Opinion
Romney and Ryan: Anti-Union
“Challenging People to Shape
a Better Future Now”
B ERNIE F OSTER
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L
et’s be clear: The Republi-
can ticket for the presidency
– Mitt Romney and Paul
Ryan – have their eyes set on elim-
inating labor unions from the U.S.
scene. No, they will not pass a law
eliminating unions; they don’t
need to. The existing labor laws
are so weak that they make it diffi-
cult for workers to join and form
unions. Additionally, Romney
andRyan would make sure to
appoint individuals to the National
Labor Relations Board and the
Federal Labor Relations Authority
who are eager to undermine
unions. Further, they could just
turn a blind eye to employer
attacks on unions.
Why? The answer is quite sim-
ple. As opposed to the Republican
Party of the early 1970s that con-
tained notables who accepted the
right of workers to join and form
unions, the situation has changed
dramatically. The Republican
Party has become deeply hostile to
workers having any organizations.
They like to portray unions as
being contrary to productivity and
growth. Actually, the facts are a
bit more complicated. If you look
at the construction industry, for
instance, unionized construction is
both more productive and of high-
er quality than non-union con-
T RANS
A FRICA
Bill
Fletcher Jr.
struction. Repeated studies have
demonstrated this. Nevertheless,
working conditions be safe in
order to protect the lives of the
workforce, even if such protec-
tions cost the employer a little
bit. Unions demand that workers
have retirement income so that the
latter years of workers’ lives are
not ones found in poverty, malnu-
trition and poor health. Most of
the world recognizes that these
demands are basic human
rights. Unfortunately, the Rom-
ney/Ryan ticket looks at them as
obstacles to profits.
When you hear attacks on unions for
being greedy, it is fair to ask: ”Are
unions responsible for all of the wealth
going to the upper 1 percent of the
population?”
people such as Romney and Ryan
do not wish to let the facts stand in
the way of their opinions.
Fundamentally, Romney and
Ryan see in unions an obstacle to
their objectives of increasing
wealth for those at the top. Unions
demand that workers receive fair
compensation for the work that
they provide. Unions demand that
So, when you hear attacks on
unions by Romney and Ryan, and
suggestions that unions somehow
get in the way of growth, it is fair
to ask: ”Whose growth?” When
you hear attacks on unions for
being greedy, it is fair to ask: ”Are
unions responsible for all of the
wealth going to the upper 1 per-
cent of the population?”
Blaming unions, as popular as
this is in many Republican circles
these days, has a very simple
objective: to keep your eyes off of
the prize, i.e., to keep you from
focusing on who has the wealth
and power.
Bill Fletcher, Jr. is a Senior
Scholar with the Institute for Poli-
cy Studies, the immediate past
president of TransAfrica Forum,
the co-author of Solidarity Divid-
ed and the author of the new book
introducing readers to unions enti-
tled “They’re Bankrupting Us” –
And Twenty other myths about
unions.
Please send your
news tips to
info@theskanner.com
Communities and Political Conventions
F
ar too often in modern elec-
tions, sound bites trump sub-
stance and voters are left
wondering what the candidates
really stand for. This is even more
acute for issues important to the
African American and civil rights
communities. That is why, as we
have done every presidential cycle
for decades, the NAACP is travel-
ing to the Republican National
Convention and Democratic
National Convention – to ensure
that these issues are addressed by
both major political parties.
This year the Republican Party
meets in Tampa, Florida August
27-30, and the Democratic Party
meets in Charlotte, North Carolina
September 4-6. These days, vot-
ing on who will lead each party’s
ticket is largely a formality. But
the delegates do have another
important objective: choosing
their party’s policy platform for
the next four years.
The NAACP will pro-
mote our policy objec-
tives in Charlotte and
Tampa at briefings,
meetings and speeches.
Each year we submit our
policy recommendations
to the respective policy
bodies for each conven-
tion. We also meet with
delegates and leaders from both
parties and seek to find common
ground on the challenges, needs
and concerns of the communities
we serve.
This year, for the first time, we
will be guided by the five NAACP
Game Changers. In the fall of
2011, the NAACP created a vision
for the second century of the asso-
ciation. We chose five game
changers, or issue advocacy con-
structs: Economic Sustainability;
Education; Health; Public Safety
and Criminal justice; and Voting
Page 4 The Portland Skanner August 29, 2012
NAACP P RESIDENT CEO
Benjamin Todd Jealous
Rights and Political Participation.
All of our policy goals fall
under one of these con-
structs. For Economic
Sustainability, we will
implore both parties to
eliminate predatory lend-
ing and assist struggling
homeowners. On Educa-
tion, we will call for
increased funding for
HBCU’s as well as finan-
cial aid for college stu-
dents. One of our focus
areas for Health is full
funding for HIV/AIDS prevention,
treatment and education. And in
order to achieve a fairer criminal
justice system, we are calling for a
national commission to review the
That is why in Charlotte we will
unveil our latest counterattack to
voter suppression: rolling bill-
boards that raise awareness about
felony disenfranchisement.
Felony disenfranchisement –
In Charlotte, the NAACP Voting
Rights Initiative will launch a bill-
board campaign featuring faces of
disenfranchised voters. The launch
of the billboard will coincide with
the
launch
of
RestoreTheirVotes.org,
a
page dedicated to felony dis-
enfranchisement data, policy
briefs, and information on
former offenders who have
lost their vote and their
voice. The billboard also
marks the beginning of a
felony disenfranchisement
billboard and awareness cam-
paign that will continue
through 2013 in key states
and the District of Columbia.
As we approach November
6, our democracy is under attack
from within. The NAACP is on the
front line in every state of our
union, and we will be visible dur-
ing the convention as well. We
will turn back the massive tide of
voter suppression with an even
greater tide of voter education,
registration, activation and protec-
tion. And we will promote our
vision of a more just and equal
America.
In the past year, more
states have passed more
laws pushing more voters
out of the ballot box than
at any time since the rise
of Jim Crow.
denying formerly incarcerated cit-
izens the right to vote – is a
method of voter suppression that
dates back before the Jim Crow
Era. It was one of many tools used
by state legislators to
prevent full political par-
ticipation by African
Americans.
Today,
nearly six million voters
are disenfranchised from
felony disenfranchise-
ment across 48 states
and the District of
Columbia, and more
than one third of them
are African American.
We will turn back the massive
tide of voter suppression with
an even greater tide of voter
education, registration,
activation and protection.
nation’s criminal justice laws –
including the racial disparities in
sentencing and racial profiling.
The final piece of our policy
agenda, Voting Rights and Politi-
cal Representation, is particularly
relevant this year. We are living
through the greatest wave of leg-
islative assaults on voting rights in
more than a century. In the past
year, more states have passed
more laws pushing more voters
out of the ballot box than at any
time since the rise of Jim Crow.
Benjamin Todd Jealous is Presi-
dent and CEO of the NAACP
What do you think?
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