Who Are the Wisconsin 14?
by Damon Martin
When the phrase “American hero” is mentioned, names like Washington, Jefferson and Franklin come to mind. In 20 years, will Americans look back and remember names like Carpenter, Coggs and Cullen?
Those are just three of the 14 Wisconsin State Senators who left their families, homes and communities to stand up for the rights of the working men and women they represent – a course of action that has cost them personally and financially, and may even penalize them legally when all is said and done.
The Wisconsin 14, as they have been dubbed, are a group of Democrats who left their state in mid-February to avoid voting on an anti-collective bargaining bill put forward by Governor Scott Walker that would see unions in the state virtually crippled.
Weeks have past since the Wisconsin 14 first sought sanctuary in neighboring Illinois in a desperate attempt to stop what would otherwise be inevitable (given that the pro-union Democrats are in the minority). Walker needs just one more body in the room in order to force a vote, which could happen if just one of the 14 breaks rank. So far, they have stood strong, as have Wisconsin’s citizens who have held a non-stop peaceful protest-cum-vigil at the Statehouse.
Adding to the pressure, at the start of this week, arrest warrants were issued for the Wisconsin 14, who, as a result, need your support now more than ever.
But who are these true American heroes? Meet the Wisconsin 14:
(pictured from Left to Right, Top to Bottom):
Tim Carpenter, first elected to the State Senate in 2002, is the Senator from the 3rd district in Wisconsin. He is a strong supporter of all gay and lesbian rights, which he has consistently fought for during his time as an elected official.
Spencer Coggs, a former steward of his own local union, has been in the State Senate since 2003. He has also stood up for issues like emergency contraception for sexual assault victims, as well as sex education in schools.
Timothy Cullen was originally elected and served in the Wisconsin Senate from 1975 until 1989. He returned to office in 2010. Cullen has always considered himself a moderate, and even went to work for Republican Governor Tommy Thompson at one point. He was compelled to return to office in 2010, and now stands strong alongside the 13 other Democratic Senators hoping to slow down the destructive Republican machine in his home state.
Jon Erpenbach has represented the Senate since 1998 and is a champion of affordable health care. In reaction to sky rocketing health insurance costs and static pay, he proposed a measure called Healthy Wisconsin, which would provide WI residents with the similar coverage to those employed by the State Legislature.
Dave Hansen, first elected in 2000, has worked as a teacher and truck driver, and served as a steward for his local Teamster’s Union. His passion for the workers of his state, and for union issues is obvious.
Jim Holperin was elected to the Wisconsin State Senate in 2008. He is pro-union, and works to support Trees for Tomorrow, a non-profit which aims to help educate children about the environment and conservation.
Robert Jauch has served in the Senate since 1987, and is a veteran of the U.S. Army. He has used his time in office to fight for legislation supporting education throughout the state.
Chris Larson, elected in 2010, barely had time to sit in his seat before being forced to flee the state. The environment was one of his key campaign platforms. While in exile he has carved out a niche as a spokesman for the Wisconsin 14.
Julie Lassa took her place in the Wisconsin State Senate in 2003. She co-sponsoring a bill that would give a tax credit to businesses who sponsor college tuition. Lassa is currently 7-months pregnant, which makes her situation particularly tough.
Mark Miller took office in 2005. During his tenure as a Senator his primary goals have been health care and environmental reform.
Senator Fred Risser, first elected in 1962, is the longest serving State official in U.S. history. Over the course of his career, Risser has battled for abortion rights and tobacco regulation. Oh and at 79 years of age, he still rides his bike 25 miles a day.
Lena Taylor took office in 2005. She worked as a public defender before opening her own law office in Wisconsin. She campaigned for the recognition of Black History month, and supported Traffic Stop Data Collection in the state to provide accurate statistics on racial profiling.
Kathleen Vinehout was first elected in 2006. She worked as a farmer for much of her life, and also pursued a PhD. She has worked closely with farming unions during her tenure.
Robert Wirch was elected to the Senate in 1997. He once worked in a factory, and has also served in the Army Reserves. He has championed many environmental issues, and worked to create jobs in the state.
***
So there you have it folks, the Wisconsin 14. Put a face to the names of the Senators who are standing up for the rights of workers in their state. They are of course fighting an uphill battle against their own government lead by Governor Scott Walker – who also has God on his side.
Yes, Walker, much like former President George W. Bush, receives his orders directly from God. He stated in an interview that God told him personally what jobs to take and even what woman he should marry. Apparently, Jesus isn’t a big fan of unions (which seems kinda surprising if you know your New Testament).
The Wisconsin 14 remain holded up in Illinois. Meanwhile their supporters are on the offensive, seeking to recall the Republican Senators in Wisconsin who refuse to negotiate.
Main image by Cathy Roberts from the Solidarity Rally in DTLA.
The Battle To Maintain The Right To Unionize Heats Up
by Damon Martin
The union movement in the United States is in crisis mode thanks to the recent legislation being pushed forward by leaders in government looking to destroy or virtually eliminate public sector employees’ rights to collective bargaining.
Since the 2010 elections, many state governors have made it a priority to propose laws that will strip government employees of any real power they may have in negotiations – vastly weakening the power of their unions in the process.
Wisconsin governor Scott Walker is locked in a battle in his state where he has proposed such a change. With Republicans holding the majority there, desperate times are forcing desperate measures. Unable to vote the measure down, Democrats have fled their homes and traveled to neighboring “safe” states to avoid the vote that could see the proposal become law. Meanwhile hundreds of protestors are continuing a sit in the State building (and an estimated 50,000 people attended ‘solidarity’ rallies held this past weekend in other states across the nation).
Walker has said time and time again that this is simply a budget issue to cut costs in his state where the $137 million dollar deficit continues to rise. (Though, in actual fact, this “deficit” was caused by Walker’s earlier tax cuts to the wealthy, which conveniently manufactured this agenda-forwarding situation.) Other states appear to be following Walker’s lead, like in Ohio where new Governor John Kasich introduced similar measures that would see 350,000 state employees essentially lose their collective bargaining power.
Like many “budget cutting” initiatives put forth by Republicans in the House of Representatives over the last few weeks, this seems to be a round about way of pushing forward other areas of the Republican agenda (like breaking the unions), and prodding Democrats instead of actually focusing on any meaningful fiscally responsible steps.
Unions in America were once a thriving entity, representing 35% of the workforce at a time when the middle class was at its strongest. Employees made less than their CEO bosses, but the wages were still in line with what could be considered a living wage.
Now Unions represent only 7% of American workers, and while the middle class struggles to find its footing, CEO’s of major corporations rake in on average more than 500 times what the average employee makes. Major corporations like Verizon Wireless give “union awareness” speeches to employees, and while stating that it’s just for “awareness,” in reality it’s simply propaganda to keep unions out of the workplace.
What many Americans may be missing out on in 2011 is what the Unions represented in the landscape of U.S. history. Unions were responsible for the minimum wage, unions were responsible for an 8-hour work day, and unions led the fight for health care for employees.
In Indiana, Governor Mitch Daniels eliminated collective bargaining for state employees 6 years ago and he claims it has been a fiscal wonder for his budget. He commented that by eliminating union interference, he’s been able to save millions of dollars for the state.
But those “savings” came at a high price. For example, to “save” money, he outsourced food services for Indiana prisons. That cut $100 million dollars from the budget, but cost the community hundreds of jobs in the process. And since Daniels stripped unions of their rights in Indiana, government workers have had their pay frozen in both 2009 and 2010, while seeing the cost of their health benefits increase significantly (resulting in a net pay decrease).
Other states like Michigan and New Jersey are following Wisconsin and Indiana’s lead in an effort to cripple the union movement in America.
Wisconsin protesters have sat in the Capital building for 8 days straight, voicing their opinions about the bill that has already passed in the House, and is now awaiting a vote in the state Senate. Ohio protesters have taken up the cause as well, traveling to Columbus to voice their opinions with another rally planned for Tuesday.
Though Republican governors will deny it (unless they’re caught unawares by prank calls supposedly from like-minded fatcat donators to the party), this is purely a political move to take a jab at the heart of the Democrat machine and the unions that back it, since unions overwhelmingly back Democrats in the election process, and donate millions of dollars to their campaigns.
However, since collective bargaining is such a basic freedom, essential to any democracy, the union-busting battle is causing friction within the Republican party. Newly elected Pennsylvania governor Tom Corbett and governor Terry Branstad of Iowa both stated they would not attempt to change anything with regards to union powers in their states.
The stakes go far beyond union-busting however. In Ohio the battle for Union rights could carry all the way to the presidential elections, since historically the state has voted on the side of every eventually elected president since 1944 (except for Richard Nixon over John Kennedy). Ohio therefore plays a pivotal role in the national politics, and how the lines are drawn there now could be a major factor in the outcome of the election in 2012. How Kasich handles this situation with regards to the unions – and the hardworking men and women they represent – could mean very good or very bad things for the GOP as the presidential race heats up.
With a skyrocketing budget at a national level for things like defense, Medicare and Medicaid, and Social Security, why do Republicans continue to target reatively insignificant budget items in the name of economic reform? To say this is anything but a political attack is just smoke and mirrors, and people shouldn’t buy this fabricated lie from the Republicans.
Unions will not go down without a battle however because that’s what unions are there for…to battle for what working and middle class America wants and need to survive, even if the fatcats in charge try to crush them under their Armani boots.
Images from the Feb 26th Wisconsin Solidarity Rally in Downtown Los Angeles courtesy of Cathy Roberts.
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Massive Republican Fail
Well, the Republicans sure did fight for their beliefs last week, didnt they? Quite an impressive move standing up for CEOs during the first bailout, then attacking the workingman during the second bailout. It takes either a huge set of balls or being so distanced from reality that they dont realize they have once again, decreased their followers. It will certainly backfire, as everything the Republicans do these days seems to.
It is hilariously heinous and a sign of the morally bereft that they would actually claim that Detroits autoworkers are paid too much, while also claiming the rich are taxed too much? How fucked up of a human being do you have to hold such fucked up beliefs. They are no better than vermin.
Take the simple minded Tennessee Senator Bob Corker. Bobby believes the horrible unions should accept parity with workers from his state. By parity he means the workingman should make less, like in his state, where autoworkers of foreign car companies live with discriminatory, anti-labor laws designed to keep wages low. Notice Bob didnt say this about Wall Street. He failed to mention the insane CEO salaries and ridiculous bonuses of the banking crowd. No, its the workingman getting ahead that is dragging our country down. Yes, we need workers to make less money. That is obviously the problem with the auto companies. I can see no other problems. None at all. Other than the horrible unions, the Big 3 put the A in awesome.
So, the answer is to drive down the wage of blue-collar, mostly black workers. Hopefully, at some point, the wages of the workingman in this country will be on par with those in Mexico. Then the companies would really thrive! Hey, Bob, why dont you make the same as a city councilman in Des Moines? Wouldnt the federal budget be better off if you Senators werent making so much money? Dont be greedy, Bob. Youre killing your country. Just take the pay cut down to the level of a guy living in a different place, but working in the same business.
Heres an insane idea: Workers who produce things of value deserve a decent living. I know. Its like I just wrote the words of Satan. Jesus would be disgusted. Its also become more and more obvious in the past week that the only way for the workingman to achieve a decent living is through unions. Thats why they exist — because of assholes like Bob Corker.
The auto companies have actually been turning things around. The unions have made quite a few concessions over the past two years and GM, Ford and Chrysler cars are matching the quality of Japanese cars consistently. No excuse can be made for the insane over-production of gas-guzzlers. But the credit crunch is what really killed them, not the unions.
So, why does my headline say this is a massive Republican fail? They blocked the bailout, didnt they? That will kill the union, wont it? No.
Bush will bail out the auto companies, mostly because Hoover wouldnt have. Keeping people employed in times like this is how you avoid a great depression, allowing millions to lose their jobs in this kind of teetering economy is what leads to great depressions. Anyone who knows how to read should understand that. So, Bush will do the right thing and bail out the auto companies — and there will be no strings attached.
Everything the Republicans wanted they will not get. The unions agreed to meet the Republicans demands, but just not in the time frame the Republicans wanted. Now that is gone. There wont be a car czar, there wont be a plan to place the burden of the bailout on workers, instead of upper management. Basically, Democrats are going to get the auto bailout they wanted from day one. Republicans wont get shit.
No, actually, thats not true. They will get something: The loss of support of many, many people in the Midwest whose lives rely on the auto industry. Those people have all watched as southern Republican Senators attempted to protect the interests of foreign-owned auto manufacturers with companies in their states. They watched as Republicans blatantly decided it was more important to blame the workers than the management that had made shitty decisions for years, while they took huge salaries. Republicans have literally come to a place where they are fighting against American manufacturing. Thats an insane stance to take in our country.
The Republicans just withdrew even more into the south. Good luck winning Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota ever again. If they had made a decent, reasonable argument to oppose the bailout, they may have had a chance. But they didnt. They offered no clear explanation of the dangers of failure. They only attacked the unions. One conservative blogger put it succinctly:
I keep thinking about Mitch McConnell saying yesterday that hell oppose the bailout even though its impossible to know what the consequences of bankruptcy would be. Hey, Mitch? Not good enough. No ones asking for absolute certainty on the outcome, which really is impossible; what I want is a good-faith attempt at assessing costs, benefits, and probabilities of all courses of action.
But make the case. Explain to me why, in the middle of a global economic crisis, propping up a failing industry to save jobs at least until the crisis is over is a worse option than pulling the plug now. The prospect of being taxed to support a $100 billion rescue of the auto industry is awful, but not nearly as awful as the cascade effect of consumer purchasing power drying up and me losing my job as part of a $500 billion hit to the economy. Is that what were looking at here or is it something less, or more.
They did not. Because this was not about the economy, or doing what is best for the country. This was about the sticking with exact same rigid ideology that created the Great Depression and stubbornly ignoring the obvious lessons learned from Hoover's and Mellon's tactics. They are literally attempting repeat the exact policies that led to the Great Depression. Next they'll try to balance the budget during this mess, because Hoover was right!
Republicans only attacked the unions. The workingman is under assault, which just happens to be the Republican bread and butter. Democrats won't lose any of their base pursuing the action everyone expects them to take. Republicans will. This was a shockingly stupid political move to say the least.
FearTheReaper is a writer, actor and stand up comedian. Check back each Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday for more from FearTheReaper and read his blog, Stop All Monsters.
Bail The Shit Out Of Detroit
Its time for America to get its bailout on again. Detroit has turned into a giant bag of ass and we need to do something about it. They want 25 billion. I say we give it to them. Why? Because Im a socialist? Nope. Because we are heading toward a deep, deep recession and the last thing we need is to lose 3 million jobs.
A study just published by the Michigan-based Center for Automotive Research (CAR) predicted that three million people would lose their jobs in the first year after such a Big Three meltdown, swelling the ranks of the unemployed by nearly one-third nationally and leading to hundreds of billions of dollars in lost income.
So, we can pay for it with a bailout, or pay for it in unemployment insurance, welfare and an increase in crime.
Oh, I know. The car companies are complete fuck ups. No argument here. While the right wing continues its rant that this is the fault of unions, Im going to actually go with the facts. The mistakes of the auto companies were made at the top. They were made by throwing their weight behind cars like the Hummer, while Toyota was going with the Prius. While Detroit was cranking out Explorers and Escalades, Japan was whipping out the Civic Hybrid. Most of us crazy liberals just sat back watching the retarded actions of both government and the auto companies with depressed amusement. Yeah, I wrote government. Bush is very responsible for the current state of the auto industry because he gave massive tax breaks to people buying Hummers and refused to up standards. What we are seeing now is the result of a fantastically shortsighted and heinous energy policy. But, then, what has Bush touched that has not turned into a flaming pile of shit?
Our retarded Republican friends would like everyone to think the auto companies are in this position because of unions. Uh huh. Right. The workers are at fault for the collapse of the company. Thats usually how it works. Please ignore the facts.
In its contract last year, the UAW made painful concessions, adopting a two-tier wage structure, such that new employees make just $12 to $15 an hour. The move is projected to bring the American manufacturers in line with their Japanese rivals' non-union labor costs in the near future.
In addition, the union has taken responsibility for providing retiree healthcare, thereby eliminating one of the last remaining competitive disadvantages for the American manufacturers' unionized workforce as compared to their Japanese rivals.
The horrible, horrible union has done its part to save the company, so shut the fuck up, you incredible idiots. The estimated cost of health care for each GM car is $1,500. Considering most other countries have universal health care, our auto industry is starting in a hole, which just happens to coincide with the profit difference.
But, the right wing is against health care, so we cant do that. And we cant have unions. And we cant save the car companies with a bail out. Sorry, we just have to let em fold and put 3 million Americans out of work. Then we will not pass an extension for unemployment and they will have to become criminals to survive. Then we will put them in jail where they belong. Fucking criminal assholes.
Automobile companies are in bad shape because they made bad choices. They went for the short sighted big buck, the one that would make them the most in the moment, you know, like all those financial companies we just bailed out. Except, the car companys actions were stupid instead of criminal. And now they are getting hammered by
right, the credit problem which was created by a lack of regulation on Wall Street. Companies like GM survive on credit. They need it to pay the companies that produce the parts they use to make cars. With no credit, the whole thing collapses. And its the reason we cant allow GM to declare bankruptcy.
GM won't be able to file Chapter 11.
But GM can't build cars without parts, and it can't get parts without credit. Chapter 11 companies typically get that sort of credit from something called Debtor-in-Possession (DIP) loans. But the same Wall Street meltdown that has dragged down the economy and GM sales has also dried up the DIP money GM would need to operate.
That's why many analysts and scholars believe GM would likely end up in Chapter 7 bankruptcy, which would entail total liquidation.
Sweet. Total liquidation. That should be awesome for any future wars we have to fight. We dont need those companies to produce equipment for our forces or anything.
What everyone also seems to be missing are Detroits advances. The companies are actually turning the corner, and in some cases possibly moving ahead of Japan.
So far, the results are promising. According to the most recent Harbour Report, the benchmark guide for manufacturing prowess, Chrysler's factories now match Toyota's for the most productive, while both Ford's and GM's are improving. (A Toledo Jeep factory was actually named the nation's most efficient.) Consumer Reports now says Ford's reliability is approaching that of perennial leaders Honda and Toyota, whose ratings actually slipped last year. In late 2010, GM will introduce the Chevrolet Volt, a plug-in hybrid that can go 40 miles without gas, and the Chevrolet Cruze, a compact that relies solely on gas but that gets 45 miles to the gallon. The Volt would represent a rare leap ahead of the Japanese, who never embraced plug-in technology with the same enthusiasm.
No bailout means kissing the Volt and possibly its technology good bye.
"Maybe those engineers get rehired, maybe not," says Case Western's Susan Helper. "But you lose those working relationships; you lose all the time invested. ... [People] don't really have a sense of the things that have to get put in motion, when you have ten-year planning horizons for new engines. When you disrupt that, it's very costly."
Sounds awesome. The Volt has been in development for a decade, so lets toss it out the window. Its totally what we need with peak oil staring us in the face and companies like Tesla falling apart because of the credit crunch.
Or, you know, we could go with the free market plan. Lets see how that would play out.
1. GM files for Chapter 7 bankruptcy
2. GM's Chinese partner, SAIC, buys much of GM (Buick, Chevy, Cadillac)
3. GM/SAIC starts importing Chinese-made Buicks and Chevys, undercutting Toyota's cost advantages
4. GM/SAIC owns the Volt technology, requiring US firms to lease it if they wanted to use it.
Sweet. Theres your free market at work. Im sure the right wing would love our car companies and their technology being owned by the Chinese. Right? Hello?
The bailout needs to happen, but unlike the idiotic one we just gave to Wall Street, it should come with strings. First, fire every asshole working at the top of these companies. Get em out. They are idiots and have been fighting against regulation and EPA standards that would have pushed them in the direction of profitability today. Fuck em. Bring in someone who is innovative and has actually made a lot of money, like a Bill Gates or a Steve Jobs. Make standards and new regulations part of the bailout deal. We have been at a political standstill for years because of the many lawmakers beholden to automakers and their employees. Now it is time to get what should have been done years ago done.
Of course, the right sees this as a way to destroy one of Americas most powerful unions, so they are against it. Youll see a lot of the assholes who voted for the Wall Street bailout saying this is a bad idea because they want to kill the union. They are okay losing 3 million jobs for ideology. Meanwhile, they cant handle the idea of universal healthcare and love spending shitloads of money in Iraq. They are amazing idiots. If you support the Iraq War and all it has cost, yet argue against a bailout, please explain to me why I shouldnt be able to shit down your throat. Because I dont see any difference between you and a toilet.
FearTheReaper is a writer, actor and stand up comedian. Check back each Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday for more from FearTheReaper and read his blog, Stop All Monsters.
Walmart to Pay Lip Service to Chinese Unions
Walmart is the Standard Oil of the 21st century, it's the ubiquitous, omnipotent, corporate octopus, the company that everyone loves to hate. High on the list of complaints about the company is the way its workers are treated, and especially its consistent anti-union stance. Despite repeated efforts by Walmart employees in the US to organize and form a union, the company has successfully avoided any unionization of its workers in all of its stores. Until now. Seeking to gain a foothold in the lucrative Chinese market, Walmart has, for the first time, allowed employees the right to unionize in several of its Chinese, and is even working with the Chinese government to integrate unions into its work force. What's less clear is just how powerful these organizations are going to be, and whether they'll have any bargaining rights at all.
Wal-Mart said it would form an alliance with the government-backed All China Federation of Trade Unions because it wanted to create an effective and harmonious way of facilitating the establishment of grassroots unions at its stores.
The announcement came less than two weeks after Wal-Mart employees established their first union in China, the first time that a union had ever been formed at a Wal-Mart store. Since then, four other Wal-Mart stores in China have also formed unions, according to the government union officials.
Wal-Marts decision surprised observers because while the company had signaled earlier that it would not do anything to stop unions from forming at its Chinese stores, it had never suggested that it would actively participate in backing unionization efforts.
Wal-Marts decision to allow unions comes after years of pressure from the All China Federation of Trade Unions, which has been pushing companies with large foreign investments here to allow unionization, which is required under Chinese law.
At first glance it seems like this would be a huge victory for union activists everywhere, and a reason to keep pushing domestic Walmarts to allow their employees the right to unionize. And some intepretations of the Chinese law that forces foreign companies to allow their employees to unionize indicate that the law itself is significantly slanted towards the benefit of the workers. However, their ability to function as a collective bargaining unit outside the limitations of the law remains to be seen, and therein lies the real power of a union.
Exactly how the unions are being formed and who has control of them is still unclear, and some experts doubt the unions now being formed at Wal-mart will engage in collective bargaining negotiations with the company.
Liu Kaiming, director of the Institute of Contemporary Observation, a labor rights organization based in Shenzhen, applauded the Wal-Mart announcement today but questioned whether it would lead to significant change.
I dont see any bargaining power in the unions in China, Mr. Liu said. The function of Chinese unions is to urge workers to participate in the work, to care about their welfare and to organize recreational activities for them.
Independent unions are banned in China. But the All China Federation of Trade Unions the government-controlled labor union issued a statement earlier this week, suggesting that it would be able to contend with one of the worlds biggest companies.
So it may not turn out to be the panacea that union activists might have hoped, in forcing Walmart to get used to the idea of bargaining with its workers. If Chinese unionized laborers are represented by their government then the situation is virtually unchanged from where it currenrtly stands, with the goverment, and not the workers, setting the terms by which Walmart may operate its stores.
Regardless, at least the precedent has been set for Walmart to work with unionized employees, even if it's not in a form that would be ideal to American union activists, it's a start.