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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 15, 2013)
It was the best of times; it was the worst of times By WILLIAM SPRIGGS The 400,000 drop in labor union membership announced by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics last month is discouraging. The bigger story is that at the center of the drop is the decline in employment for public-sector work- ers, most notably local government workers. This has been the weakest sector of the economy. And that largely reflects the decline in teachers. So, this is not so much about unions losing, but the continued lack of focus of American economic policy on main- taining investments for America’s fu- ture in the face of the ongoing weak economy. The myopic debates on the fiscal deficit and cutting budgets to meet the educational needs of Amer- ica’s children (in order to preserve tax cuts for the currently wealthy) is not a plan to make America succeed in the long run. Another portion of the drop came from construction, where employment and union membership fell about the same. This means that the type of heavy construction leading to infra- structure and investment is not taking place. A recovery that will last and pro- vide the foundation for a stronger economy has to include real invest- ment. Delaying building infrastructure does not save our children any money in the future, it only passes on a different kind of deficit (inade- quate school buildings and poor roads) they will have to pay to close. But, the drop is also a tale of the un- even nature of the re- covery. Four states ac- counted for half the drop in union mem- bership: Illinois, New York, Indiana, and Missouri lead the way in union membership loss. In the cases of Illinois, Indiana and Missouri, the bulk was in the pri- vate sector. But, in New York, virtually all the losses were in the public sector. Yet, in the two states with the biggest payroll gains — California and Texas — union membership went up. In many “red” states with “right to work” for less laws and where public- sector collective bargaining is prohib- ited, union membership showed gains: Louisiana, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Oklahoma. A key “red” state that is not “right to work,” Ken- tucky, showed gains in union membership and union den- sity. Among de- mographic groups that are growing and forming a vot- ing bloc in na- tional elections, union member- ship continued to grow. The Latino commu- nity has helped boost union membership and union density over the decade; stemming the loss of membership elsewhere. African Americans continue to have the high- est union density and again saw mem- bership increase; and Asian Americans had an increase in union members. The drop of union density in manu- facturing needs to be a concern for America’s workers hoping this recov- ery will be healthy — leading to wages increasing with productivity. The re- port shows that union members in manufacturing still enjoy nearly $90 a week pay advantage over non-covered workers. Declines in union member- In many ‘red’ states with ‘right to work’ for less laws and where public-sector collective bargaining is prohibited, union membership showed gains. ship and union density in manufactur- ing mean a path of low — not high wages. What put us in this mess was a 30-year period of stagnating wages and growing productivity. When workers are more productive, employment is threatened (the old notion of technol- ogy destroying jobs) unless incomes rise to buy up all the increased goods made. But instead of rising wages to reward workers for their bigger efforts, the gap between increased productiv- ity and the income to buy it was all masked over by a debt and credit binge to keep employment levels high. Obvi- ously taking on more debt without more income is not sustainable, and in 2008 it ended. The path out is not lower wages, but higher wages. With the courts overturning Presi- dent Obama’s recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), these numbers will hopefully spark a real national debate on how America’s union numbers got to this point. The NLRB is the arbiter of America’s labor laws. As the judges upholding American rights to fair voice in the workplace, erasing them and the ability to adjudicate labor violations is a low tactic in suppressing America’s rights and wages. The Republican Party at the state House level and now the U.S. Senate, clearly align them- selves against the rights of America’s workers. But holding the referees O PEN F ORUM hostage to help the business commu- nity in its fight against Americans’ right to collectively bargain should be seen as out-of-bounds. The American union movement will have to take the highlights of this data and its lowlights into considera- tion in responding to the challenges facing its membership. But America’s workers should not be on the sidelines on this one. Losing teachers, failing to invest in our needed infrastructure, falling manufacturing wages and deny- ing the rights of working families is not a formula for a successful economy or a democratic society. (Editor’s Note: William Spriggs serves as chief economist to the AFL- CIO, and is a professor in, and former chair of, the Department of Economics at Howard University. Spriggs was ap- pointed by President Barack Obama, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, in 2009 to serve as Assistant Secretary for the Office of Policy at the United States Department of Labor, taking a leave of absence from Howard University to do so. He left the Executive Branch of the U.S. Government in August 2012.) CASH Oregon provides free tax preparation for low income Low- to moderate-income Oregoni- ans will be able to have their income tax returns prepared free by trained volunteers statewide. CASH Oregon, a non-profit group in partnership with AARP Tax-Aide, supports free tax preparation and tax credit outreach in FEBRUARY 15, 2013 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS 32 counties in Oregon at more than 140 tax sites. Ron Justus of CASH Oregon said in 2012, they saw 55,323 tax returns filed statewide. “There were tax returns filed elec- tronically, amended returns, prior tax year returns done, tens of thousands of state returns filed and good old paper returns completed for working Orego- nians. We also saw another 6,476 peo- ple with questions and answers di- rected to the appropriate help,” he said. Many people who earn very little may be eligible for a refund. Tax cred- its that many could qualify for are the Federal and Oregon Earned Income Tax Credit, the Federal Child Tax Credit, and the Oregon Working Fam- ily Child Care Credit. Trained volunteers will help tax- payers sort through their questions and provide assistance. Free tax preparation sites are avail- able statewide. For more information or to find a location nearest you, call 2- 1-1, or visit www.cashoregon.org. PAGE 11
