The problems facing Social Security are everyone’s problems.
That’s view of John Palmer, formerly one of the two trustees appointed by the president to oversee Social Security and former dean of Syracuse University’s Maxwell School. And the local concerns reflect the national issue, he and other experts say.
“What happens in Onondaga County will be typical of what happens around the country,” he said.
A new president and a labor-friendly Congress has union officials like Dawn Clarry seeing the glass half-full.
Clarry is the political director for the local Service Employees International Union. She says things are looking up for Central New York labor.
“I think there’s great growth potential, and I think we have a very strong labor movement here.” (Dawn Clarry, of the service workers union)
Clarry says she’s especially excited about a pending bill in Congress called the “Employee Free Choice Act” — more commonly known as the “card check” bill.
The bill is at the center of the nation’s and New York’s changing landscape for organized labor. Many employers and conservatives vehemently oppose the act. They argue it deprives workers of the secret ballot and deprives employers of the opportunity to lobby their workers against union membership. But for labor union members, it’s part of the reason they supported president-elect Barack Obama, who strongly favors the bill.
Dean Harry Katz of Cornell University’s Industrial and Labor Relations school says he expects a version of this bill will pass, if not in its current form. He cites a general pro-labor feeling in Congress.
“I think what there is, is overwhelming support for some kind of labor law reform that will make it easier for labor unions to organize.” (Dean Harry Katz of Cornell)
The bill would change how labor unions organize members. Now, when 30 percent of employees sign union-authorization cards, employers must hold a secret ballot to determine possible union membership. That can take up to six weeks — time for both union organizers and employers to lobby workers. Employers say that gives them a chance to make the case against union membership. Unions say the lapse and ballot gives employers the chance to intimidate and restrict workers from joining unions.
The card-check act changes that by giving employees the option to forgo the secret ballot. Instead, the union begins to represent the workers when a majority of workers sign union membership cards —that’s means the “card check.”
Heather Keegan, field coordinator for the CNY Labor Federation, says the passing of the act is vital to union survival.
“The Employee Free Choice act would bring more fairness and transparency to the process. I think that this legislation is very important to labor’s future.” (Heather Keegan)
Union membership has been on the decline for some time now. Here’s a quick rundown of the numbers:
Dean Katz of the Industrial and Labor Relations school at Cornell says unions face an uphill battle when trying to organize.
“Globalization is going to continue and that provides incredible difficulties for unions. Management has created lots of effective strategies that are alternatives to collective bargaining. The workforce is more skeptical of unions. Those factors are not suddenly going to get reversed.” (Dean Harry Katz of Cornell)
Labor unions have been largely responsible for the creation of a minimum wage and forcing employers to create safe work environments. On average, union members make an average weekly salary of $863, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s about $200 more than the $663 average of non-union workers.
Local SEIU political director Dawn Clarry says union accomplishments are numerous.
“Holidays off, benefits, wage increases — anything you can think of, it’s because unions have fought for them over time.” (Dawn Clarry)
But critics say union expectations are often unreasonable and have been a burden on the economy for some time. They point to the current financial crisis in the auto industry as evidence. One example, critics say, is the “jobs bank,” a union-created program that pays non-working union members nearly all of their salary. The program was created nearly 20 years ago under the notion it would force automakers to find work for these employees.
In Central New York, an employers’ group called Syracuse Tomorrow is the lobbying arm of the Chamber of Commerce. Deborah Warner is the group’s vice president for public policy. She says the Employee Free Choice Act could spell trouble for owners and their finances.
“For some local businesses, they feel that they would then lose the ability to manage their business, to manage their bottom line.” (Deborah Warner of Syracuse Tomorrow)
Warner maintains that labor unions and business owners often work well together. But she warned that the card-check bill could hurt the already struggling CNY economy.
Heather Keegan of the Central New York Labor Federation disagrees. She says better wages for union members will be beneficial for the economy in the long run.
“Putting more money into worker’s pockets is good for the economy. It’s not just about the unions. It’s about the workers and it’s about the economy.” (Heather Keegan)
For Democracywise, I’m Matt Rivers.
(Matt Rivers is a junior with dual majors in broadcast journalism and Spanish.)
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