In
the past few years, workers, both nationally and in Florida have been losing
ground where wages and benefits are involved. At the same time education
and general government services have been adversely impacted. While the
working class, the poor and the elderly have been getting the short end of the
stick; corporations and the wealthy have benefited greatly.
Why has this occurred? The people elected to office, in most cases, are
supported by special interests (unions included). Those elected tend to
support the views and issues of those who supported them. Big business
and the wealthy have the resources to contribute to politicians, thus making
it much easier for them to get elected. In the 2000 elections,
corporations contributed over $500,000,000 compared to $35,000,000 by unions.
In
order to elect candidates who support workers on job related issues; we must
support and help them win elections. Unfortunately that means they need
to receive our help, and our money.
Because most of our members do not have the monitory resources to contribute
thousands of dollars to many different campaigns, unions, as well as many
other organizations have formed PACs.
Small monthly deductions from your paycheck can quickly add up to enough
money to help get candidates elected.
These candidates once in office will look more favorably at issues that
concern us, such as jobs, benefits, education for our children and grand
children, as well as services for the poor and elderly.
·
Contributions of 3, 4, or even 5 cents an hour from each member’s, adds up to
thousand of dollars a year.
·
Deducted
straight from your paycheck, you hardly know you’re giving.
·
PAC money is
given only to endorsed candidates after careful
review.
·
We are non-partisan,
contributions are given to candidates of both parties, (granted most of our
contributions have historically been given to democrats as they tend to be
more supported of our issues. However each election, labor endorses and
supports Republicans in many races.
·
Alone none
of us can have much input on whom gets elected; together we can make a
difference.
Every day politicians at the local, state, and national level make decisions
that affect everyone of us. These decisions can help or hurt us, not
only in the work place, but also in our daily lives. These decisions can
be made by those supported by big business and the wealthy or by those who
feel working men and women are important and deserve to be treated fairly.
The choice is ours. We can participate in the process by contributing to
our PAC, and working and voting for good candidates; or we can sit back, do
nothing and hope that the process doesn’t leave us behind.
Some of the issues the present state legislature has already acted on, or are
pursuing which have or will have an adverse affect on us are:
·
Electric
utility de-regulation
·
Reducing
Workers’ Compensation benefits
·
Service
First, which took away seniority and bumping rights from state employees
·
Payroll
deception, which would make it extremely difficult to collect union dues
·
Bargaining
Impasse, which would make it much more difficult to negotiate a contract in
the public sector
·
Remove
funding from apprenticeship programs
·
Disallow
Project Labor Agreements on public projects
·
Cut 7,000
state jobs – proposed another 3,000 in this year’s budget.
·
Eliminate
the Department of Labor and Employment Security
·
Privatization – would allow private firms to contract out government services.
Firms profit by cutting jobs, wages and benefits, while the level of service
falls.
