Realizing workers matter less than we thought

 

Bill Knight column for 9-10, 11 or 12, 2020

 Days after Labor Day, the priorities of the country’s rich and powerful have become painfully clear: commerce, not the working people who produce the economy’s goods and services.

The shock and realization – exemplified with the rushed reopening of businesses despite risking the health of workers, consumers and families – may be the final confrontation in a long, brutal betrayal. Looking at the accumulation of signs and suspicions, wrongs and hurts, you know you’ve been ignored, rejected or worse, but always lesser, lower …

Knowing now that the Trump administration and corporate theme is “A big help for me, a bit of hope for you,” you accept that a new relationship, a new future, depends on a different understanding.

The economy has lost almost 13 million jobs since February, says economist Dean Baker of the Center for Economic and Policy Research.

“It is also striking how the job loss is concentrated in the lowest paying sectors,” Baker said. “The job losses in this downturn have been disproportionately among production and nonsupervisory workers.”

That could be one reason for the substantial and rising support for unions. A Gallup poll released Sept 3 showed 65% of Americans approve of unions, “one of our best marks in more than half a century,” commented AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka. “The popularity of unions cuts across party lines, with 83% of Democrats, 64% of independents and even 45% of Republicans expressing approval.”

An MIT study says that 50% of non-managerial workers say they would vote to join a union.

“One reason for this trend is that many unions have worked to build public support, as when striking L.A. teachers demanded not just pay raises, but smaller class sizes and more nurses, librarians and school counselors,” said Steven Greenhouse, author of “Beaten Down, Worked Up: The Past, Present and Future of American Labor.” 

“Another promising sign is the changing generational support for labor,” he continued. “Americans age 18 to 34 are the age group most enthusiastic about unions.”

However, organizing and restoring labor to effectively represent working people still faces roadblocks.

“Barring a tidal wave of worker anger that swamps corporate resistance, it will be extremely hard for unions to meet their goal of organizing millions more workers, unless there are major changes in labor law,” Greenhouse said. “Joe Biden’s platform includes many far-reaching proposals to boost unionization, among them, ensuring union recognition through majority sign-up and giving all public-sector employees a right to unionize. But they could be blocked by filibusters, which Senate Republicans have often used to torpedo pro-union proposals.”

Congress could pass worker protections like that proposed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) in the next coronavirus relief bill. Their “Essential Workers Bill of Rights” would be a game-changing steppingstone for a better future. It provides:

* Health and safety protections, including personal protective equipment.

* Fair premium pay recognizing the higher risks essential workers face, with higher benefits for workers who earn low wages (and thus need it most).

* Protection for all collective bargaining agreements so that they can’t be changed by employers during crises, including bankruptcies.

* Universal paid sick leave and family & medical leave so essential workers can care for themselves, family members or dependents without submitting doctors’ notes.

* Protections for whistleblowers, so workers who witness unsafe conditions can share concerns without retaliation.

* An end to employers' misclassification of workers as “independent contractors” to avoid providing them with the benefits and protections available to employees.

* Health care for all workers during this crisis, regardless of immigration status, provided at no cost through public programs, and a federal subsidy for 15 months of continued health care coverage for employees who lose eligibility.

* Guaranteed child care to ensure essential workers have access to reliable, safe, healthy and high-quality child care at no cost.

* A place at the table for workers in setting safety and compensation standards so policies now and going forward reflect workers' insights into needs and gaps in existing protections.

* Accountability for corporations so taxpayer dollars go to help workers, not wealthy CEOs, shareholders or political cronies.

 

“We can't erase decades of inequality overnight,” the two lawmakers said in a joint statement. “Going forward, we're going to need to take big, bold steps to reboot and transform our economy – and make structural changes so families don't have to keep living crisis to crisis.

“American economic policy has been focused for too long on helping the rich get richer,” they added. “We need to rebuild the economy so it works for all Americans and rebalance economic power so no workers have to struggle to make ends meet.”