CONGRESS MUST MOVE TO PROTECT WORKERS, NOT UNIONS
By Bill Wilson || The U.S. economy has endured eleven recessions since World War II – and in each case jobs and wages bounced back quickly.
Not this time. America’s current “recovery” features the weakest wage growth of any economic rebound – with data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) showing real compensation per hour increasing by only 0.5 percent since 2009.
By comparison, the average compensation increase at this point in previous recoveries clocked in at a whopping 9.2 percent – more than eighteen times higher. Meanwhile a new study by the Chicago Fed reveals real wages should be at least 3.6 percentage points higher than they are based on prevailing labor market conditions.
What’s happening out there? Why is the latest economic downturn proving so hard to shake?
As we pause this Labor Day to honor the indispensability of American workers – and the essential roles they play in advancing our economy and national fabric – we must also honestly examine the forces currently holding them back. And that starts with a basic acknowledgement that the sweat of our brows is producing diminishing returns – both for ourselves and our families.
Barack Obama’s vow to create a “rising, thriving” middle class has instead produced stagnant incomes, a weak consumer economy and a surge in government dependency – all while his overbearing executive branch actively works against the best interests of American laborers. And no agency has been more instrumental in this assault on American productivity than the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) – which was recently at the heart of a major constitutional crisis.
Obama’s NLRB has been waging war on the American free market for years – launching an indiscriminate vendetta against companies large and small. In an effort to facilitate expanded unionization, the agency has sought to regulate all manner of corporate decisions– ranging from where businesses can relocate to what they can post on their social media accounts.
The thuggish, overbearing tactics have worked, too. Aircraft manufacturer Boeing – which was sued by the NLRB for opening a facility in the right-to-work state of South Carolina – has since decided to steer the vast majority of its new business back to a unionized facility in Washington State rather than deal with Big Labor’s taxpayer-subsidized bully.
(To continue reading this piece, press the “Read More …” icon below).
Bill Wilson is a board member of Americans for Limited Government (ALG). This column – partially reprinted with permission – originally appeared in its entirety on FoxNews.com.
45 comments
In many areas, skilled labor wages in SC have reverted backwards to early 2000 rates (average of 12 to 14 dollars an hour). If this backwards trend is not quickly reversed, the entire growth of the nation can collapse for all. Without growth, there can be no economy. Without an economy, a nation can not live. If a nation does not live, it’s citizens do not, either.
Growth is not a college education and a MBA, or PHD, or whatever. At the very center of any civilization is growth in blue collar jobs. Jobs that produce material things. Growth is not desk jobs and record keeping jobs. Growth is building things and improving our cities and towns. Growth is bettering infrastructure.
South Carolina is mostly a blue collar state. At the declined hourly pay rates, there is no chance of it ever being what if could be. Greed and profit will eventually meet its fate; even with builders engaging within criminal conduct by using illegal aliens in illegal ways.
Why have a National Labor day anymore? To honor low labor wages? Or to honor some idiot who sits behind a government desk, needlessly stroking keys, and being paid $100,000 a year for stupid non essential bull chit?
” some idiot who sits behind a government desk, needlessly stroking keys and being paid $100,000 a year ”
——————
—also stroking himself, while I would have to watch porn (if I wanted to) on my personal time.
You are a sick fucker. Do you molest children too?
shifty henry Abolish Labor Day • an hour ago
” some idiot who sits behind a government desk, needlessly stroking keys and being paid $100,000 a year ”
——————
—also stroking himself, while I would have to watch porn (if I wanted to) on my personal time. see more 0 You must sign in to down-vote this post.
I am reporting you to federal authorities. There seems to be something in hidden on your property they should be interested in.
Do you always attack the shop owner when your city is being bombed?
Sociopaths unite!
More like corporate officers who do nothing for 1.5 million a year. The whole “attack government employees and unions” thing is getting old…. it’s that old “Ignore the man behind the curtain” trick, with corporations being the man behind the curtain pulling the strings. Do away with bonuses for corporate officers and put them back on salaries…. and watch business boom -since there won’t be financial incentive to gut companies to boost short-term profits.
1.5 million??? Hell that won’t pay for the rug in the Park Avenue apartment the company provides for me when I need a place to stay in NY. Where are you from? I can raise that money by firing 3 or 4 peons. My good buddy Rex over at Exxon just inked a $28.5 million a year deal before bonuses. I have to beat that.
Bullshit, just a corporate letter to justify not paying fare wages to workers. Unions help workers unify and put pressure on companies that only believe in pure profit and not paying fare wages. If it weren’t for unions the average working would still be making $1 an hour.
Stop making me laugh!
Hmm? He’s right.
Yeh,if it wasn’t for the NLRB workers wages would be going through the roof!
We should be celebrating commerce and industry, and not big labor.
I believe Labor Day’s intent is to honor ALL WORKERS!
What, celebrate the bosses while the employees keep working?
This is total crap. The average worker hasn’t had an after inflation raise in 30 years. These guys (Howard Rich, The Koch Brothers, etc., etc) and their Republican lap dogs have been doing everything in their power to crush the ability of the average worker to do anything but take whatever jobs wealthy want to give them at whatever pay the wealthy want to pay. They attack their wages, they attack their education, they attack their retirement benefits, they attack their health care benefits, they attack their ability to organize, and they attack any laws designed to benefit the average citizen.
On an inflation adjusted basis, The Federal Minimum wage is 30% lower than it was in 1968. In fact fell every year from 1968 to 2008; with the steepest declines occurring,, you guessed it, during Republican Administrations (particularly Reagan and Bush II).
The average American needs to see this for what it is. The Republicans on behalf of their wealthy contributors have demonized class warfare while seruptiously engaging in it. They want to re-establish a subservient, dependent, working class. In the words of Joan Walsh of Salon Magazine, “It’s an eternal battle, the constant effort to expand the realm of human freedom to everyone, against the constant crusade by the wealthy to ensure that the trappings of human dignity – education, leisure, family life, childhood itself – are reserved for those who can afford to pay for them. The Kochs and their allies are trying to repeal the 20th century.”
It is democracy and education for everyone that brought the average American out of poverty and dependence. Consequently, it is no coincidental it is these very things that the Koch’s, the Rich’s and their allies are attacking first. They use bought an paid for judges to kill any attempt by federal and state legislators to curb the influence of big money in politics. They want to be able to openly buy politicians.
And they attack public education mercilessly. Constantly seeking to destroy public education systems in favor of an education system that will educate the wealthy and leave the poor and middle class with an inferior education, more suited for their lesser station in life.
Since the sixties government schools have dumbed down the population to the point they are not capable of maintaining the type jobs that lead to bettering ones self. The Kochs and Howard Rich are attempting to give at least some of our children a chance to make a better living through better education. Govt. schools drag our children down to the lowest common denominator while the rest of the world is advancing education. The liberal agenda is to put as many people on govt. assistance as possible thereby creating a reliable Democratic voting majority . George Soros and his crowd are where you should be focusing your comments, not patriotic Americans trying to help the country.
You give the word
“Stooge”
New meaning.
I think more dupe than Stooge?
“Running Dog”
“Lackey”
“Lickspittle”
Nice syntax.
You are out of your mind. The average child today is more educated than the average child of prior decades. There is immensely more they have to learn, Not to mention the fact that half the shit we believed in the 1960s was dead wrong, making it useless information. In fact, I’m betting most 9th graders are smarter than you.
Further, all those other countries you are talking about are building world class PUBLIC education systems. They are trying to make ALL of their children smarter not just the lucky few who were born rich. Howard Rich, the Koches and apparently you don’t give a crap about the children of this country. All you give a crap about is what’s good for you.
Get your lips off of the Koch brothers’ ass long enough to look around.
Have to call Bull Shit. In the sixties the US was at the top in ed. worldwide. Now we are like 17 or 18. The govt. schools are really doing a great job. School choice will save at least some to most of our children. Better that than all going down the tubes. Common Core is designed to produce a worker bee type grad. Put this nut on this bolt. Don’t think. Don’t argue. Shut up and do your job then get a reward. Kinda like training a dog. School choice won’t save every child but then govt. schools don’t either. Like the little boy throwing the grounded starfish back into the ocean. He made a difference to that one.
Well I see your Bull Shit and send it back. We are falling in the rankings because other countries are improving, while we are not. You already have school choice, you can send your kid to public school, private school or home school. Having the government pay for private schools won’t save anyone. Its just a way to segregate out certain groups so we can spend less money educating people Republicans don’t give a crap about and don’t think are worth educating (you know, the 42%).
I’m with Rogue, I call “bullshit” as well. The kids graduating today at all level are simply not as qualified generally speaking(there’s always outliers) as their predecessors.
I know for a fact that the average 9th grader couldn’t pass this old school test:
http://thinklab.typepad.com/think_lab/2006/03/8th_grade_exami.html
What an inane argument. At different time is history people are taught different things. In the late 1800s most poor kids went to mill schools and were taught to work in the mill. Most were lucky to receive a 9th grade education, would not have taken that test and probably could not have passed it.
Second we no longer test that way. This was a memorization test. The kids taking that test would have been taught the answers to those questions in school and expected to remember them.
If we are going to do a test that way, lets exchange an 1890 test for test many kids in 2014 could pass and see how well the 1890s graduate would do?
1. Name the components of an atom.
2. What is a molecule.
3. What is a particle accelerator?
4. Name the layers of the earth from top to center.
5. Name the layers of earth’s atmosphere.
6. Name the parts of an airplane.
7. What is the internet and how does it work?
9. What are the primary components of a computer?
10. True or false, computers operate in binary code?
11. Describe the basic operation of a computer.
12. What is DNA?
13. What is the human genome project?
14. Who was Albert Einstein, and what theory of physics did he formulate?
15. What is the estimated age of the Universe?
16. Describe the components of the Universe from largest to smallest.
17. What is the nearest galaxy to the Milky Way galaxy?
18. Name the planets of our solar system, and rank them by size.
lol…I don’t know where to begin really.
Tell you what, rather than argue while you deny reality, try reading this from a liberal leaning organization none the less:
http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/12/american-schools-vs-the-world-expensive-unequal-bad-at-math/281983/
So very bluntly, whatever changes are occurring in the education establishment are causing scores to go down…not up. So your “argument” is laughable.
You can cast dispersion’s on the test of old but actual math doesn’t change(and I noticed you didn’t list anything along those lines) regardless of the time frame. In fact, you’ve helped show the nature of the problem.
You calling anyone’s counter “inane” is the epitomy of the pot calling the kettle black syndrome. Continue to deny reality if you like, by doing so in the face of decreased global standing you make yourself a fool.
Also, I’m sure they aren’t handing out I-pads in place of pencils and paper in China, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Slovinia, Vietnam and a host of others that are out performing US students now while spending less.
The fact is that new building, high salary’s, & I-pads don’t seem to be working as well as the inexpensive basics and hard work.
BULLSHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And why was nothing done when Republicans controlled the House and Senate? Why is nothing done here in SC where Republicans control government? Because they’re too busy stuffing their pockets with public money and selling their votes.
— “And they attack public education mercilessly. Constantly seeking to destroy public education systems in favor of an education system that will educate the wealthy and leave the poor and middle class with an inferior education, more suited for their lesser station in life.” —
That is not only a lie. It is a damned lie. Charter schools and vouchers have been used in many places around the country. It has never never never been shown to harm the public school system. In fact the public schools often improve and out perform the charter and private schools.
I don’t favor charter or private schools. I favor competition. Competition works with out the government trying to pick winners and losers.
There are lies, damned lies and then School Choice lies. There is absolutely no evidence that having the public pay for private education will improve public education; and charter Schools are public schools. Access to charter schools are based on objective criteria and not who your parents are, or how much money you have.
It is wholly unreasonable to ask people to help pay for schools their children or grandchildren would not even be welcome to attend. If Private schools want public funds they should be required to take all applicants. They should not be allowed to pick and choose based on who someone’s parents are, how much money you have, what religion you are, what race you are, etc., etc.
The truth is that the voucher schemes out there are not designed to improve public education. They are designed to give money to the parents of children currently in private school. If that were not the case the vouchers would be limited to low income children attending failing public schools.
The people who support vouchers fall into one of two groups. Those who do not believe most of the children we are trying to educate are capable of being educated. They want to resegregate, and spend less money on education. They don’t give a crap about poor children, particularly minority children.
The other group wants the public to help pay for religious education.
There are no voucher programs in the states with the best public school systems in the nation.
There are many ways that the problems you mentioned are dealt with. One is need based vouchers. My preferred way is to use a lottery. A private school may not be able to take every student, but will not be able to cherry pick. As for religion the choice is up to the parent.
You live in a fantasy world. You could not get 1% of the voucher proponents to support a system by which their kid would have to participate in a lottery to stay in the private school they are in. And what good is a lottery if everyone in private school is not required to participate. Its still cherry picking if the kids in private school get to stay were they are and the poor slobs in public school get to fight over the two or three slots a year the private schools make available.
Voucher proponents aren’t trying to get poor kids and minorities in their kid’s school. That is why they are in private school in the first place. What good does it do them to flee the public, if we bring the public to them? You know as well as I do that this is not about improving public education. Its about getting money into the hands of people who have chosen private education and taking money away from the people who need public education.
That is why I said their are lies, dammed lies and school choice lies. The school choice lie is that its about school choice.
My! My! I envy you. You live in such a simple world. People can’t have a disagreement, but pure motives.
It’s true. I’m an evil rich white racist. I don’t want my kids to go to schools with blacks and poor people. In spite of my wealth, I want the poor and middle class to pay for my kids education. I don’t care about the poor’s children. They already receive a substandard education, but I would like to make it worse by sapping all the public support I can from public education. We only need them trained for simple task. Most rich whites are just like me. Poor and middle class whites are so stupid that we can use racist code words and anti government rhetoric to lead them by the nose. I hope you will keep my views in strictest confidence. I have got to be able to continue to deceive the idiots.
I hope you feel better.
I did not attack you personally. I know nothing about your motives for wanting the government to help you pay for private education for your children. But I do not think the vast majority of people supporting vouchers in SC are doing so for the purpose of improving public education. They just want the government to help them pay their private school bills. Does that make the evil? No. Did I say it did? No. Just like taking food stamps does not make poor people evil. But it makes them biased. In their minds other people should have to help them pay for private school. They deserve it. They are not looking at this as a way to improve the education of others, they think the state should give them the money it would spend on their children if they were in public school. They rationalize that it is coming out of their money, but its not. Only a small fraction of their taxes go to pay for public education.
Your lottery idea and your idea of competition improving public education is a fantasy, because there would be no support for that. That is not the goal of the vast majority of voucher supporters. They are just looking for help paying the school bills so they can spend their money on other things. There would be no competition. The programs would not provide enough support for poor children and there would be no schools for them to go to because they are already full.
This is how I see it. We need to have the best public education system in the world. If our system is broken, we need to fix it. Every child should have access to the best education regardless of this family’s wealth or position in society. It is wrong to ask a parent to help pay for a school his or her child could not go to.even if he were smarter and more qualified than the other people there. Finally, I do not believe the state should be in the business of paying for religious education. That is what churches should do. Education the state pays for should be secular.
The number one priority on Labor day is corporate welfare and lower effective tax rates for corporations making more than a billion a year… or else they’ll move to other countries like the unpatriotic blood-sucking maggots that they are.
Time to nationalize all businesses.
I think all American people (and that includes corporations) should chip in when hard times come to America – from those to whom much is given, much is expected – in God we trust.
Well “chipping in” suggest an element of voluntary interaction. People who chip in get to choose whether to do so or not.
So let’s be genuine in our language and say “all America people should be forced to give when hard times come” so that everything is on the “up and up”. We don’t want to be accused of being disingenuous.
Not in the presence of sociopaths, certainly not.
So your “argument” is that those that don’t like being stolen from are “sociopaths”. Ok.
But it’s OK to screw over employees to boost that bonus, right?
Never have I said or suggested that. That’s your method to villify all CEO’s, corporations, etc.
It doesn’t matter if that’s universally the case in your mind, nor do you consider that screwed employees can go get employment with another corporations that treats them better if that happened to them aside from the legalities involved.
Those who find life about possessions – yes.
Well look at that, you’re a theocrat at heart!
Who says only Republicans want to use government to enforce their moral outlook?
Who says? Pat Robertson… and Roger Ailes… and Santorum…