When he was campaigning last year, President Barack Obama stated he is supporter of organized labor and feels people should be given a fair wage for the job they perform.
In all fairness, Obama was left a huge mess courtesy of the Bush-Cheney administration. But the fact remains, labor put boots on the ground in support of Obama and now it's time to deliver.
The Employee Free Choice Act was discussed at the "Salute to Labor" in Chicago on June 6. Ed Schultz, of MSNBC and local Chicago radio host Dick Kay manned the microphones during the live radio event, broadcast over WCPT radio.
The EFCA is important because it will enable working men and women to organize and form unions to fight back against the greedy people that have slowly but surely, eroded the work force in the United States over the last forty years.
While I along with Schultz and the many others attending the live broadcast, support the passage of such a bill, there are also many who do not.
Big corporations (are you shopping at Wal Mart?) and greedy CEOs loathe this becoming a bill in Congress. Should it pass and move to President Obama's desk... it would become reality and the playing field would finally be level for workers.
Working people have been shunned for too long in this nation and have been asked to give back in concessions during contract negotiations.
How about the other side of the fence?
Why should a working person be asked to give up things while at the same time having to pay the bailouts to Wall Street slime bags and greedy corporate CEOs? They are the ones who created this financial crisis we are currently in.
The time has come for everybody to give back, not just the workers.
In Chicago, Mayor Daley continues to follow the George W. Bush plan and privatize (Lord, how I hate that word) nearly everything in his sights.
When Daley's name was brought up during the radio show, there were many groans and some booing pervading in the audience. There's good reason for this.
Ask an average American tax payer how privatization and outsourcing (key components of the assinine trade agreements the U.S. entered into) have been working for them.
On the other hand, the mega corporations have thrived under these plans. Especially with the tax breaks granted them by Dubya.
If Congress has any stones, they will introduce and then enact a plan for the Employee Free Choice Act in the near future.
American people need this.
After all, Senators and House reps, we the people, VOTED your butts into office.
Now it's time for you all to get busy and do something for the American people and stop sucking up to the corporations, insurance companies, big pharma and especially big oil.
They had their time and in the words of Barack Obama now it is "our time."
I couldn't agree more with this post. You certainly summed it up well.
ReplyDeleteDid you meet Ed Schultz? I like his take on things and had listened to his radio show for years -before MSNBC.
Hey Jim- thanks for always stopping by my blog and commenting. I appreciate it.
While I agree we all want the big paycheck, there is one issue with the theory. Consumers want cheaper products. If company USA is forced to pay higher wages because of the unions, the price of their products will go up. Unless the consumers are forced to purchase the products, they will more than likely buy the cheaper brand made by company ASIA. Second, if 50.1% of the employees vote for a union, why should the remaining 49.9% be forced into paying union dues. After all, it is employee free choice. They should have the choice to join or not to join. The unions did play a strong role in improving the labor conditions from several decades ago. Today, they force companies into higher costs that are perks. Without the greedy corporations and businesses, none of us would have a job. If a company pays too low of a wage, people are not going to apply for the job. Look at the Toyota and Honda plants in the US without the unions. I do not see their employees complaining and their wages are on par with the big three after union dues.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with you on the bailouts. If a company runs itself in the ground, it should fail. Tax money should not prop up bad business practices.