I've got to hand it to the Republicans, they've got BALLS. No matter what they say, and no matter how wrong headed and nasty, they get away with their point blank stupidity and flawed thought process by the mere strength of their conviction. For example:
Rep. Dan Lungren was oblivious to Chris Matthews comment: "You're rooting here for the non-union worker, working for the foreign auto companies..."
His response: "Not necessarily. You've got a joint venture in California between GM and one of the foreign manufacturers."
Rep. Lungren apparently believes U.S. auto makers can only make it if they team up with foreign car makers. So yes, he is rooting for the non-union foreign auto companies, again. Or am I missing something?
There is nothing wrong with supporting "good" businesses, unionized or not. Some businesses just don't need them. To have a successful business with happy workers it is not necessary to be unionized as long as employers and employees work toward the common good.
ReplyDeleteAs a practicing Catholic faithful to all aspects of Catholic Social Teaching, I'm sure Congressman Lungren holds that: Employers contribute to the common good through the services or products they provide and by creating jobs that uphold the dignity and rights of workers—to productive work, to decent and just wages, to adequate benefits and security in their old age, to the choice of whether to organize and join unions, to the opportunity for legal status for immigrant workers, to private property, and to economic initiative.
Workers also have responsibilities—to provide a fair day’s work for a fair day’s pay, to treat employers and co-workers with respect, and to carry out their work in ways that contribute to the common good,
to present safety problems to employers, to help other members perfect their crafts, to strike only as a last resort and not to bully the employer.
Workers and employers should work together to advance economic justice and the well-being of all.
In many many companies, this is already happening. Contrary to what we see on the nightly news, not all CEOs have obscene salaries while their workers struggle on minimum wage.
Is the picture perfect - no. Is there still need for unions - yes. But to advocate that every industry needs one, is just as irrational as advocating that every "must join" a health club in order to exercise.
When you wrote, "As a practicing Catholic" followed up by your comments about unions, I was reminded of this story:
ReplyDeletehttp://democurmudgeon.blogspot.com/2008/11/fundamentalist-catholic-church-bishops.html
I hope I'm wrong about this, but I have a gut feeling the Roman Catholic Church might just be the "new" religious right, and we saw how that worked out didn't we. In the referenced story, the Catholic Church had at one time, been big supporters of workers rights and benefits, now there breaking up unionized Catholic teachers. Way to go.
I don't believe I said anywhere "that every industry needs one" when it comes to unions. The all or nothing approach in your statement is a conservative ploy to make ones opponent look foolish. It won't work here.
The strange "not to bully the employer" comment is stunning. Unions don't bully. By grouping employees together for a common purpose, they gain their power to negotiate. Last time I looked, employers seemed to be calling all the shots. What are the chances of one employee negotiating the benefits for everyone else? I thought so.
This utopian vision of happy workers and happy employers is not helpful to the discussion. Yes, it would be nice, but this is the real world, where business is still exploiting child labor and still arguing for a total removal of the minimum wage.
This honor system of corporate fairness didn't work out so well on Wall Street, did it?
I'm afraid this whole discussion is a moot point anyway, Sen. Shelby wants to filibuster helping the auto industry. Kind of a Republican parting gift of this Congress to the American people. When this part of the labor market crashes, they will have gotten what they wanted, broken unions. Unfortunately, lives and families will be losing their retirements, homes and their kids worry free pursuit of happiness getting educated. Poverty does wonders doesn't it?
One more thing. Lungren wants to break up the unions by destroying the car makers. There is something morally wrong with that. That's what I was talking about. Remember, corporate profits go back to their mother country. Bottom line.