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FOR MORE, VISIT:
State Employee Alliance CWA 7076 460 St. Michael's Dr. Bldg 1000, Suite 1001 Santa Fe, NM 87505 505.955.8534 SEA-CWA Website America's Wealthy Wage War against the Middle Class Read: The Big Squeeze (PDF excerpt) UNION RESOURCES Legislative Updates 2008 Local Election Results Wal-Mart Workers Create Union: Increase Pay JOB OPENINGS Payroll and Benefits Administrator (ABQ) State Employees Respond to Hiring, Wage Freeze (PDF format) Newsletters Fall 2010 Summer 2010 Summer 2008 Fall 2007 CONTRACT UPDATES Final/Ratified Update 12.12.08 Update 10.1.08 Update 9.17.08 Update 9.4.08 Update 8.21.08 Update 8.7.08 |
Beat the Squeeze
Union Watch provided by Scott Goold
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Americans Under Protest
David Brooks writes in the NYTimes that as a writer he is protesting the upcoming 2012 presidential and national election. As Americans, we should protest along with him.
FACTS David points out some important facts about the state of our nation:
The Republican growth agenda - tax cuts and nothing else - is stupefyingly boring, fiscally irresponsible and politically impossible. Gigantic tax cuts - if they were affordable - might boost overall growth, but they would do nothing to address the structural problems that are causing a working-class crisis. Republican politicians don't design policies to meet specific needs, or even to help their own working-class voters. They use policies as signaling devices - as ways to reassure the base that they are 100 percent orthodox and rigidly loyal. Republicans have taken a pragmatic policy proposal from 1980 and sanctified it as their core purity test for 2012. As for the Democrats, they offer practically nothing. They acknowledge huge problems like wage stagnation and then offer ... light rail! Solar panels! It was telling that the Democrats offered no budget this year, even though they are supposedly running the country. That's because they too are trapped in a bygone era. [NOTE: While Brooks has many reasons to criticize Democrats, light rail and solar panel projects should not be included in his complaint. We import nearly $1 TRILLION in oil each year. This drains wealth from our economy. Light rail improves public transportation and makes America more efficient going forward. Solar helps reduce our reliance on non-renewable energy. Both projects decrease greenhouse emissions and help us reduce the damage we're doing to the environment. Lastly, unemployment in the construction industry remains close to 20 percent. Both construction laborers and materials are relatively inexpensive at this time. Investing in infrastructure projects is a WIN/WIN at this time.] Mentally, Democrats are living in the era of affluence, but, actually, they are living in the era of austerity. They still have these grand spending ideas, but there is no longer any money to pay for them and there won't be for decades. Democrats dream New Deal dreams, propose nothing and try to win elections by making sure nobody ever touches Medicare. Brooks concludes, "Covering this upcoming election is like covering a competition between two Soviet refrigerator companies, cold-war relics offering products that never change." source The Republican Party Should Be Ashamed of Themselves
 As Reagan's former budget director David Stockman has stated, tax cutting for Republicans has become a religion.
"Well it's become in a sense an absolute. Something that can't be questioned, something that's gospel, something that's sort of embedded into the catechism and so scratch the average Republican today and he'll say 'Tax cuts, tax cuts, tax cuts.'" "It's rank demagoguery," Stockman added. "We should call it for what it is. If these people were all put into a room on penalty of death to come up with how much they could cut, they couldn't come up with $50 billion - when the problem is $1.3 trillion. So to stand before the public and rub raw this anti-tax sentiment, the Republican Party, as much as it pains me to say this, should be ashamed of themselves." The GOP claims to be for fiscal responsibility but they always want to cut taxes even when we have record deficits. Even when Republicans are given a surplus they run up huge debts. Their real goal is simply to cut funding for any programs that help the poor and the working class. They continue to work to transfer the public treasury to the richest Americans and they are pretty good at it. But then again there's not a real opposition party. JOB LOSSES As a result of the Republican "no new taxation mantra, the public sector slashed 29,000 jobs in May. All told, the public sector has lost 510,000 positions since its peak in August 2008. And, state and local governments are forecast to shed up to 110,000 jobs in the third quarter, the first time the blood-letting has risen into the triple digits, according to IHS Global Insight. Not only do Republicans demand no new taxes, they have an interest in ensuring the economy does not improve ... this is their ONLY hope of defeating Obama in 2012. For them to win, YOU MUST LOSE! How Should YOUR Money Be Spent?
We're all painfully aware of the damage to the economy and our family portfolios due to the Great Recession. A Federal Reserve study shows we collectively lost 23 percent. OUCH!!! Although we have seen signs of positive growth in this nacent recovery, we recognize we have a long way to go. Some 14 million Americans still cannot find full-time jobs and millions more cannot find sufficient work. In addition the nation grapples with more than $14 trillion in debt and many states are underwater. The question how best to resolve this crisis is on many minds.
Should there be more government spending? How about tax cuts? What about program cuts? These are difficult, and frequently emotional, questions. To help you better understand the issues and make a more informed decision, the Economic Policy Institute has taken financial numbers from the Congressional Budget Office, a non-partisan research entity, and summarized program options. The chart below illustrates what happens financially if we invest ONE DOLLAR of your money in up to six possible strategies. By allocating your dollar to "Direct Spending and Infrastructure," the dollar returns $1.75. On the other side of the spectrum, if we invest your dollar to provide "Corporations with a Tax Break," this returns ONLY $0.20. 
Why does ONE DOLLAR of public investment result in outcomes of such different magnitude? This focuses on the "multiplier affect" in public spending. When the government uses your money to invest in infrastructure, such as repairing a school building, bridge or road, the money goes into the hands of construction workers. They buy more tools, an additional truck or spend their earnings on their household. This puts money in the hands of others, who also go out and spend, which stimulates the economy. When ONE DOLLAR of public investment is used for tax cuts for high-income earners or corporations, this money is saved or frequently invested outside the United States. This takes money out of U.S. circulation, which results in a negative multiplier effect, and thus is a poor policy choice. What About the Flip Side? Let's turn this around. Some elected representatives say our debt is too large and that we should cut government spending. If we follow this advice and cut "Direct Spending and Infractructure" by ONE DOLLAR, we can expect to lose $1.75 overall. The cut to a program such as this means the construction worker does not have work. He does not buy more tools or an additional truck. He struggles to pay his mortgage and family needs go unmet as well. A cut of ONE DOLLAR results in a loss to society around $1.75 due to a negative multiplier effect. Conversely, we hear from TEA extremists that taxes should be cut, yet not all tax cuts are alike. If we return ONE DOLLAR in tax relief to a corporation, only $0.20 ends up circulating in society. We lose roughly $0.80. If we provide ONE DOLLAR in tax relief to high-income earners, society sees only $0.40 in positive spending - losing nearly $0.60. Tax cuts for low- and middle-income workers are slightly positive, because lower income earners SPEND most of their new revenue. Yet as the chart shows, tax cuts are less effective than other programs relative to positive outcomes for society. Have You Thanked Your Union Today?
Mike Daisey discovers the worm in Apple ... Mike Daisey wants to change the world with his latest impassioned, comic-tragic screed, "The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs."
Everyone knows about Apple. American and world consumers rate the company as one of their Most Admired. Hundreds of millions of people throughout the U.S. and world happily own Apple computers, iPods, iPhones, iPads or purchase media through iTunes. Yet did you know how these fantastic products get to your door?  Daisey traveled last spring to Shenzhen, China, where Apple's and other companies' hardware is made by subcontractors such as Foxconn. He posed as a businessman to gain access to many factories and used an interpreter to talk with workers.
Daisey was appalled by the working conditions - factory floors packed with 25,000 and more workers, some children, doing 12- and 18-hour shifts or longer, living in cramped quarters and shadowed by factory security people. "I expected it to be bad. I expected it to be harsh. I was not actually prepared for how dehumanizing it was. I wasn't actually prepared for the scale of it ... That was what shocked me," Daisey says. The difference between Chinese factory workers suffering to produce Apple products in Shenzhen and the conditions you enjoy in your place of work - unions! Please see this feature also, as we remember: How unions succeeded in making your workplace safer in the 100 years since the deadly Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Many labor activists have shed their blood - some sacrificed their life - in the fight to ensure fair compensation and working conditions for you. Remember to thank your union today! What A Difference A Year Makes
UPDATE: The average household income fell 1.9 percent last year while health care costs rose 6 percent. CNN
[March 21, 2011] This week marks the first anniversary of the Affordable Care Act – a law that ensures all Americans have access to quality, affordable health care and significantly reduces long-term health care costs. The Affordable Care Act is also designed to put you, not the health insurance companies, back in charge of your health care.  Because of the Affordable Care Act:
How the Middle Class Became the Underclass
I know how difficult times are financially for many of you. Your union and our sister unions across the nation are working diligently for fairer and more equitable conditions. I call on each of you to exercise your political rights and assist in this effort. For additional background, see: The Betrayal of Public Workers Unions under fire as states try to curtail benefits Danger! Falling middle-class incomes Why America's teachers are enraged How the rich became the uber rich I quote from Warren Buffet, world's second richest man and leading American entrepreneur, who testifies: "There's class warfare, all right, but it's my class, the rich class, that's making war and we're winning."We must keep in mind federal taxes are at 60-year lows. This is pinching federal and state governments - entities that now must drastically cut services many of you need. This also leads to additional furloughs, reduction of teachers and public servants, and possible pay cuts. Speaker Boehner, when questioned yesterday about the loss of thousands of government jobs, stated coldly, "SO BE IT!" CNNMoney has an excellent article about the Middle Class blues today. Please read this. I include CNN's chart below and a couple paragraphs (note 2.22.11: I've added a second illustration detailing the explosive growth of the Top 10%):   "Incomes for 90% of Americans have been stuck in neutral, and it's not just because of the Great Recession. Middle-class incomes have been stagnant for at least a generation, while the wealthiest tier has surged ahead at lighting speed. (see CNN's illustration)Union membership is increasingly under attack. Simply put, lack of unions hurts Middle Class families. I know you followed the historic revolutionary events recently in Egypt. What do those who led the revolution want? Here's a short list:
I believe we have an excellent governor. Unfortunately, her background was prosecuting crimes where she did an outstanding job. I'm not sure she understands the economic realities of Middle Class working families and small businesses in New Mexico. Take a minute at lunch, during your breaks or after you're off work this week to send a polite - but informative - letter to Governor Martinez: Contact Gov Martinez Let her know we need our most rich to be heroes now. Our young people are heroes in our war efforts, as they fight to keep us safe by sacrificing blood, limb and sometimes their life. Our most rich are becoming increasingly wealthy - while your family is threatened with economic uncertainty. We need their financial sacrifice. We witnessed what the peaceful masses just accomplished in Egypt. They borrowed on our principles of freedom to ignite a revolution. Let's now borrow on their success. Peacefully, but in righteous honor and dignity, demand that Middle Class workers can earn a fair day's wage so they can properly care for their families. Open Letter to Governor Susana Martinez: What Our Union Means To Us
New Mexico Unions worked tirelessly to build our House of Labor. While the brick work of our movement is never finished, we have built our foundation of stone. The preamble of our union contract states that both "The Employer and the Union agree to uphold the well-being and care of the citizens of New Mexico." The entire written agreement was negotiated and signed into law because we "believe and affirm [contract language] will inure to the welfare and benefit of the people of the State of New Mexico."
While not responsible for the past culture of waste, inefficiency, corruption, and the effect it has had on our workplaces, state employees do their best everyday to provide essential services to New Mexico. CWA and the Martinez Administration have common goals and interests. Together we agree:
We are proud of our contributions and efforts amidst the hard times that have affected people everywhere. The future of our State depends on the essential role of its working people and the ability of those people to provide the vital services that are always required, now more than ever. CWA 7076 members are committed to the welfare, benefit, and care of the citizens of New Mexico. As the labor authority and historian William Cahn said, these [Union] contributions are not "confined to raising wages and bettering work conditions; it is ...fundamental to almost every effort to extend and strengthen our democracy." We believe we share with you the endeavor to improve quality of the life for all people living in our State and expand, through democratic process, the means to do so. It is our sincere and strong desire to cultivate and maintain a working dialogue with your Administration. In the past few years State employees have been required, through a series of salary freezes, job freezes, unfilled job positions, and consequent increased workloads, to carry the burden of the State budget deficit. This presents a circumstance where, not only State government suffers, but the welfare of New Mexican citizens is also endangered. We hope to begin a conversation with you that is creative, honest, and conducted in good faith. This letter, we hope, represents the opening of a door and the extension of our hand to you. It is up to all of us to transcend our differences and come to terms based on our mutual interests. We live on common ground and on this ground we look forward to building a working relationship which benefits all the citizens of New Mexico. Members of CWA 7076 Public Servants Compared to Private Sector Employees
Public employees, both state and local government, are not overpaid. Comparisons controlling for education, experience, hours of work, organizational size, gender, race, ethnicity and disability, reveal no significant overpayment but a slight undercompensation of public employees when compared to private employee compensation costs on a per hour basis. On average, full-time state and local employees are undercompensated by 3.7 percent, in com- parison to otherwise similar private-sector workers. The public employee compensation penalty is smaller for local government employees (1.8%) than state government workers (7.6%). ...
A full-time worker on average employed by state and local government received an 11 percent lower annual earnings compared to the private-sector employees. However, when compared to total compensation, the public employment penalty declines to 2 percent. High school graduates with some college approached wage earnings equivalency between private and public sector. High school graduates earn $36,640 on average working for state and local government compared to $38,269 for workers employed by private employers, a public-employment wage penalty of 4 percent. However, when we examine total compensation, high school graduates received total compensation of $53,880 on average working for state and local government compared to $50,596 for workers employed by private employers, a public employment compensation premium of 6 percent.  The compensation advantage reverses when we compare the college-educated labor force, with the private sector paying substantially higher wages. State and local workers with some college earn 32 percent lower wages and receive total compensation of 25 percent less than private-sector workers. The private-sector compensation premium jumps to 37 percent for a professional degree, 31 percent for a master's degree, and 21 percent for a doctorate. Profits OVER People: Record Corporate Profits Not Helping Economy
CNN Money points out businesses collectively posted profits of $1.67 trillion, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. This is up 28 percent from a year ago.
America faces an interesting paradox. Companies have cut salaries and staff to the bone and are now making record profits. They have pushed their existing staff to do more (increasing worker productivity). Hiring new employees reduces profit margins - because consumers remain unwilling (or unable) to spend. Thus, companies will not add to their payrolls until they are confident consumers are going to spend more. Yet consumers won't increase their spending until the job market improves. This "Catch 22" tells us companies will continue to squeeze more out of their existing work force. Since unemployment is high, workers can say little. Employees must simply grin and bear it. Profit margins are expected to continue increasing faster than GDP growth for years. In other words, corporate executives can count their blessings this holiday season. And, they probably will again next year. Too bad it may be at the expense of the rest of us. 
Obama Gets Shellacked for Doing the Right Thing
The Connecticut Compromise ... remember that? Not many people do. This set up the foundation for our Congress: members of the House elected every two years; Senators elected every six. Our Founders wanted one body to be somewhat sheltered from the emotions of the mass public.
High-exposure pundits, such as Shawn Tully at Fortune, write: By 2013, the total U.S. federal debt will total 76% of GDP if Congress remains gridlocked, and digging out at that point will be unimaginably painful. In this week's elections, voters clearly voiced their frustration with the explosion in government spending, deficits and debt. Americans recognize that when the outgoing dollars exceed those coming in by 63%––the actual number in the fiscal 2010 budget––it's the same reckless behavior as if they paid for rent and groceries by running up gigantic credit card bills certain to destroy them in the future.Shawn is highly educated but does not understand economics. Can you imagine what would have happened had Obama and the federal government not engaged in deficit spending? Millions of additional jobs would have been lost. And, look at today's job report. Average weekly wages improved in October by the biggest percentage than at any time since the start of the Great Recession -- up 3.5% compared to a year ago: 
Had Shawn been president, he claims he would have cut governnment spending. This would have put more federal workers in unemployment lines; the stimulus paid for 10,000s of state teachers and public workers. They would have been in unemployment lines - asking for benefits (increasing debt). Taxpayers would have supported them - yet would not have received the services. Because people like Shawn have a big microphone, too many America voters were scared into voting against their best interests. The outcome in the U.S. House race reflects their emotional reaction. Good thing we have the Connecticut Compromise! I'm Rich; Tax Me More ~ by Garrett Gruener
Thankfully some of America's MOST RICH love their country more than they love wealth and power. Garrett Gruener, founder of Ask.com, chief executive of Nanomix, and co-founder and director of the venture capital firm Alta Partners, writing in the LA Times, says:
[1] For nearly the last decade, I've paid income taxes at the lowest rates of my professional career. [2] Almost a decade ago, President George W. Bush and his Republican colleagues in Congress pushed through a massive reduction in marginal tax rates, a reduction that benefited the wealthy far more than other taxpayers. [3] We were told the cuts would accelerate business growth and create jobs. Instead, we got nearly a decade of anemic job growth, stagnating wages, declining incomes and high inequality. [4] The supply-side, trickle-down economic policies of the last decade benefited people like me, but the wealth didn't trickle down. So while we did quite well, people who live from paycheck to paycheck didn't. [5] When inequality gets too far out of balance, as it did over the course of the last decade, the wealthy end up saving too much while members of the middle class can't afford to spend much unless they borrow excessively. Eventually, the economy stalls for lack of demand, and we see the kind of deflationary spiral we find ourselves in now. I believe it is no coincidence that the TWO HIGHEST PEAKS in American income inequality came in 1929 and 2008, and that the following years were marked by low economic activity and significant unemployment. [6] ... from my perspective as an entrepreneur, the fluctuation [in tax rates] didn't affect what I did with my money. None of my investments has ever been motivated by the rate at which I would have to pay personal income tax. Modest changes in the tax rate for wealthy taxpayers don't make much of a difference if the goal is to build new companies, drive technological development and stimulate new industries. First Provisions of Affordable Care Act Begin
Yesterday, Nancy-Ann DeParle of the Office of Health Reform joined bloggers for a conference call to highlight the provisions of the Affordable Care Act that go into effect September 23, 2010, six months after enactment of the law. Those changes:
See also: www.WhiteHouse.gov/HealthReform Family Insurance Costs Skyrocket 14 Percent in 2010
American workers are taking yet another blow to their wallets this year -- a whopping 14% jump in costs to insure their families.
The spike comes even as premiums for family coverage rose only 3%. This discrepancy is a result of cost-conscious companies shifting more of the insurance burden onto employees.
 Source: CNN: Sept. 2, 2010 Voters Oppose Most Social Security Changes
U.S. News and World Report summarizes (July 30, 2010) a survey asking Americans about potential changes to Social Security. Planning to Retire - Survey: Voters Oppose Most Social Security Changes
Keep in mind that little change is needed to fully fund Social Security into the 22nd century. Republicans unified and some Blue Dog Democrats want you to believe the program is facing MAJOR financial problems. It isn't! They simply want to scare you, reduce your earned benefits and protect the MOST RICH from paying their fair share. Learn more here. "The federal government is considering a variety of ways to tweak Social Security benefits for people younger than age 55 in 2010. The Congressional Budget Office recently analyzed the financial impact of 30 potential Social Security changes including tax increases, benefit cuts, and raising the retirement age. See Government Analyzes 30 Social Security Changes. The Social Security change with the most support (67% in favor) is requiring high income workers to pay Social Security taxes on all of their wages. Most adults (63%) also say it is a good idea to limit benefits for wealthy retirees. Workers pay into the Social Security system on earnings up to $106,800 in 2010. If wealthy retirees were taxed on all of their income above $106,800 annually, but did not earn extra benefits based on those contributions, the Social Security trust fund's projected deficit would be completely eliminated ..." Farm workers say: Take our jobs, please!
In light of anti-immigration leaders, such as Gov. Janice Brewer, R-Ariz., who told reporters in June that the "majority" of immigrants crossing the border from Mexico are smuggling drugs for cartels and also signed into law requirements for state police to "determine the immigration status" of anyone under "reasonable suspicion" of being an illegal alien, the United Farm Workers union is challenging Americans to take their labor-intensive, low-paying farm jobs.
"Farm workers do the work that most Americans are not willing to do," said union president Arturo Rodriguez in the announcement of the campaign. At least half a million applicants are needed to replace the immigrant workforce, so the union has posted an online application for Americans who want to work on a farm. Most applicants quickly lose interest once the reality sinks in that these are back-breaking jobs in triple-digit temperatures that pay minimum wage, usually without benefits, according to the union. Some small farms are not required to pay minimum wage and in 15 states farms aren't required to offer workers' compensation. www.takeourjobs.org MY LETTER (7.6.10) TO TakeOurJobs.org: To my brothers and sisters ~ Thank you for ALL the hard work and generosity you provide America. I apologize for the many terrible things said about you; I apologize for the way so many of our farm workers are treated. I hope you know there are millions of us who stand with you. Thank you for giving us the best food in the world at the lowest prices possible. In unity ... Scott The Day of Reckoning For State Pension Plans
by Josh Rauh, Ph.D., Economics [posted 6.4.10] The pension plans sponsored by states and municipalities will place a substantial burden on state and local public finances in the near future. My recent work has estimated that the present value of already-promised state pension benefits is over $5 trillion when the benefit payments are discounted using Treasury yields, compared to a little over $2 trillion in pension fund assets. Most state constitutions offer special protections to pension benefits that state workers have already earned ... As the accompanying table shows, the day of reckoning is in fact not as far away as some might imagine. Under my projections, seven states run out of money before 2020, including Louisiana (2017), Illinois (2018), New Jersey (2018), and Connecticut (2018). Thirty more states are expected to run out of money during the 2020s. NOTE: Dr. Rauh projects New Mexico's state plans will be exhausted by 2023. Please see his complete article. [complete article] Furloughs and Related Information
Mitch McConnell: Republicans Will Not Support the EFCA
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) promised that no Republicans will vote for the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), should it come to the Senate floor.
In a speech before the business organization Commerce Lexington, McConnell explained that the reason for such uncompromising opposition is that workers don't actually want to join unions due to the "very enlightened management in this country now, treating employees better and employees have decided they don't want to pay the dues." source In a related story: Low-wage workers are "often cheated" being routinely denied proper overtime pay and are often paid less than the minimum wage, according to a new study based on a survey of workers in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.... In surveying 4,387 workers in various low-wage industries, including apparel manufacturing, child care and discount retailing, the researchers found that the typical worker had lost $51 the previous week through wage violations, out of average weekly earnings of $339. That translates into a 15 percent loss in pay. source Pretty much shatters the "enlightened management" illusion, doesn't it, Mitch! Senator Edward "Ted" Kennedy, the Liberal Lion
 Born in 1932, the legislation he helped pass made life better for children, the poor, African-Americans, immigrants and workers. This is a tremendous loss for our nation and its citizens.
We honor and salute you! Ted Kennedy was, quite simply, the best friend that working people had in the Senate. He served on the Senate Labor Committee (known by many different names over the years) from his first day in the Senate through his last, and chaired the Committee for many years. During that time, he was the driving force behind nearly every major piece of legislation intended to bring justice to the workplace -- from minimum wage laws to occupational safety reforms. But critically, and more than almost anyone in public life, he recognized that dignity and fairness in the workplace are ultimately dependent not on laws, and certainly not on the good graces of bosses, but on the right of working people to organize and bargain collectively. In short, Ted Kennedy -- the scion of Hyannisport -- was a full-blooded trade unionist. And he therefore dedicated much of the last decade of his life to the fight to pass the Employee Free Choice Act, the labor law reform he drafted to once again give working people a real chance to form unions and win fairness on the shop floor. It simply is not possible to truly honor Ted Kennedy's memory and at the same time oppose the bill that he crafted to rebuild democracy in the workplace. Jake McIntyre What's On Your Mind?
Question: My husband and I both work full time. It seems we work all the time. Yet by the end of the month, we simply don't have any money left over. What should we do?
Answer: Steven Greenhouse, writing in his recent book, The Big Squeeze: Tough Times for the American Worker, says you aren't alone. Since 1979, hourly earnings for 80 percent of American workers (those in private-sector, nonsupervisory jobs) have risen by just ONE percent, after inflation. The average hourly wage was $17.71 at the end of 2007.Had earnings kept pace with worker productivity, you would be making around $27.88 per hour today. Read a short excerpt from Greenhouse's book, The Big Squeeze American workers are well aware that wages have stagnated. Economists note that dismal worker pay has made the recent downturn in the nation's economy even more painful. Skyrocketing fuel and food costs have hit workers extra hard because their incomes have not kept pace with inflation during this decade. To make ends meet, you are working harder than ever. Greenhouse's research shows: The typical American worker toils 1,804 hours a year, 135 hours (nearly four weeks) more than the typical British worker, 240 hours (six weeks) more than the average French worker, and 370 hours (or nine full-time weeks) more than the average German worker.This has created both a financial and time squeeze. Employed parents don't have enough time today to be with their kids or their spouse. There isn't time to exercise, run errands or have a high quality of life. In addition you are more productive today than U.S. workers have ever been in history. You are putting in more hours at work; you are more productive on the job. This equates to increased profits for businesses. So where is all the extra money going? Greenhouse points out that corporate profits have doubled since November 2001. Between 1996 and 2006, corporate CEO pay rose 45 percent. CEOs at 386 of the Fortune 500 companies took home an average of $10.8 million in total compensation in 2006, more than 364 times what the average worker earned that same year. You're busting your ass; your kids suffer; yet corporations and CEOs rip you off by stealing the profits you are earning. Who Works For You? In 1983 union membership was slightly greater than 20 percent; today it's around 12 percent. As union membership has gone down, so has worker compensation. Who fights to get you higher pay and better benefits? Without a union, you are on your own -- GOOD LUCK! Your paycheck speaks for itself. Unions aren't popular -- with management. This is because they are effective. You will hear many negative things about unions. Most of this is untrue and deceptive. Corporate America hates unions -- because they fight to keep jobs in America, keep worker pay high relative to increases in worker productivity, and ensure work places are safe, fair and fun! Union Employees Make More Money 2007
 Unions work. The chart above shows that, across all demographic groups, union employees make more money than non-union workers. Looking at the Total column, union workers make over $10,000 more per year than non-union laborers. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the union wage benefit is even greater for minorities and women. Union women earn 33 percent more than nonunion women; African American union members earn 37 percent more than their nonunion counterparts; for Latino workers, the union advantage equals 51 percent, and for Asian American workers, the union advantage is 4 percent. source Whether you are in a union or not, high union membership causes ALL worker pay and benefits to increase. Businesses must complete for workers -- at the market rate. In many cases today, businesses set their rates for labor by comparing to the world market. Workers in China, India, Mexico and other developing nations can afford to work for pennies per hour. Can you? A professional in India may make $4,000 per year for doing a job that is similar to the one you are currently doing. Can you live on $4,000 per year? Can you send your children to college on that salary? Can you afford medical care, retirement or a long deserved vacation? Today America is a playground for the corporate rich, not for American workers -- and, it was American labor who built this nation; American labor fought and died in WWII to create the greatest period of prosperity that the world has ever witnessed. The prosperous period created by our parents and grandparents has ended. If you hesitate to get involved now, your job and lifestyle will be outsourced. | ||
