The difference between a "good" union and a "bad" union is, in a word growth. Just as this marks the difference between a "good" company to invest in and a "bad" one.
Before proceeding to get union fans mad, let’s look at companies briefly. Toyota, good. Ford, bad. When a company stops growing it starts dieing, and dieing companies can do a lot of damage, for a lot of years, to people and the general economy.
The same is true with unions. Good unions, like the SEIU, are constantly seeking growth. They aim to organize new industries, new businesses. Business advocates may hate them, but these unions are doing their job. Anyone who thinks Wal-Mart isn’t socially better-off for the work of unions against them probably thinks Wal-Mart’s only obligation is to its shareholders. Which is false.
The CWA is a bad union. It is
no longer growing. It is involved mainly in protecting the gains of
older workers, protecting their jobs. From the market. That’s bad.
Anything that props up bad companies merely increases the damage they
do to people and the economy. Corporate deadwood must be cleared so new
growth can begin, and unions that link arms among the trees are hurting
the economy.
In this case, the CWA is hurting our telecom industry. They are directly supporting the
efforts of the Bells to get rid of network neutrality. In other words,
they are supporting blackmail. And sometimes their words on this are
quite direct. As Matt Stoller writes,
They argue that Google, Amazon, and all of us are getting a free ride
on infrastructure paid for by Verizon, AT&T, and the like.
Why? It’s partly because they have been outmaneuvered. Verizon, in
particular, has been isolating its union workers into no-growth parts
of the business, while growing areas like Verizon Wireless non-union,
using every union-busting truck the Bush Administration can give it in
the effort. It has, so far, been successful.
But the result is that Democrats, who want to support network neutrality, wind up looking foolish, and wind up getting outvoted on questions the economy can’t afford them to be outvoted on.
This was intentional on the part of departing AT&T chair Ed Whitacre (right) and his $152 million retirement plan. Astroturfing gave his greed support within minority and disabled communities that should have been on the other side. The CWA has been doing the same with the union movement. In this way, he figures, all opposition is de-fanged, since the business community wouldn’t dare oppose him.
Bad unions are tools of the bad companies they are attached to. Bad unions
can’t be listened to by politicians, any more than bad companies should be
listened to. In this case the CWA must either organize
the other parts of Verizon — it must do its job — or it must go out of business.
Lead, follow or get out of the way. It applies everywhere.
So CWA can’t organize its way out of a paper bag? Tell that to the 17,000 Cingular Wireless workers — mostly in Southern and Western right-to-work states — who we’ve organized in the last year.
There’s no denying that organizing in telecom is tough. A lot tougher than organizing public workers, which represent a huge part of SEIU’s growth. (Though I’m glad for every labor organizing win.)
Yes, it is harder to organize workers when the company threatens, bullies, disciplines, and fires them for even talking union. It is harder when employers can violate labor laws with impunity and workers are scared of losing their jobs, their health insurance, and their retirement savings. It is harder when the Department of Labor and the National Labor Relations Board are pro-employer puppets of the Bush Administration. It is harder when workers’ jobs can be moved across the country or across the world — unlike most of the private sector workers SEIU has organized, janitors and hospital and nursing home employees.
And I will not apologize for working to protect good, middle-class jobs in telecom. CWA members have fought for more than 50 years for contracts with pay that can actually support a family, real safety protections, health care, pensions, protection from management whim and favortism, and other job conditions that every worker deserves. Those same members are actively engaged in challenging Verizon’s union-busting tactics, as well as pushing the company to improve service, build out broadband, and properly maintain the copper network until broadband is universal.
If you’re so interested in union growth, I suggest you lobby your members of Congress to vote for the Employee Free Choice Act instead of attacking a union that’s fighting tooth-and-nail to expand the benefits and protections of a union contract to all telecom workers.
So CWA can’t organize its way out of a paper bag? Tell that to the 17,000 Cingular Wireless workers — mostly in Southern and Western right-to-work states — who we’ve organized in the last year.
There’s no denying that organizing in telecom is tough. A lot tougher than organizing public workers, which represent a huge part of SEIU’s growth. (Though I’m glad for every labor organizing win.)
Yes, it is harder to organize workers when the company threatens, bullies, disciplines, and fires them for even talking union. It is harder when employers can violate labor laws with impunity and workers are scared of losing their jobs, their health insurance, and their retirement savings. It is harder when the Department of Labor and the National Labor Relations Board are pro-employer puppets of the Bush Administration. It is harder when workers’ jobs can be moved across the country or across the world — unlike most of the private sector workers SEIU has organized, janitors and hospital and nursing home employees.
And I will not apologize for working to protect good, middle-class jobs in telecom. CWA members have fought for more than 50 years for contracts with pay that can actually support a family, real safety protections, health care, pensions, protection from management whim and favortism, and other job conditions that every worker deserves. Those same members are actively engaged in challenging Verizon’s union-busting tactics, as well as pushing the company to improve service, build out broadband, and properly maintain the copper network until broadband is universal.
If you’re so interested in union growth, I suggest you lobby your members of Congress to vote for the Employee Free Choice Act instead of attacking a union that’s fighting tooth-and-nail to expand the benefits and protections of a union contract to all telecom workers.
“When a company stops growing it starts dieing . . . ”
This is 100% wrong. What gets so many companies in trouble is growing purely for the sake of growth. Ford is a great example. Instead of trying to maintain profitability by reducing production and giving up market share, they get churning out profitless vehicles and ended up losing money trying to sell them. Companies start dying when they stop changing. Sometimes that means becoming smaller, as opposed to keep growing for the sake of growth. Diminishing returns . . .
“When a company stops growing it starts dieing . . . ”
This is 100% wrong. What gets so many companies in trouble is growing purely for the sake of growth. Ford is a great example. Instead of trying to maintain profitability by reducing production and giving up market share, they get churning out profitless vehicles and ended up losing money trying to sell them. Companies start dying when they stop changing. Sometimes that means becoming smaller, as opposed to keep growing for the sake of growth. Diminishing returns . . .
I have been a member of the CWA for 28 years. During that time every Convention I have attended has a portion of the agenda set aside for recognizing Locals who are involved in organizing; every Union training class includes organizing training; all of our budgets include a big chunk for organizing. My Local was able to organize 90 new workers just last week mainly because the CWA fought for years to put card check, neutrality into so many of our telecom contracts. Any financial or other help I needed from the International was immediately available to me. Anyone who reads the CWA website http://www.cwa-union.org will see that not only is there a big emphasis on organizing, but on fighting the companies on every front. We have joined in progressive struggles for universal health care, the employee free choice act and more. We helped found Jobs with Justice which is fighting in so many communities. You have also distorted our campaign for affordable, high speed internet for all http://www.speedmatters.org which is working hard to make sure everyone has access to really high speed internet. Your comments are an insult to every member in the CWA. Let’s focus out energies on the companies and politicians that oppress so many and NOT on those trying to fight them.
I have been a member of the CWA for 28 years. During that time every Convention I have attended has a portion of the agenda set aside for recognizing Locals who are involved in organizing; every Union training class includes organizing training; all of our budgets include a big chunk for organizing. My Local was able to organize 90 new workers just last week mainly because the CWA fought for years to put card check, neutrality into so many of our telecom contracts. Any financial or other help I needed from the International was immediately available to me. Anyone who reads the CWA website http://www.cwa-union.org will see that not only is there a big emphasis on organizing, but on fighting the companies on every front. We have joined in progressive struggles for universal health care, the employee free choice act and more. We helped found Jobs with Justice which is fighting in so many communities. You have also distorted our campaign for affordable, high speed internet for all http://www.speedmatters.org which is working hard to make sure everyone has access to really high speed internet. Your comments are an insult to every member in the CWA. Let’s focus out energies on the companies and politicians that oppress so many and NOT on those trying to fight them.
I read your attack on CWA and I must commend you on your kudos for SEIU. I guess that was done to show you have nothing against unions, only those that aren’t growing. I’ve been a member of CWA for over 20 years and you don’t know a thing about organizing in the telecom industry or you wouldn’t have written such a ridiculous article.
You cite what Matt Stoller writes like he is an expert on CWA. How about visiting the Speed Matters Campaign website at http://www.speedmatters.org and getting your information first hand?
But ignorance is bliss. Especially, when you can claim you didn’t know better or that you were mislead by someone else. Aren’t journalists supposed to investigate their stories fully before they write them?
I read your attack on CWA and I must commend you on your kudos for SEIU. I guess that was done to show you have nothing against unions, only those that aren’t growing. I’ve been a member of CWA for over 20 years and you don’t know a thing about organizing in the telecom industry or you wouldn’t have written such a ridiculous article.
You cite what Matt Stoller writes like he is an expert on CWA. How about visiting the Speed Matters Campaign website at http://www.speedmatters.org and getting your information first hand?
But ignorance is bliss. Especially, when you can claim you didn’t know better or that you were mislead by someone else. Aren’t journalists supposed to investigate their stories fully before they write them?
So, Mr. Blankenhorn, for how many new union members do you claim credit?
I’ve never been a full-time organizer, but I can say easily that I’ve enabled many dozens of workers to join the union and to make their voices heard. And that’s in the oppresively anti-union Lone Star state.
Let me offer a twist on a tired old saw:
Those who can — ORGANIZE!
Those who can’t — blog?
So, Mr. Blankenhorn, for how many new union members do you claim credit?
I’ve never been a full-time organizer, but I can say easily that I’ve enabled many dozens of workers to join the union and to make their voices heard. And that’s in the oppresively anti-union Lone Star state.
Let me offer a twist on a tired old saw:
Those who can — ORGANIZE!
Those who can’t — blog?
Looks like they need to fight a little harder. Let’s put it this way I’m in the union. I have seen the union leader one time out out of the year I’ve been here. And that’s because we had 9 new hires. Haven’t seen them sense. If you at the bottom they don’t care they are at the top trying to protect them selves.
Looks like they need to fight a little harder. Let’s put it this way I’m in the union. I have seen the union leader one time out out of the year I’ve been here. And that’s because we had 9 new hires. Haven’t seen them sense. If you at the bottom they don’t care they are at the top trying to protect them selves.