Republican Missouri legislators are continuing the assault on the middle class. The Missouri General Assembly recently introduced legislation to cap the state’s minimum wage. The House gave preliminary approval to a measure preventing the state’s minimum wage from exceeding the federal minimum. Currently, the state minimum wage of $7.25 an hour is tied to the cost of living, so that it increases along with rising consumer prices. Also, a Republican Senator is pushing a bill to make Missouri a “Right to Work” state. They say the legislation is about jobs. They feel that these laws are needed because without them, some corporations will hesitate to move to Missouri. These businesses want nothing to do with a state where employees have unions and bargaining power and where they would be required to pay a sustainable living wage and offer some benefits for employees. This conservative majority in states like Missouri, Ohio, Indiana, and Wisconsin are determined to balance their state’s budget by taking more from middle class workers.. After all, someone has to pay for those fat tax breaks they gave the wealthy. Thankfully, Missouri has a Democratic Governor who has said he would veto such a measure.
Actually the term “Right to Work” is misleading. It is intended to imply that an individual has the right to work without participating in a union, thereby able to cross picket lines, not pay union dues, and not be bound by any bargaining unit. It also implies that having a job is a fundamental right and that nothing should be able to interfere with an individual’s right to earn a living and support his or her family. Well, that sounds good however; in reality, it is the employers who have the rights. For instance, they have the right to work you for less pay. They can terminate you at will with no recourse. They have the right to pay little or nothing towards an employee’s health insurance, and with the right administration at the helm, the right to disregard regulations concerning safety and the environment, and if all else fails, the right to ship jobs overseas so they can get their goods produced at a fraction of the cost that an American worker will want.
The Right to Bargain
The right for employees to bargain is just as important now as it was when unions were first formed. These rights protect employees from abuse by companies that put their profits above anything. Before labor unions were formed, employers literally owned their workers. They could be made to work as many hours a week as the company demanded. They might get paid, they might not. They could be forced to work in any type of conditions with no benefits at all. When they were paid, it was certainly a wage that barely provided a living.
When Bargaining Rights are Taken Away
When you look at countries like India and China, where workers have no rights, there will always be two classes, the rich and the poor. There is no middle class. The union busting law that was recently enacted in Wisconsin is seeking to balance the state’s budget on the backs of its middle class citizens. It’s still unknown just how much the elimination of the collective bargaining of state employees will save Wisconsin. The fact is, if Wisconsin’s governor had not given corporations and the wealthy tax breaks, that states budget probably would not be in crisis mode. Ironically, Wisconsin was the first state to grant collective bargaining to government workers and teachers in 1959.
The Real Cause of Economic Disparity
America is still the richest country in the world so why are we in such dire straits? The answer is greed and the fact that there is no way to rescue the economy when the majority of the money is in the hands of billionaires who run the corporations. That type of power controls not only the economy but governments as well. Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor under President Clinton, came to that conclusion when he addressed the disparity and the true cause of the economic situation in America. He blamed years of tax breaks for the wealthy and corporations including the Bush tax cuts, the revised estate tax, and other breaks for private equity and hedge fund managers including billions for oil companies for the state of the current federal and state budgets.
What the Future Holds
Imagine this. One day, there will be no President or Congress. They won’t be needed because corporations outwardly control society where the average American has just enough income to function. You are barely making a living, your employer has power over you. He determines what you eat, where and how you live, and can make sure you never miss a day of work because you can’t afford to lose the money. You’ll probably go to work sick from time to time because you have no health insurance and can’t afford to buy any. Many of the jobs that have been lost during this recession are not going to return. Employers have learned that if they have ten employees, they can lay off five and make the other five do the same work because it’s an employer’s market. Technology and a global economy have forever changed the job market. Corporations have been sitting on mounds of cash for several months making excuses as to why they can’t hire. The economy, health care, President Obama, and so on. Actually, they were waiting for the Republican majority to get back in power. Now that they have the best government that money can buy, they want to create jobs, but on their own terms, hence the union busting, attacks on minimum wage, and any thing else that concerns the middle class. So let’s stop kidding around with the useless elections every two and four years and bring out the real power brokers so everyone can see who’s really in charge.
