By Brian Bohl
There’s a segment of the work force that is depicted as being out-of-touch with harsh economic realities, continuing to collect unfair compensation and benefits while the rest of the country is asked to make sacrifices. Despite reasonable calls for concessions, these malevolent bodies are simply out for themselves.
Some big-shot private sector executives reasonably fit that description, though there is growing discussion that is applying those negative connotations to labor unions, and for all the wrong reasons. Adjectives such as “powerful” and “uncompromising” are often used to describe the status of labor unions, which continue to be the target of negative stories in the news media whenever there is controversy involving strife between unions and management.
In New York City, there is media and public sentiments that teachers’ unions are too powerful. Not surprisingly, the New York Post, a conservative paper, pushes that agenda. Vitriolic commentary is consistently displayed in what are supposed to be news stories, and those caustic comments seem tame compared to the editorial pages.
Even papers like The New York Times and Newsday have targeted unions from the Long Island Rail Road and other bodies. It seems the criticism stems around the poor economy and the fact many salaried employees have either lost their jobs or needed to agree to cutbacks in order to keep working.
To continue with this type of discourse would be a disservice to the community. Blaming unions is counterintuitive and hurts the middle class, the blue-collar workers from which every politician tries to earn support.
The statistics available show that unions do not receive disproportionate levels of compensation for its members. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median usual weekly earnings for union members was $886. Multiplied by 52 weeks, the salary is $46,072 per year, a good living in most parts of the country, though certainly not extravagant or worthy of the public’s scorn.
The public’s notion of fairness can fluctuate based on the circumstances. In a poor economy, people who lose income and benefits turn to others who still have their compensation intact and want to know why they aren’t forced to share these burdens as well. However, his viewthat is a backwards way of looking at the situation.
Instead of demanding unions give back concessions to management whenever there is a setback, more and more people should be demanding the same thing of management. Companies providing full medical and dental benefits shouldn’t be a bargaining chip. There should be a basic level of care that full-time workers receive.
Conservatives tend to think union-forming is detrimental to the growth of business while liberals do a poor job of articulating the benefits of organized labor. Consider House and Senate bills currently in committee that, if passed, would require the National Labor Relations Board to certify unions after a majority of the firms’ workers (51 percent) signed union cards. If passed, newly certified unions would be able to enter binding arbitration on initial contracts if no agreement with management is reached after 90 days. The measures would also give unions protection from companies found to have violated employees’ rights.
Republicans, like failed GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney, are arguing against the measure, saying unions would have little incentive to act in good faith. That statement suggests the current Democrat-controlled federal government would always set the terms in the unions’ favor. In the future, Republicans can easily win back majorities, so this rationale for blocking the bills is short-sighted.
In the past, Republicans have blocked movements to raise the minimum wage, citing the negative impact it would have on small business. That’s wrong. A company that cannot afford to pay its workers a living wage and decent benefits and sell a profit is a failed business.
Small businesses deserve tax breaks and other incentives at start-up. Corporations still need to do their part. Starting July 24, the federal minimum wage goes up to $7.25 an hours. Try living on Long Island or in New York City on that. And that wage is after partisan bickering to raise the number up from its current $6.55.
This country should work on the principle that if you put in your time and work hard for three decades, your employer should provide medical coverage and a way to retire comfortably. History shows it’s a viable system and a fair one at that. Unions help workers maintain those rights. That should be something beyond politics.
Brian Bohl is a master’s candidate for journalism. You may e-mail him at [email protected].
