The public sector is comprised of those jobs that are mainly paid by our tax dollars: teachers, firefighters, police, government workers, etc. It may seem bizarre that these folks who are seldom paid what they’re worth are the target of the GOP and other right-wing forces. The plan of attack is public, intense and coordinated.
Last year as Republicans were salivating to regain their power in the Congress, they were also consolidating power at the local and state levels. Republicans now have supermajorities in states like Florida and Texas. (Thank Allan Ritter, who did a party switcheroo to give the GOP the upper hand.) Other states like Missouri are only a couple of legislators away from a super-majority.
A super-majority in the wrong hands with a corporate-driven agenda can be devastating to working people. Like synchronized robots, the GOP declared war on workers through bills filed in general assemblies across the country. In Missouri, unions and their allies are fighting hard to beat back these measures.
Why has a war been called with such a vengeance on public workers? For one, these workers are the most unionized sector in a declining pool of folks who still have jobs in this country. Thirty-six percent of public workers are in unions, compared to about seven percent in the private sector. After all, the government is a huge employer on the local, state and national levels.
The Democratic Party has historically enjoyed strong union support. A union movement without workers and a dues-based budget reduces the ability to be an influential factor in national elections. Connect the dots, and we’re talking about an Obama loss in 2012.
Looking at President Obama’s budget proposal that includes huge cuts for the working class, he may need be to be reminded of who his base is and who is trying to take bites out of his behind.
St. Louis citizens are waging a battle to reclaim the city’s police department, which has been under state control since the Civil War. One of the alleged sticking points by the police association is they don’t want Mayor Slay getting his hands on their pension. They are naïve to think it is really, really safe under the governor.
The police association and its supporters need to keep a watchful eye on states like Wisconsin that are in a heated battle to stop the governor’s plan to break the backs of public workers. There will be no sacred cows – pensions included – as states balance their deficits on the backs of working people.
The St. Louis police keeps acting like it is a protected class. They had better wake up and smell the smoke from the union contract fires.
This is a time for all workers – union and non-union, public and private – to stand united if any of us are to maintain the crumbs that we currently have in terms of wages, benefits and healthy work conditions.
It’s time to be creative, like the Democrat legislators in Wisconsin who left the state in order to halt the voting process. All eyes are on Wisconsin now -workers, the White House, governors right-wing funders. This is a showdown that the workers must win.
