth. They’ve managed to make the Democrat Party very wealthy, with their contributions. And let’s not forget all the wealth that was transferred to Chris Dodd and Barney Frank from the finance industry.
Hedge fund managers create wealth for their pool boys, landscapers, construction crews and their accountants and of course that old stand by the divorce attorney, but that is the oldest profession in action(both ways.
Here’s the thing that strikes me…How many times have we seen a union vote to deny concessions that would save their jobs? Instead, they usually go with the option that eliminates several hundred of their “brothers” jobs. So much for unity and brotherhood.
Well Illinois-istan is run by a bunch of corrupt-o-crats. They maintain power by buying or stealing votes. They have a looong track record at it and have perfected it. But the Rat Party in Illinois is only marginally better. The Rats don’t even try to compete in Chicago and in other Democrat districts.
The solution is joing the “Take Back Illinois” group. We plan to compete in Demon districts and elect a Republican of our choosing. This is all outside of the Republican Party. Donate and/or help them turn the Illinois legislature red.
Since the real argument at this point is over collective bargaining, it is convenient that you left out the relevant statistic. This is from the poll quoted by the author “the idea that the power of public employee unions to engage in collective bargaining be limited to wage and benefit issues–Wisconsin voters break with the governor, 54 percent to 41 percent.” Since people on this site are very in favor of the government doing what majority favor, why are people here not demanding that governor cave on the the collective bargaining???? People here are such hypocrites it constantly amazes me. The Governor is on record taking his ques from his billionaire backer, and people here are still to blind to see they have been hoodwinked. Where is the outraged posts about the Indiana Republican secretary of state who was caught. There is so much bias on sites like there, no wonder everyone is mildly brain washed. I wonder how much the Koch brothers contribute to this site.
“I wonder how much the Koch brothers contribute to this site.”
A lot less than Soros to the Democrats and their websites.
“…people here are still to blind to see they have been hoodwinked.”
Here’s the thing. Remind me again of how public unions work: the elected politicians (Democrats) increase wages and benefits of union members, who pay union dues, which are in turn funneled back to the politicians for their re-election campaign, in addition to the union members voting for that same politician as a reward for increasing wages and benefits. Repeat over and over until taxpayers are raped blind.
If you believe in this incestuous system, you are the one who is still “hoodwinked”. I don’t care how much money Walker is taking from his “billionaire backer”. It’s certainly a lot less than Soros is giving to the Democrats and their offshoot groups like Acorn and the communist party.
…….”pay union dues?”… Don’t forget that in many states people in certain professions (teaching, for example) have NO CHOICE whether they pay union dues or not. Even people who do not sign up for union membership AUTOMATICALLY HAVE UNION DUES LIFTED FROM THEIR PAY CHECKS BY THE GOVERNMENT. This amounts to between $500 and $1000 a year.
Not just INCEST but ROBBERY also.
You tell ME how much George Soros, Hollywood types, et al. contribute to “progressive” agendas/politicians (not to mention unions), and we can talk.
And let’s not forget the $200 million that the unions contributed to Obama’s campaign. That’s not including what they contribute to local Democrat election campaigns. Not only that, the SEIU and AFL-CIO presidents get weekly visiting rights to Obama. How did the unions get payed back for the $200 million? Ever hear of the Stimulus Bill? Four billion dollars to ACORN. Billions to union-dominated industries like construction, transportation and state governments like Wisconsin. Then the unions collect their dues and give the money right back to the Democrats. It’s like money laundering, except the taxpayer pays. Again and again.
Another brain-dead Koch brothers critic – those guys must be really horrible, mean, powerful, and nasty.
However, I don’t see them or their minions (lots of minions since they are so horrible, powerful, etc.) giving the finger to liberals or saying they are going to F&&& a woman legislator or knocking a sign, grabbin the camera of a young lady report.
Are you SURE you know what you’re talking about? And YOU are certainly brainwashed. Go sit over there with Michael Moore & you can both plot to take away all the rich people’s money cause it is a national treasure and not really theirs but ours. Why not ask him where his money is?
LeighB:
Please don’t forget you are not just clingers. You “cling bitterly” to your guns and religion. And of course, being bitter you can’t be trusted to vote.
Anybody who owns guns has a vote, whether or not the pols decide to cancel elections.
It doesn’t take long, these days, to see that the union intends to use it’s members as fodder in their war against the Republic.
Obama has traded Rev. Wright for Trumpka, since, Trumpka has more ‘power’.
Just different leaders inciting the same sedition.
Isn’t it obvious by now, Obama loves chaos? So much so, he supports it from the White House.
Brian n – it’s been eon’s since your sorry trolling #$% showed up regurgitating your conspiracy garbage in garbage out. Where have you been? Trying to sort out what happened on health care over at Moveon.org?
Save the ‘Koch brothers did it’ for the fictional host former West Wing screenwriter over at MSNBC – where perfecting a ‘more perfect union’ is limited to the appropriate fictional hollywood creation.
9. Bilgeman – dead on as ususal – I highly recommend you pick up Rick Pearlman’s NIXONLAND – despite his being a dedicated lefty he does a smack job of recalling what actually happened in the 60′s and 70′s. And although he doesn’t focus on Unionism decline per say, it’s an intregal part of the narrative for those willing to dig it out.
As a third generation son who grew up in Cleveland during those years,
I think Richard Pollock does a good job with this post. Ours was a household that defined the ‘Reagan Democrat’ by the ’80′s; My Grandfather was a former radical ‘free market’ small biz guy who after loosing everything in ’29 went on to become a converted unionist via the UMW as a coal miner – an occupation he had escaped after starting there as a sorter at age 10 in the prosperous 20′s – only to face returning (or starving) in the depression. Just prior to WWII he managed – with the help of another union member – to land a gig as a car machanic in a GM dealership – and put in another 30 years at 4 in total before retirement.
He helped his oldest son find his way into becoming a machinist. Likewise he helped two of his son-in-laws get UAW autoworking assembly line jobs right out of high school. His youngest son, my father, was the rebel – who actually dabbled in retail before eventually tossing the ‘be your own man’ dream for the steady and lucrative training as an air conditioning/refrig guy as a pipefitter – where he too spent about 30 years.
1955 was the year my dad graduated from high school – and it’s generally seen as the high water mark for union participation in private sector.
Coming from this background, I do not agree with the Mark Steyn view that Unionism equals theft – echos of which I detect among remarks here. It’s a bit more complex than that.
My grandfather has long since passed, and both my father and his brother are ten years plus into retirement. My Grandfather knew Jock Yablonski, and while he remained throughout his life a passionate union supporter, he could never reconcile Yablonski’s fate. While his son, my father taught us that Yablonski’s murder represented the day trade unionism died in this country.
Because Trade Unionism, unlike its parasitic vestiages corruptly led by clowns like Trumpka, once was a vital means for people to lift themselves out of poverty – and even more importantly – meshed in the post-war era in so many vital ways to serve a greater public good. Unions actually educated workers WITH management – and they actually promoted a work ethic rather than an entitlement mentality.
And this class warfare crap? The memories I have of wildcat strikes and the like in the 60′s are far different from the bull%^*$ pushed by dolts on MSNBC and Brian n. It was about mac cheese and balony sandwiches for months – missed house payments and cars getting repo’d – and divorce and broken families. These are searing memories for people in these rust belt states – the death of the steel industry in the Monongahela Valley – the evolution of coal in WV, PA and Ohio – through the more visable and well know auto industry decline.
On the national stage this is the quintessential fiscal debate – more important than even pork earmarking in my view. If for no other reason than how stark the corruption is.
But. That doesn’t change the fact that Obama believes he has finally tapped the best wedge issue he’s desperately been seeking – tying attacking public unions as tantamount to attacking the middle class.
Which of course is bunk. That said, neither is it the black and white simple politics many here contend it is. Which is why a very smart pol’s like Chris Christie – and ditto Mitch Daniels – are being a lot more careful and measured in their approach than Walker.
Because while I believe in Walker and what he is trying to do, he hasn’t exactly been too adroit in opening this can of worms. In fact it’s folks like Jerry Browne who are thankful Walkers done such a clumsy job of it – because it makes it easier for him to go looking for ‘incremetal’ change ala washington handouts – rather than the draconian cutting necessary to get his state solvent again.
The greatest oppertunity here is to end the era of public unions fleecing taxpayers under the corrupt system that has evolved – and the best way to do it is how Glenn Beck was a few nights back – by detailing who runs these unions.
It goes way deeper than just Trumpka or Andy Stern. It has been over 40 years of a toxic stew – the cross pollination of leftists from Academia into the think tanks and on into the bowels of government – all of which has led to the utter destruction of all the good once done through unions.
In reality these public unions are the sovietization of trade unionism. And as such they emobody the chicagoland politcs fever swamp from whence Obama sprung.
As such this fight is too important to leave on the shoulders of a rookie governor in Wisconsin. If Bohner and Cantor don’t stop dancing around this then somehow we need to get new leadership.
Just like with healthcare, the Left from Obama on down believes this is the best fight the could ever hope for.
And conservatives should drop everything and give it too them.
And five years from now, when the bond market is again looking to America as the greatest economy the world has ever seen, the Teachers Union should look about as robust as the UAW. Killing these parasites is a vital link to restoring fiscal sanity and economic prosperity.
There is a big difference between private and public unions. I think most of this discussion has been about public unions. I can respect private unions. Private unions normally pay for themselves in higher product costs which the consumer may or may not be willing to pay. If not, the company either goes bankrupt or moves overseas, or gets bailed out by a Democratic president, in which case the taxpayer pays. Leave it to the Democrats to figure out the last. And the UAW members will return the favor by voting for Obama the next election. You are right, there is a parasitic relationship here.
Phoenix48 makes many good points.
The key, I think, is to distinguish public- and private-sector unions. There was and remains a role for private sector unions… many of them overstepped the bounds of prudence and their employers and current members are paying the price with diminished competitiveness, lost jobs and now givebacks. But the NLRA establishes a roughly fair balance between the unionized workers and the employers—if one or both sides does stupid things, well, the system doesn’t force that.
Publc sector is different… organizing public sector unions under the NLRA rules that are appropriate to the private sector simply does not work, for all the reasons that have been thrown around in the last few weeks, and more quietly for the last 75 years. The result is government saddled with too much dead weight to accomplish the good things that liberals hope for, and being a financial burden on the rest of the economy and therefore antagonizing the Tea Partiers.
The obvious answer, other than restricting public-sector collective bargaining, was mentioned by some commenters, above–outsource govt functions to companies that either do not unionize, or are unionized as private sector entities and have to compete, and the govt contracting party benefits from that competition. But, just like private sector unions that over-reached and have destroyed their own employment base, if the public sector unions win this round the eventual consequence will be their jobs will largely be outsourced, or financial pressure will just shrink those functions.
The teachers already see that with vouchers and charters, but in truth almost every governmental function, including public safety, could be largely outsourced if push comes to shove.