The Right to Work Without Rights
June 5, 2012 4 Comments
Rachel Maddow is right that the conservative crusade against unions and worker protection in Wisconsin should be seen as political as well as ideological, in that they are attempting to make sure that it’s only corporations and billionaires who can spend big on elections. Which will lead to more for the billionaires and ever-fewer worker protections. Around and around we go.
MADDOW: Killing off the unions is what Republicans want to do in every state of the country. That is why Scott Walker is the poster boy for the Republican Party this year. Republicans understand that this is the way they can win not just now, not just in the current election cycle, but forever. Republicans get this, and they want it to happen in every state in the country. Republicans get this. Do Democrats get it?
It’s a terrific question, and Maddow brings on her colleague Ed Schultz, who feels that Democrats do get it. I hope he’s right, but if Democrats do get it, I wish they’d pay closer attention to the language and framing they use. Even Maddow and Schultz accept the term “Right to Work” when talking about the Republicans’ anti-worker protection legislation.
“Right to work” is actually an abbreviation…
“Right to work” means “Right to work for lower wages.”
“Right to work” means “Right to work without health care.”
“Right to work” means “Right to work without representation.”
Most of all, of course, “Right to work” really means “Right to have low-wage workers without representation.” It’s legislation by and for the corporations, and I wish progressives wouldn’t accept their labeling. Let’s call it what it is — the Right to Work Without Rights.
SEE ALSO
The Daily Diamond Blog: Scott Walker’s recall election affects you, too
The North Carolina Letter Carrier Activist: The Dismantling of the Postal Service
Subterranean Dispatches: Unionizing the New Jim Crow?
About Matthew
You got it. the “Right to Work” that they are referring to is sorta like the “right to Work” that currently exists in China. Definitely something our nation should aspire to emulate, right? *sigh*
Those who cry “Socialism!” or “Communism!” when American workers try to unite would do well indeed to take a look at China, and how Communism actually isn’t so big on workers’ rights.
“Right to work” means you should ‘kiss my ass’ for giving you the right to work at wages that are barely above the poverty level while we bitch that the taxes we are paying are to high.
My brother makes $15:00/hr. installing windows. He thinks he is doing good. I ran across some pay stubs during a move a few years ago that were 35yrs. old. I was making $13.00/hr. as a mechanic at a Ford dealership. I was laid off in ’83′.
23 yrs. ago I was making $16.00/hr. as head of maintenance at a very large shopping mall. Mall was bought out in ’91′ and “re-organized”. They hired someone to do my job for $8.50/hr. Some German company bought it.
Now I’m on disability because of an accident at a job in ’95′ that paid piece work. They had a bad safety record and no employee ins.
My brothers job now is something like my last job. He has ins. but the coverage is crap for what he pays. The savings grace is that his wife got hired on full time at the Whirlpool factory that expanded 2yrs. ago so her ins. is pretty good. Her pay just went up to about $12.00. She drives 10 miles to work and he drives 50. He hasn’t been laid-off since he started there 8yrs. ago but they don’t want to pay and he’s just happy to have a job.
I’m glad they’re working but it’s disgusting how the wages have not even kept up with inflation.
For a few years in the ’80′s I worked as a bouncer and security
for some of the local celebs in the area and made more than most factory workers do now. That’s when I first met Boehner. He was an ass, a loud drunk and a cheapskate then. It doesn’t seems as if he has changed much.
I’m sorry to hear about all that you’ve had to deal with. As you know, you (and your brother and sister-in-law) are not alone in being batted about by a system that increasingly serves just the few at the top, no matter how much of a loud drunk cheapass they are. What you’re telling is the story of Reaganomics, although unfortunately the Democrats have aided and abetted at times.
And while I don’t agree with the way President Obama chose a conservative model for providing more health care — how much credibility did that get him with conservatives, again? — I can understand why he wanted to deal with health care before jobs because so much of what makes the economy dangerous for workers is that lack of insurance.