By Tom KandoSo the Republicans are trying to bust the unions in Wisconsin and elsewhere. A recent article by Charles Krauthammer (“Wisconsin GOP sees the debt and crosses the Rubicon,” Sacramento Bee, February 25, 2011) expresses all the evil and stupidity of this effort. Every one of Krauthammer’s arguments is easily refutable, yet the likes of him have managed to bamboozle half of the American public.
Krauthammer’s worn-out and false argument is that, in the private sector, the capitalist can’t afford to give away the store, but in the public sector, politicians always make sweetheart deals with lazy public employees, because it’s not their own money.
The truth: Without Unions, America would still be a Social-Darwinist society, with no middle class. Union membership is down to 7% of the private labor force, from close to 40% half a century ago. The only significantly unionized sector remaining, are teachers and other public employees. Without them, America would lapse back into a primitive and cruel society.
The reactionary hatred of unions, especially those which represent teachers and other public employees is (1) jealousy of a perceived advantage (more about this is a moment) and (2) a race to the bottom, to make sure that all of the labor force is paid less and lose its benefits. Let’s look at the facts:
1. Unemployment rates:There is a belief that the Great Recession has hit the private sector harder than the public sector. But what about the 800,000 public employees who have lost their jobs so far, with another half million predicted to follow?
There is a perception that public employees, who are more often unionized, enjoy greater job security. Temporarily, perhaps, since the start of the recession. And if so, this has long been the trade-off they have accepted in exchange for lower income.
But I don’t even concede this point. I am not sure that unemployment among (former) public employees is significantly lower than the 10% among the labor force at large.
And by the way, wasn’t it the private sector - the Wall Street and banking gamblers - which caused the collapse of the economy?
2. Income: Public employees make less than private employees. Look at the “big three” professions - teachers, lawyers and physicians. In America, teachers are underpaid, while lawyers and physicians are not. In Europe, teachers enjoy a status and an income that are much closer to those of lawyers and physicians.
While most lawyers are not public workers in Europe either, many physicians are. At any rate, it is surely not a coincidence that in America, the profession which earns the least - teachers - is the one that is largely public? (Those few lawyers who are public servants, e.g. public defenders and prosecutors, also earn less their private colleagues).
I was told many years ago: “If you want to make good money, don’t become a teacher.” To which I add: “...or a public servant.”
The government-haters and union- busters tell us that public employees have not suffered enough during the current recession. But what about the furloughs, which have reduced hundreds of thousands of state employees’ already small paychecks up to 25% - not to mention the million who have been laid off altogether?
3. Pensions: Reactionaries like Krauthammer froth at the mouth about “defined benefits.” Public employees’ pension systems still provide many of their members with a predictable monthly income in retirement. In the private sector, retirement benefits have been largely privatized, made into “defined contributions.” Now Wall Street can gamble with retirees’ money.
So the push is on to deny everyone the benefits of a small, but at least fixed and predictable income in old age.
The fat cats, with their golden parachutes and multimillion-dollar severance pays, want everyone else to rely on the stock market as well. But we have seen what happens to the small investor over the past 3 years: Same thing as in Las Vegas!
4. Health coverage: May public employees pay lower health insurance premiums than private employees, because the state picks up more of the premium.
So instead of trying to emulate this positive model in the private sector, there is now a race to the bottom. If I can’t have it, neither should you!
Premiums would not be astronomical for anyone if we only understood that medicine and health insurance should not be a for-profit business, but a public service. After all, the nation’s health is called “public health” isn’t it? (To be continued). leave comment here