The Walker Agenda Is Still Working! Part CXCIX

I, like most progressives, am getting awfully tired of the mantra that we need to develop the workforce.  The problem isn't with the workers.  The problem lies in the fact that companies think that people will work for substandard wages and will tolerate being maltreated.

Case in point comes from this story where some truck drivers said that they weren't going to take what they were giving just because he was working for a living:

According to the complaint filed in federal court:

Marshfield-based Roehl requires new drivers to undergo a multiweek, over-the-road training program in which they transport cargo with an experienced company driver.

Student drivers are paid a flat $300 a week regardless of the number of hours they worked. The trainer typically was paid per mile, not a flat salary.

Student drivers were told to report their time as “on duty” or “off duty,” designations the Department of Transportation uses to regulate the number of hours a trucker can drive and then must rest.

John Morales III of Monticello, Ind., the lead plaintiff in the suit, enrolled in the program in April. He regularly logged nine or 10 on-duty hours a day, and up to 70 on-duty hours per week.

At $300 per week, Morales was paid far below the $7.25 federal minimum wage.

The wages come to only $4.29 an hour. That is a far cry from being considered a livable wage.

Not many people could afford to work for that kind of pay. And who knows what other ways they were screwing their employees over.

And in case the gentle reader was wondering, of course Roehl Transport is a big time supporter of Scott Walker and other Teapublicans.

We need to get a governor in office that understands that we need to stimulate the economy by getting money flowing and not cached away in some rich executives' bank accounts.

A Sign Of The Times

Boutique law firm opens in Walkersha County:

 It provides local employers in the heart of the country with the unparalleled legal resources and expertise of one of the largest workplace law firms, in addition, to access to a distinguished team of local, regional and state-wide labor and employment law practitioners.

Remember The Reason For The Season

Well, at least one other person noticed the irony of what's going on in the state and the country.

Every year, the right wing nut jobs claim that there is a war on Christmas, using as their only proof the fact that some businesses would rather use the inclusive greeting "Happy Holidays" instead of the limited "Merry Christmas."

Yet these same RWNJs are trying to take Labor out of Labor Day.

As a result, Jill Sixpack came up with this nifty poster which I'm gleefully swiping:

Labor Day In Fitzwalkerstan

Ah, yes, Labor Day weekend. When the nation enjoys a three day weekend to celebrate the working men and women of the nation and to honor the fact that they are the engine that keeps the nation's economy moving.

However, here in Fitzwalkerstan, it feels more like an observation of what was a proud state that respected its workers and its citizens.

With the Republican assault on every working man and woman in the state, it's all the more important that we remember what Labor means to the state as well as to the rest of the country.

Those that are trying to fortify the temporary New World Order they're trying to foist upon us are doing their damned best to revise history in a lame effort to justify their indefensible actions.

But what is Labor Day really? And how should it be celebrated? Does it really involve those that claim to be with Labor, even though their actions belie their false statements?

For the quick answer, let's look at the official ruling by the US Department of Labor.  They note that there is some contention on how Labor Day originally originated, but all accounts agree that it was started by a member or members of organized labor groups.

What I found to be just as, if not more interesting, is how the holiday should be observed. From the US Department of Labor (emphasis mine):

The form that the observance and celebration of Labor Day should take were outlined in the first proposal of the holiday — a street parade to exhibit to the public "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations" of the community, followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of the workers and their families. This became the pattern for the celebrations of Labor Day. Speeches by prominent men and women were introduced later, as more emphasis was placed upon the economic and civic significance of the holiday. Still later, by a resolution of the American Federation of Labor convention of 1909, the Sunday preceding Labor Day was adopted as Labor Sunday and dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.

The character of the Labor Day celebration has undergone a change in recent years, especially in large industrial centers where mass displays and huge parades have proved a problem. This change, however, is more a shift in emphasis and medium of expression. Labor Day addresses by leading union officials, industrialists, educators, clerics and government officials are given wide coverage in newspapers, radio, and television.

The vital force of labor added materially to the highest standard of living and the greatest production the world has ever known and has brought us closer to the realization of our traditional ideals of economic and political democracy. It is appropriate, therefore, that the nation pay tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation's strength, freedom, and leadership — the American worker.

Well, well, well. If that last paragraph doesn't just fly in the face of everything the Republicans have said and don? And did you notice, the right's most recent favorite target, teachers, are included among the honored members of our society?

It also makes what's happening in Wausau all the more outrageous.

The union leaders in Wausau had decided to uphold their oaths and to honor the true meaning of Labor Day by making sure that the regional Republicans, who have been assailing the rights, the livelihoods and the freedoms of all working men and women, were not invited to the partake in the parade and other festivities to honor the people they've been insulting and assaulting.

Officials with the City of Wausau originally said that this was fine since the city doesn't contribute any money to the parade.

But lo and behold, a scant twenty-four hours later, they changed their tune and started strong-arming the unions to allow their assailants participate.  Without doubt, either someone from Scott Walker's administration  or one of his crony henchman had contacted the mayor of Wausau and told him to get the GOP into the parade or have funding to the town cut off or even threatened his own political career.

In turn, Mayor Jim Tipple turned spineless and threatened the unions to buckle or face the consequences.  Sadly, the already put-upon union leaders backed off from standing up for themselves and their members and said that the GOP pols were now allowed into the parade.

Even weak and vulnerable members of the GOP, like Sean Duffy, showed how clueless they are by failing to keep their mouths shut and trying to gloat over their bullying ways

The people of Wisconsin made a good start of reclaiming our state when we took back two seats in the US Senate.  But we must keep pushing forward until the working men and women of this great state are again made whole.  Our next opportunity is Monday, when we gather in various locations to honor them.

When you see any of these perpetrators at a Labor event, let them know that they are indeed not welcome, in a peaceful sort of way, of course. Make them wonder what they were thinking when they dared to show their face at an event meant to honor the victims of the greedy, hateful ways.

Quotable

The quote of the day is from Sheila Cochran, secretary-treasurer of the Milwaukee Labor Council, on the problems Milwaukee County seems to have even sitting down to the negotiating table, much less reaching an agreement with the unions:

Calling Abele’s letter a “clarion call to act for the taxpayers,” Sheila Cochran, secretary-treasurer of the Milwaukee Area Labor Council, led other community leaders in asking a simple question. “If the county exec is in favor of negotiations, where is the County Board?”

Given that a clear majority on the board actually agrees with Abele, that question crystallizes a mystery to be answered at the next full board meeting – and the Milwaukee community intends to bring a throng of witnesses at 1 p.m. Friday, June 10, at the Courthouse.

“I’m truly disappointed in the board leadership,” said Cochran, pulling no punches in her conversations with constituents and public officials. “Now that Scott Walker is gone, and is demonstrating his lack of leadership on the entire state of Wisconsin and now that the eyes of the world are upon us, can’t we in Milwaukee County go forward?”

From Dominique Paul Noth's article on the Labor Council's webpage. The whole thing should be mandatory reading for everyone.

Walker Gets His Cheese Moved

In my last post, I pointed out how Scott Walker was an international embarrassment.

It only makes sense that he is a national joke.

A cheese peddler in San Francisco is mocking Walker by offering a discount to any Wisconsin cheese maker that comes out in solidarity with the working men and women of Wisconsin.

This is just another example of how people are recognizing that Walker is anti-Wisconsin.  In fact, about the only thing that could compare is when the Green Bay Packers came out to point out how he is against our great state and its traditions and values.

I just wonder if I could get a cut of the deal if I hooked up the San Fran cheesemonger with the Union Star Cheese Factory..

Labor To Stand In Solidarity

From the inbox, which shows it isn't just the government workers that see the problem with Walker's tyrannical and despotic move:

Labor to Stand in Solidarity: “An Attack on the Freedom of One 
American is an Attack on the Freedom of All Americans”

-- Private and public union leaders, workers in solidarity against radical scheme to deny rights to Wisconsin nurses, teachers, EMTs and other trusted public service providers --

( Madison, WI) – On Monday, February 14 at 11:00 AM leaders from both private and public unions will stand in solidarity against a radical proposal to deny nurses, teachers, EMTs and other trusted public employees the freedom to collectively bargain. Labor leaders will point out that a proposal denying rights of workers – which is being rammed through the legislature this week – will not create a single job and will do nothing to address the state’s budget challenges.

Expected private and public union leaders include: Michael Bolton, Executive Director, United Steel Workers District 2, Lyle Balistreri, President, Milwaukee Building & Construction Trades Council, Eric Cobb, Executive Director, South Central Wisconsin Building & Construction Trades Conference, Mark Hoffmann, Chair, Wisconsin State Building Trades Conference, Marty Beil, Executive Director, AFSCME Council 24, John Jorgensen, Business Manager, Painters & Allied Trades, District Council 7, Russ Krings, Director, International Association of Machinists, District 10, Candice Owley, President, Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, Jim Koeberl, Wisconsin Legislative Coordinator, United Auto Workers, Region 4, Danny McGowan, Legislative Liaison, Teamsters Joint Council 39.

WHAT:          Private and public worker leaders stand in solidarity against efforts to deny rights to Wisconsin nurses, teachers, EMTs and other public workers

WHO:             Private and public union leaders

WHEN:           11:00 AM CT

WHERE:        Concourse Hotel    Senate Room     One West Dayton Street, Madison

Or We Could Just Work On Solving The Problem

Brian Fraley, of the misrepresenting MacGuyver Institute, thinks that it is high time that the state does away with collective bargaining rights and to make Wisconsin a right-to-work state. His rationale for these propositions is because government workers supposedly currently outnumber private sector workers.

Fraley, in order to support such an inane proposal, first construct an artificial argument, claiming that it was the public sector unions that forced this reversal in numbers between the private and public sector. The unions diabolical method for achieving this, according to Fraley, is that they vote.

Those bastards!

The truth of it is that the Republicans, his group, has been spending decades systematically weakening the private sector unions through the repeal of worker protection laws and by waging a propaganda war against unions in an effort to make them look like the bad guys. This animosity, combined with their diminished rights, has created such a riff that the majority of wealth in our economy is again being concentrated among the elite few.

The right now apparently feels they have the unions where they want them and are preparing to go for the jugular of the middle class and do away with unions altogether. Again, Fraley's argument for this is based on falsehoods. He makes it seem that all public sector workers are living in the lap of luxury and that is why the economy is doing so poorly.

The fact of the matter is that public sector employees are not doing all that well, salary-wise, especially compared to the private sector. Yes, the public sector does tend to have better fringe benefits, but that is simply because they choose to forgo immediate gratification and keep their eyes on the bigger picture. If one really wanted to take care of the high costs of these benefits, it would be much wiser, fiscally conservative, and socially responsible to simply do something constructive about the cost of health care, which is too damn high.

And if you were wondering where all that money is, if not in the hands of those public sector workers, take a look at the top personnel of the corporations, which are making record profits, but not reinvesting it by hiring anyone.

Instead of constructing straw man arguments in order to attack one part of the population who are just as much victims of the economy as anyone, Fraley and his front group should try to be honest with themselves and us, just this once. If their concern is truly the economy and taxes, they should take a long hard look at how they, by rallying their wagons around Big Business and Big Rx, are actually the problem, and admit that their cure would only push this country closer to a plutocracy. Then again, this might be their goal after all.

Likewise, Fraley's argument about Wisconsin needing to be a right-to-work state is equally bogus. First of all, most unions do have it in place where people can opt out of being in the union.

Secondly, this state is already a right-to-work state. If you don't want to belong to a union, don't take a job in a union shop. It's really that simple. If you want to be a serf for the rest of your life, that is your business. Just don't try to take the rest of us down with you.

The Media Coverage Of Labor Or Lack Thereof

Erik Gunn, who does the "Pressroom Buzz" column for Milwaukee Magazine, has a good piece up today regarding the sparse and biased coverage today's media gives to labor issues.

Besides his own experience on the issue, he also consults with distinguished experts like Mordecai Lee, Steve Jagler, Michael Rosen, and some fellow with the moniker of "capper."

It's well worth the read.

Some "Revealing" Facts About Walker's Donors

Greg Kowalski, aka Mr. Franklin, thought he'd do a little research into who from his hometown of Franklin, WI, was donating to Scott Walker's gubernatorial campaign ahead of a stop Walker has scheduled tomorrow.*

Kowalski's findings were, shall we say, rather revealing.

Walker has received over $1500 from the Hay family (Gerald, Sandra and Danny E.), who all happen to be in ownership of and work at "On The Border" strip club.**

But there's more.

Kowalski also found this tidbit about Sandra Hay:

Perhaps I found one of the reasons why: In digging a little deeper on how Sandra Hay could be listed as "self employed" by "self", I came across an article from the Chicago Breaking News Center, which is a news collaboration of the Chicago Tribune, CLTV & WGN. The article focuses on a controversial methadone clinic in Waukegan, which Mrs. Hay was a co-owner, that closed last year after a death prompted Illinois authorities to inspect the clinic. The article reports that the business likely closed due to the strong possibility of its license being revoked after it did "very poorly" on those inspections. Towards the end of the article, published August 25, 2009, it noted Hay's ownership of On the Border and that IL authorities were investigating a possible connection between the club and the clinic. It is unknown if they closed the case.

I would think that Scott Walker just might want to return that tainted money, what with him supposedly being the son of a preacher man and all.

*Rather telling that Walker won't be at Laborfest. But we already know that he doesn't support working men and women.

**Another possible reason why some members of the local talk radio/right wing blogosphere like Walker.

Well, Mr. CEO, Was It Worth It?

An interesting story appeared last week in the Wall Street Journal. The basic gist of the story was that as the economy recovers, more and more people are telling their bosses to take their job and shove it as they move on to greener pastures.

One of the reasons they give is that people are looking for that step up on their climb to success. Another reason is that people were getting tired of being treated like garbage:

Another factor making it harder for companies to retain employees is the effect of the heavy cost-cutting and downsizing during the downturn on workers' morale. A survey conducted last summer for the Conference Board, a management research organization, found that the drivers of the drop in job fulfillment included less satisfaction with wages and less interest in work. In 2009, 34.6% of workers were satisfied with their wages, down more than seven percentage points from 1987. About 51% in 2009 said they were interested in work, down 19 percentage points from 1987.

"Employees feel disengaged with their jobs, which is going to lead to a lot of churn as we come out of the recession," says Brett Good, a district president of Southern California for Robert Half International, an executive recruiting firm.

There's an old saying that you can kick a dog only so many times before it turns on you. People are having to go through furloughs, pay cuts and lay offs, all the while the CEOs and members of the Board of Directors are still taking home their millions of dollars. Understandably, people get tired of being treated like a dirty shirt, and will go where they feel they are wanted and not just used.

The companies are going to have to pay heavily for the short-term gain that their CEOs pursued:

An increase in turnover can be costly for companies. It typically costs a company about half of the position's annual salary to recruit a person for that job, but the cost can run up to several times that if the position requires rare skills, says Right Management's Mr. Haid. Convincing employees to stay might not be cheap either. Nearly 5,400 members of TheLadders.com, a job board for positions that pay $100,000 or more, responded to an April survey that asked how much more money it would take to convince them to stay if they wanted to leave. More than 20% said it would take a raise of more than $25,000. In all, about 50% of respondents said it would take more than $15,000.

This refusal of delayed gratification can also be used to explain why their is a lot of animosity towards union workers, especially public sector workers. Most people only look at the immediate pay and whether they get certain health benefits. Union workers, especially in the public sector, tend to take a longer look down the road, and try to get the best deal they can, balancing the immediate needs of their workers with their long term needs.

When the country faces economic hardships, like the one we are trying to climb out of, the short-term benefits evaporate into the air. Then those that sought out the quick fix become jealous and angry with those that looked further ahead. And even though this has happened many times before, people seem to have such short memories that the pattern keeps being repeated.

Cog Dis Applauds Briggs & Stratton

A great big round of applause goes out to Briggs & Stratton:

“We had some difficult decisions to make during the recession and our employees really pulled together as a team to help the company,” said Todd Teske, president and CEO of the Wauwatosa-based manufacturer of small engines and outdoor power equipment. “While there is still a lot of uncertainty with the economy, we are in a position to pay back our employees for a portion of their lost salaries.”

On Jan. 1, the company also restored its employee’s salaries as well as the company’s 401(k) matching contributions.

“We will see how the upcoming spring selling season goes before we make a decision as to whether or not we can repay the remaining 25 percent,” said Teske. “We will try very hard to make that happen.”

Teske noted that company officers and key executives won’t become eligible for reimbursement of lost salary until all salaried employees are reimbursed 100 percent.

Another good note about Briggs & Stratton is that they give contracts to places like Goodwill, so that disabled adults can have jobs and be productive members and gain further independence.

Other businesses should take note. This will make people more like to consider them when making purchases. I know it makes me damn proud that two of my machines at the castle have Briggs & Stratton engines in them.