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Unifying the Middle Class Through 'Free Choice'

(This article by APWU Secretary-Treasurer Terry R. Stapleton first appeared in the January/February 2009 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine.)

There is a marked correlation between the decline in union membership and the decrease in real wages for American workers.

Electing Barack Obama as the next president of the United States of America was proof that ordinary Americans realized they had been left behind by out-of-touch legislators. Obama was elected with the mandate to rebuild the middle class, and that is why passing the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) is so important. Not only would the law help increase union membership across the country, it would help America revitalize its sagging economy by strengthening the middle class.

One of the most marked correlations to the decline in union membership is the decrease in real wages for American workers. Since 1964, the average weekly earnings for private non-agricultural workers have declined nearly 10 percent. This should come as no surprise because outside of the federal government’s ability to control the minimum wage, only organized labor has ever had any real impact on workers’ wages.

Visit the AFL-CIO's Web site to learn more and help pass the Employee Free Choice Act.

Businesses rarely increase wages unless they are forced to, legally or contractually. In recent years, when America’s economy was growing, the wealthy put more money in their own pockets, while working-class Americans watched their wages decline and their hours of work increase.

Productivity continues to rise for many businesses in America (the automotive sector being an exception), while the average hourly wage — adjusted for inflation — has been increasing at half of the rate of productivity since 2000.

I believe that increased productivity should be rewarded: Workers who are more valuable deserve greater pay. Unfortunately, lower union membership weakens workers’ ability to apply pressure for wage increases. The Employee Free Choice Act would help end the unfair gap between productivity and wages by allowing more of the middle class the opportunity to bargain for its wages.

It would require an employer to recognize a union once it has been confirmed that a majority of workers have signed cards requesting representation. (The current system permits employers to demand a representation election, which offers businesses an opportunity to delay the vote and to intimidate workers.)

It also would stipulate that if a collective bargaining agreement cannot be negotiated in a timely fashion, a contract would be formulated by a mediator. This provision would undermine a favorite tactic of newly-organized businesses — dragging out the negotiation of an initial contract to frustrate the workers and force strikes.

Republicans and Democrats alike would benefit from the EFCA. After all, the middle class is not a political party; it is the mainstay of our economy, and the American economy works best when all individuals are able to organize. It is the middle class — the employees of America in red and blue states alike — that will gain from having a seat at the bargaining table.

Big Business Mistakes

For too long, Big Business has promoted and benefited from the belief that the government should stay out of labor disputes and avoid regulating business. The EFCA would discontinue this administrative negligence and allow for arbitrative measures should a union and an employer fail to resolve a bargaining dispute. While conservatives consider this to be intrusive, I argue that it would actually be good for both sides and would bring an end to long drawn-out negotiations that hurt both employees and employers.

The economic policies of the last eight years, and perhaps long before that, have proven that it is no longer pragmatic or intelligent to put our trust in business leaders, Wall Street investors, and jingoistic economic theories. We need economic policies that reward good business practices among American employers, as well as policies that allow workers the opportunity to organize. This is the only way to ensure that wages do not continue to decline. As long as the wages of middle- class Americans fall, so too will this country’s economy and the hopes and dreams of many hard-working Americans.

In 2006, an AFL-CIO poll indicated that as many as half of all non-union employees would join a union if they could. This means that a large portion of middle-class America would organize if they were not intimidated. Only the EFCA can eliminate the fear of employer retaliation and allow millions of hard-working Americans to stand up for their rights. The EFCA stands for empowering the middle class. It epitomizes democracy. Once the EFCA becomes law it will help America stand up for itself again as the greatest nation in the world.

The Obama Commitment

The election of Barack Obama is truly cause for celebration, and I want to applaud the efforts of APWU officers, staff, and rank-and-file members in helping to make this historic accomplishment possible.

“We need economic policies that reward good business practices among American employers, as well as policies that allow workers the opportunity to organize.”

Not only has this country elected its first African- American president, it has elected a president who is dedicated to working Americans. (Among his other commitments, Obama has pledged his support for the Employee Free Choice Act.)

More than 250,000 AFL-CIO volunteers, including APWU members, campaigned for Obama, helping him win in such swing states as Ohio, Florida, North Carolina, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. Local and state APWU officers and activists came out in unprecedented numbers to make sure that the candidate endorsed by the APWU was elected. (Click here to review some of these efforts, and search for video clips of “APWU” on www.youtube.com.) We should be proud of our efforts and savor our victory because, YES WE DID!

The Best Hope for Postal Workers

This election was a victory for the entire country. But let there be no mistake: It also represents the best hope for maintaining postal jobs and the Postal Service itself. In these turbulent economic times, it is vital to have in power elected officials who have a connection with working men and women. It is important to have leadership that cares about maintaining union jobs, which are the foundation of a strong economy.

Postal employment has given postal workers the opportunity to buy homes, send our children to college, serve as caregivers for family members, and contribute to the general economy. The present recession, with its resultant drop in mail volume, is a serious challenge to maintaining universal postal service to all Americans.

President-elect Obama is against increased privatization of public services, and this issue is of utmost importance to postal workers. We are still hearing talk of curtailing six-day delivery, and the drive for more worksharing and contracting out of postal work has been relentless. We will always have profiteers who want to carve up the Postal Service and give away our work to private industry. If trends continue, the public can expect reduced service, higher costs, and the end of the guarantee of mail service to every address, six days a week. And, of course, postal-employee jobs are increasingly at risk.

Privatization is not just a threat; it is being viewed by some powerful forces as the solution to the Postal Service’s billion-dollar deficits. This union, its members, and its allies must be prepared to fight these forces every bit as strongly as we have in the past.

 

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