Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 19, 2012)
...Republican platform calls for national ‘right-to-work’ law (From Page 5) to PLAs and calls for repeal of the Davis-Bacon Act, the 1931 law that re- quires the federal government to pay the prevailing wage on construction projects. In 2008, the GOP platform affirmed “both the right of individuals to volun- tarily participate in labor organizations and bargain collectively and the right of states to enact right-to-work laws.” This year’s platform drops explicit sup- port of workers’ rights to be in a union, and outright encourages states to pass right-to-work laws. It also supports passage of a national right-to-work law. The Republican platform also op- poses the Employee Free Choice Act, which would have given workers the choice to unionize via “card check,” a check of signed authorization cards. It pledges that Republicans will work to pass legislation to bar employers from recognizing the union based on card check. Card check has been a legal av- enue to union recognition since 1935; it’s just that it’s up to employers whether to recognize unions that way. The GOP platform also pledges in- creased enforcement of a federal law against “labor violence.” And it pledges to pass the Raise Act, a bill introduced by Indiana Congress- man Todd Rokita that would let em- ployers give “merit-based” bonuses, raises, or other increases irrespective of what the union contract says. The platform also criticizes efforts by Obama appointees on the National Labor Relations Board to speed up union certification elections and recog- nize some union rights of workers even when they don’t have a majority in a workplace. In a nod to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, the platform “salutes” Repub- lican governors who have reformed laws governing public employee unions, and urges others to follow their lead. It says no government employer should collect union dues or workers’ voluntary political contributions. The platform calls for the federal workforce to be reduced, by attrition, at least 10 percent. It promises to “rein in” unspecified Occupational Safety and Health Act regulations. And it says the government should explore partial privatization of the U.S. Postal Service, specifically, “a greater role for private enterprise in appropriate aspects of the mail-processing system.” Flying directly in the face of con- cerns it expresses about the federal budget deficit, the Republican platform calls for reducing the corporate tax rate, reducing tax rates across the board by 20 percent, extending the Bush tax cuts, eliminating the estate tax, and eliminat- ing the alternative minimum tax. On trade, the Republican platform specifically praises “free trade agree- ments,” and criticizes Obama for slow- ness in completing further agreements, calls for passage of the Trans-Pacific Partnership — a NAFTA-style trade treaty being negotiated in secret among Pacific Rim nations. And it calls for restoring presidential authority to ne- gotiate trade deals that Congress can’t modify, a provision known as “fast track.” DEMOCRATS REAFFIRM WORKERS RIGHTS , MOSTLY Only slightly different from the Re- publican platform’s stance on trade, the Democratic platform pledges to work towards “fair and free trade.” The plat- form calls for more trade pacts between OCTOBER 19, 2012 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS the U.S. and unnamed Latin American nations, and pushes for “permanent nor- mal trade relations” with Russia and let- ting Russia into the World Trade Or- ganization, contingent on its human rights record. It also advocates signing the Trans-Pacific Partnership “while en- suring workers’ rights and environmen- tal standards are upheld, and fighting against unfair trade practices.” But in contrast to the Republicans, the Democratic platform repeatedly af- firms commitments to workers’ rights and the value of the union movement. Under the heading “Standing Up for Workers,” the platform declares that unions helped build the greatest middle class the world has ever known. “Their work resulted in the 40-hour workweek and weekends, paid leave and pensions, the minimum wage and health insur- ance, and Social Security and Medicare — the cornerstones of middle class se- curity.” “We oppose the attacks on collec- tive bargaining Republican governors and state legislatures are mounting in states around the country,” the Demo- cratic platform continues. “Democrats believe the right to organize and collec- tively bargain is a fundamental Ameri- can value: Every American should have a voice on the job and a chance to ne- gotiate for a fair day’s pay after a hard day’s work.” The platform pledges that Democ- rats will vigorously oppose “right to work” and “paycheck protection” ef- forts. It also says Democrats will “fight for labor laws that provide a fair process for workers to choose union represen- tation, that facilitate the collective bar- gaining process, and that strengthen remedies for violations of the law.” That’s code for the Employee Free Choice Act, though unlike 2008, this year’s Democratic platform doesn’t mention that legislation by name. The platform also pledges that De- mocrats will “continue” to fight against the fraudulent misclassification of workers as independent contractors or salaried workers, an employer abuse meant to evade taxes or deny benefits and overtime pay. It endorses a constitutional amend- ment to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling, which says corporations — and unions — have the same rights to influence polit- ical campaigns through unlimited spending as individuals do. And it calls for raising the minimum wage, and indexing it to inflation. The platform fails to say anything about the future of the Postal Service. Four years ago, the Democratic plat- form pledged to “fight to ban the per- manent replacement of striking work- ers, so that workers can stand up for themselves without worrying about los- ing their livelihoods.” It also specifically stated support for Davis-Bacon. Both planks are absent from the 2012 Demo- cratic platform. (Editor’s Note: Mark Gruenberg of the PAI Union News Service con- tributed to this report.) PAGE 11
