Bush Auto Pay/Rate Pressure Defies U.S. Tradition.
(EUGENE, Ore.) - Nothing Bush has perpetrated so far flings dirty sand into the face of the American worker more than his open attack embedded in crisis-forced cooperation to rescue the auto industry.
His projected “rescue” of carmaker corporations profanely proposes politically-motivated wage-bleeding by auto-workers already closely equated with non-unionists at foreign-brand factories in the U.S.
That perpetuates, promotes and extends one of the most damaging, dismaying, and deeply offensive actions ever taken vs honest, open American worker association in unions.
Unionism simply provides pragmatic access by lone, isolated workers to the strengths available only by cooperative action with others --in pursuit of their personal definition of happiness.
Choosing your associates is broadly conservative of the commonweal.
It is worldwide-recognized as the most powerful way workers can combine to combat overwhelming corporate power provided by easy access to dollar-defined devastating anti-worker muscle.
Our workers have “the American right to free association”, long recognized as “strong tradition in our nation from Colonial days”. That right allows them to combine and cooperate in their efforts to achieve personal “pursuit of happiness”. As our nation developed, that has come to mean, very simply, “a living-wage/level job.”
Here Bush again followed that powerful previous mentor of his, “Dutch” Reagan, for many of the desperately-destructive neocon-shaped policies from which we now suffer at many levels.
Major massive impact on our economy and our culture and social programs apparently is still not enough to satisfy Bush II’s imperial appetite for unwarranted power --like his mentor, not called “Dutch” for naught.
It was Reagan who rapidly wrapped up his early days as President with the first of many more union-killing actions in his regime.
Death-design for the struggling air controllers union demonstrated for all in corporate management what could --and should !-- be done to derail, demount and defeat unionism, under his UN-compassionate eye.
The auto industry, not by chance but by definite determined and dedicated union efforts, became by far Exhibit One in our American way-of-life, for several generations.
That was one of the very large-and-lingering areas for New Deal emphasis and action, with very large-and-lingering impacts on the formation and development of our American middle-class montage of freedoms and better futures for families.
Without those large gains-then via unionism the very shape and pattern of American life would be far different.
These new “cooperative associations in action” then survived various vicissitudes of union life and complex development. The historic record surely is strong and good as that of the corporate chieftains who headed, say, Enron or Long-Term or WorldCom, or the growing group of "wild-ones from Congress" during those same years.
With that “right of association” any group of workers can then combine with others on the job. That’s the ONLY way to compel the corporate “powers-that-be” to consider, complete, sign and live-with ANY agreements remediating otherwise radically unfair working conditions and compensation.
Given the overwhelming power of corporate dollar-piles devoted to keeping wages as low as possible, hours as long as can be endured, and conditions as primitive as legally permitted, the “corporate side” long had their way with the American worker.
American history abounds with union battles for the worker, with John L. Lewis, the CIO, Walther Reuther, and more recently the UAW leading the way through decades of desperate struggle. Those efforts are what have brought the blessings of many advances and absolute rights now recognized to the largest segment of our society --the “middle class”, broadly characterized.
At various historical times that overwhelming corporate power became so monstrously, massively disproportionate that Congressionally-mandated regulation was finally brought into being. That was the only pragmatic way to modify, manage and end the corporate manipulation the public has latterly learned to hate --now that deregulation has been allowed--with such intensity that national fury has become a new area for research by many sociologists, as well as “ a new force” broadly recognized by economists.
What else could be the case, given “the natural consequences” of corporate control continually causing desperate working-conditions and worker despair? Very few lone workers could stand against the well-understood fear of flat-out firing, and even retaliation for any and all self-defensive actions whatsoever.
But the American worker --reflecting another common characteristic --COURAGE-- took matters in hand and joined with brothers and sisters “on the job”. They made the corporate crowd listen, then learn, and finally
NEGOTIATE --for their own survival and any continuation of profits when the strikes were over.
That’s what formed the longtime “social compact” quietly recognized and accepted generally in American life --and well understood by both union and corporate leaders.
The compact provided healthcare and other essential benefits --by corporate acceptance after union persuasion-- otherwise surely forced into being at huge additional costs to taxpayers.
Read: “Cost of benefits” was deductible both by corporate interests and by workers, the first as a “cost of doing business” and the second by exclusion from individual IRS-return, by Congressional decision.
That’s our well-known American history, reflecting the powers of the potent right of association.
That’s why the Bush action now is so devastating: Tied to unfair, uncontrollable vulnerability forced upon the UAW and other unions by both leadership incompetence and industry failure to recognize realities, it substitutes a poorly-concealed bludgeon for ethical action demanded by Presidential responsibilities.
What it tells all of us is that “nothing counts except cronyism for corporate colleagues.” What it repeats --again !-- is that whatever is done will be directed simply and solely to corporate welfare --if we are so weak-willed to allow that to happen again.
Read: “Socialism set in motion only for the management side.”
Read: “Socialize the risks and privatize the profits.”
Utter contempt for any cooperative action assisting workers in that epic, historic struggle is the hallmark of this latest-last/shot liaison with corporate interests by the Bush-cabal band of incompetent perpetrators.
What’s the pragmatic answer?
Strong, sustained, wise and closely-regulated public support for these essential industries, via return of real regulation run by law-and-rule, not crony-capitalism as concealed give-away of MORE billions.
That requires officials dedicated to Congressional decision rather than to avoiding and evading the laws.
What’s the alternative?
Abandonment of long-sustained broad contribution to American manufacturing superiority with worldwide impacts, not only on the economy but in the provision of healthcare and allied benefits due to millions of workers. We cannot afford THAT, either.
We’ve allowed auto-industry decimation, by our apathy, to descend into continuing management frivolity with unavoidable consequential public frustrations.
Read: Fancy flourishes vs fuel economy.
We cannot afford that calamity of utter corporate irresponsibilities, but we cannot afford to decimate and pauperize THREE MILLION WORKERS involved, either.
We must “pick up-the-pieces and put them back together now”, as we do the same for so much more-- desperately damaged by this same rapacious gang of perpetrators.
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Henry Clay Ruark is the one of, if not the most experienced, working reporter in the state of Oregon, and possibly the entire Northwest. Hank has been at it since the 1930's, working as a newspaper staff writer, reporter and photographer for organizations on the east coast like the Bangor Maine Daily News.Today he writes Op-Ed's for Salem-News.com with words that deliver his message with much consideration for the youngest, underprivileged and otherwise unrepresented people.
Op Ed: Attack On UnionismSalem-News.com