Does Labor Have a Future?

Submitted on Thu, 12/08/2005 - 3:39pm

When Labor Leaders Fail to Deliver,What Should Union Members Do? - By Harry Kelber (Fourth in a series of six articles)

Every union member, whether in the AFL-CIO or Change to Win coalition, is experiencing a growing anxiety about their economic future. And their problems are getting worse with the passage of time.

The announcement that General Motors is eliminating 30.000 jobs may be just the tip of the iceberg. During 2004, the nation's employers laid off 4,197,000 workers, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), who called them "job losers."

Neither the AFL-CIO nor the unions in Change to Win challenged the layoffs, accepting them like a natural disaster, similar to Hurricane Katrina or a tsunami.  In virtually every instance, unions allowed employers the right to  cut as many jobs as they desired, without consulting their workers. Thus, even companies that were rolling in profits took part in the layoff epidemic to lower their labor costs still further, while expecting the remaining workers to take up any slack in production. We're not sure where the ax will fall next, but what if you become one of the victims?

With rare exceptions, unions pay almost no attention to the plight of laid off workers. Those who can't keep up with their dues payments are dropped from the union's rolls. About 20 percent of these workers are still looking for a job, more than six months after their layoff. And if they find one, the odds are that it will pay significantly less than the one they had.

Union leaders are no longer concerned about fighting for jobs  for the unemployed, since the jobless rate is down to 5 percent, but that single digit represents 7,433,000 workers who can't find gainful employment. (BLS survey figures.) That number is larger by far than the population of every U.S. city except New York.

Unions Have No Plan to Fight Outsourcing of Jobs

Nor are unions and their leaders doing anything about the continuing exodus of tens of thousands of good-paying American jobs to cheaper overseas labor markets. The outlook for good jobs in the United States is not very reassuring. Here are some grim statistics of what we can expect in the years ahead:

American employers are expected to export about 3.3 million white collar service jobs to low-wage countries within the next 15 years. That will cost American workers  $136 billion in lost wages, according to Forester Research Inc., a corporate consulting firm. Is it any wonder that workers are worried that they may be next in line to lose their jobs to the outsourcing mania?

Looking at the future, BLS says that seven of the 10 occupations that are expected to experience the greatest job growth are in such low-wage service occupations as retail sales, customer service, cashiers, janitors, waiters, and waitresses and nurses aides.  Among professional occupations, the fastest growing jobs will be for RNs and college teachers, which require education degrees and special skills.

Wages Remain Stagnant; Bosses Win Concessions

If you're lucky enough to have a job, you are probably  finding  that your paycheck, even with a union-negotiated wage increase, doesn't cover your family living costs, especially with the rising prices of gas and heating oil.  In specific terms, the average wage increase for the year is 2.9 percent, compared with consumer inflation, which rose 4.7 percent in the latest annual reading.

But that tells only part of the story.  Under strong pressure from employers, many unions have made serious concessions in their collective bargaining contracts.  They had to increase premiums and co-payments in their members' health-care insurance.  They accepted  painful adjustments in their members' retirement plans and in the benefits that had been promised their retirees.

In contrast to their tight-fisted attitude toward their workers, American companies have showered shareholders with a record windfall of more than $500 billion in dividends and buybacks, as stated in The Wall Street Journal (Nov. 28).  "That's up more than 30% from last year's record--and equivalent to nearly $1,700 for every person in the U.S," the newspaper said. How many jobs had to be cut to provide that huge profit windfall?

What Can  Union Members Do to Protect Themselves?

For years, most union members have remained passive about their unions. They paid their dues  and expected their officials to deliver contracts that contained higher wages and improved benefits.

That situation no longer holds.  We can't rely on our leaders to fight for our interests, either because they don't know how or because they feel too weak to try. If we don't want to be treated like "road kill" by aggressive anti-union employers, each of us--for our self-interest--must become involved in a campaign to save our unions and our jobs.

The labor movement, representing a total of about 18 million members, is, potentially, the most powerful economic and political force in American society. Its members are at work in virtually every city and town in the country, supplying the goods and services that Americans depend on. It's our imperative duty to awaken our Sleeping Giant to rectify the injustices that working people are enduring.

Here is what we propose, and we welcome suggestions from others within the labor movement:

Whenever a company of 50 or more workers, whether union or not,  announces a layoff, a committee of union officials and employees will demand a meeting with management. It will insist on  knowing why the layoffs were made and how those figures were arrived at.  It will ask whether company executives have been included in the layoffs, and whether any alternatives had been suggested in place of the job cuts. It will try to negotiate the best possible deal under the circumstances.

Taking the Offensive Against Abusive Treatment

If the company refuses to meet with the committee or goes ahead with the layoffs, a mass rally would be held in front of its headquarters and an information picket line at the company's entrance would be set up and maintained until company executives agreed to a joint meeting. The issue would be pursued until a just settlement was achieved. If we did that consistently, companies would think twice before instituting layoffs to increase their stock price and bottom line.

The same procedure would apply to corporations that are planning to outsource their  operations to low-wage regions. In addition, there could be a boycott of the company's products that were being sold to American consumers. Unions should also demand that Congress pass a stiff tax on corporations that choose to relocate their production facilities abroad.

Our proposals do not require setting up new structures and the staffing of permanent committees. They welcome participation by union members in both the AFL-CIO and Change to Win, who share the same concerns about their future. These would be ad hoc committees that allow for spontaneity; they would help create a bond of solidarity among workers from different industries.

Most employers, even in unionized companies, have come to believe they own us.  They dictate our lives on the job, setting rules that work to their advantage, without regard to how we feel about them.   They want us to work harder and longer. They pay us as little as they can get away with.  They consider us disposable. And when we can't provide them with the profits they expect, they get rid of us and look for cheaper labor they can exploit.

Our union leaders have shown an unwillingness to defend us against  attacks on us by Big Business and the Bush government, except by waging a paper war against them through  press statements and e-mails. But what about us? If we continue to do nothing, the advantages we still enjoy as union members will erode even more; we'll be drawn into  "the race to the bottom," in a losing battle in the global job market.

Are We Angry Enough to Fight Back?

If we are really angry about the contemptuous treatment  we receive from employers and politicians, then we should be ready to fight back. In cities and towns across America, each of us should become part of a resistance movement that will react quickly and energetically to any injustice to working people. We should join hands with co-workers in our local unions and in our central labor councils to defend our rights. We should appeal to unorganized workers who share our concerns. If we build sufficient  rank and-file strength, we may inspire our leaders to stand up and fight with us for the needs of working families.

We're not going to change the attitude and behavior of ruthless employers and right-wing politicians by trying to shame them with words that expose their unethical practices.  If we expect them to treat us with respect, we'll have to demonstrate that we deserve it.