I’ve made the point over the past many months that the current financial crisis will be used–and has been used–as a cover to attack workers and, particularly unions. There is a struggle going on over two visions of society: a decent standard of living vs. a Wal-Mart standard of living. I made that point in a debate on CNBC (video here).
And, yesterday, in arguing that Randi Weingarten should be chosen for the New York senate seat, I argued that part of the reason she should take that spot is so that we can confront the very attacks that are likely to be launched, namely anti-teachers’ union nonsense. Those attacks would be specific to the AFT/UFt but they would be, broadly speaking, no different than the attacks leveled against all unions.
Today, Bob Herbert picks up the theme in a very strong column. He starts with this clear point:
Working men and women are not getting the credit they deserve for the jobs they do without squawking every day, for the hardships they are enduring in this downturn and for the collective effort they are willing to make to get through the worst economic crisis in the U.S. in decades.
He, then, discusses the hits that have been taken by the UAW, which I’ve discussed a lot recently, including here. And, then, comes the crucial part of the column:
We need some perspective here. It is becoming an article of faith in the discussions over an auto industry rescue, that unionized autoworkers should be taken off of their high horses and shoved into a deal in which they would not make significantly more in wages and benefits than comparable workers at Japanese carmakers like Toyota.
That’s fine if it’s agreed to by the autoworkers themselves in the context of an industry bailout at a time when the country is in the midst of a financial emergency. But it stinks to high heaven as something we should be aspiring to.
The economic downturn, however severe, should not be used as an excuse to send American workers on a race to the bottom, where previously middle-class occupations take a sweatshop’s approach to pay and benefits.
And, finally:
Teachers and autoworkers are two very different cornerstones of American society, but they are cornerstones nonetheless. Our attitudes toward them are a reflection of our attitudes toward working people in general. If we see teachers and autoworkers as our enemies, we are in serious need of an attitude adjustment.
Indeed.
