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Behind the UAW’s Aw Shucks Smile
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November 30, 2011 | 34 comments
A Further Perspective
Midwest Unions’ Desperate Last Stand
In Michigan, a post-Wisconsin effort to protect government union jobs in perpetuity is underway.
The voters of Wisconsin and California spoke loud and clear. They are tired of the special privileges and lavish benefits given to government unions and paid for by taxpayers. Apparently unions in Michigan did not get the message.
Last Wednesday, supporters of the so-called “Protect Our Jobs” Constitutional Amendment (POJA) submitted 684,286 petition signatures to the Michigan Department of State — more than double the amount needed to put the measure on the ballot in November.
If passed, the Amendment would enshrine collective bargaining in the Michigan Constitution.
POJA would effectively destroy any chance for Michigan to give workers the right to say no to a union and still keep their job — the main benefit of a right-to-work law. The proposal is already being billed as an anti-right-to-work measure, but the major impact would be the reversal of reforms to government union privileges. These reforms have helped Michigan turn the corner after a decade of economic malaise.
Supporters of the amendment say it is needed to help the middle class. In reality it will only help the roughly three percent of the Michigan population who are government union members, but will be paid for by everyone else.
The Amendment would make unions a super-legislature leaving them more powerful than the people’s elected representatives. It would remove the governor and the Legislatures’ (aka the voters’) ability to place any limits on government unions’ power except for strike clauses. POJA would mean Michigan could not continue, and would never achieve, the type of reforms that have saved Michigan taxpayers billions of dollars and turned states like Wisconsin around.
UAW member and President of Union Conservatives, Terry Bowman, calls POJA “an extreme measure that is unprecedented in labor history.”
He cautions “by submitting signatures to forever change Michigan’s constitution, union bosses have said that they are better equipped than the duly elected legislature to handle the economic future of the state of Michigan. …. They obviously believe that a union boss like Jimmy Hoffa or Bob King should have more control over the state’s economy than the Michigan legislature and Governor.”
POJA would immediately do away with the many of the public-sector reforms achieved over the last two years which have put Michigan’s fiscal house in order.
CNBC reported that according to Richard K. Studley, president and chief executive of the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, the ballot measure “would repeal more than 80 ‘cost-saving reform measures’ that the Legislature has approved…”
Studley also called the measure a “jobs killer” and a power grab because it would “impose unionization on every employer and every employee in the state of Michigan.”
Some of the reforms POJA could repeal include:
- Protecting workers from having to give money to union political causes without going through a burdensome and confusing opt out process.
- Pension reforms which have already helped Michigan taxpayers avoid $4.3 billion in pension underfunding since 1996.
- Public school reforms including privatization of non-instructional services and the ability to remove poorly performing teachers.
POJA would also make future reforms, such as those seen in Wisconsin and Indiana, almost impossible for the Legislature to enact, putting the state at a further competitive disadvantage.
Taxpayers in Michigan already give government employees much better benefits than those in the private sector. Government employee insurance benefits are $7,149 better than those in the private sector and retirement benefits are $11,725 more per year.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (23) | Leave a comment
More Articles by F. Vincent Vernuccio
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Appleby| 6.18.12 @ 7:16AM
I still think we ought to build a fence around Detroit, call it "Socialist Land", and take school classes there to show them what life is like when the credit cards are maxed out and nobody will lend you any more money. Namely, that when nothing is coming in, those inside begin to consume one another.
PolishKnight| 6.18.12 @ 9:39AM
Or just have them watch "Hardcore Pawn" on TruTV. Granted, I think a lot of it is scripted but it shows the end result of government unions and regulations upon the working and middle class the left claims they're trying to protect. It's funny that during the program sometimes there are ads for "pure Michigan" showing Michigan as a land of beautiful lakes and streams. Perhaps there are sections of the state that are like that but I'd be afraid of taking a wrong turn on an exit ramp and winding up in Hardcore Pawn territory.
Shadow| 6.18.12 @ 9:39AM
Is it possible to merge Detroit and Chicago? I know geographically it is impossible, but one government, including all their subjects, would give the elites more opulence and status.
WRTolkas| 6.18.12 @ 12:06PM
Dear Appleby,
I am a member of the IEEE and invited to attend a symposium hosted in detroit. I said NO. My last IEEE symposium I attended in detroit: the city is a dump; the area around the Renaissance Center is a DMZ, and my credit card number was stolen.
SCMike| 6.18.12 @ 8:30AM
This initiative proves that vampires are no myth, they thrive in Michigan.
What are the prospects for passage?
Von Mises Jr| 6.18.12 @ 8:41AM
When you figure out that the entitlements promised are not $1 trillion in the "Red," but $3.9 trillion nationwide per the JPMorgan report, you try to codify and guarantee your promises.
Problem is those socialists are not that smart. Otherwise they would figure out that they will be the last ones left in the state when others not in public unions flee. Remind them to turn out the lights when they are the last to exit.
jaytrain| 6.18.12 @ 8:46AM
Don't waste another day ! Don't waste another dollar !Get out now , while the gettin is good . The telephone # for the Alabam Economic Development office is toll free 800-248-0033 .Join Mercedes , Hyundai and Honda in business friendly taxpayer friendly Alabama .
Lullabys Legends and Lies| 6.18.12 @ 8:54AM
If the People of Michigan approve this ballot measure in November, then they deserve what they get, the City of Detroit Statewide!! Now who's opposing this measure? Got any names for me? I'd like to send them some money to help!! We've got the Unions down, we've got our boot on their neck, and we've got to finish them off!! This sounds heartless, huh? Yeah, it probably does, but I think Government Unions are the biggest threat to a full recovery, so you can't feel bad when you're helping kill of the bad guy!! They work for us, we don't work for them!! Pension spiking, bloated pensions, free healthcare for life, not contributing to your healthcare or retirement while you're working, retiring in your 40's, making more in retirement then you did when you were on the job, this has all got to stop (and we've got to do it retroactively too)!! Government Unions are killing us, so let's kill them first!! The rules of engagement have got to change, shoot first, negotiate for a raise later!!
TrueBlue | 6.18.12 @ 11:00AM
On the plus side, Detroit has less than a million people (around 713k according to the 2010 census) in a state of 9.8 million people. Hopefully the rest of the state doesn't fall for the bull from the unions.
Oldefarte| 6.18.12 @ 10:19AM
This is typical of the thuggism of the Democratic Party and their step-child, labor unions, aka community organizing 101. It's what Scott Walker and Wisconsin was all about. If Michigan voters/legislators allow this to become enacted, they are truly beyond STUPID!!!!!!!!
janetd| 6.18.12 @ 10:58AM
I live in Michigan. While I work in a government job, it is non-unionized (but most, if not all, of my fellow co-workers ARE unionized). Since January 1 of this year our Governor Snyder has implemented 80/20 healthcare plan for state workers. You would not believe all the bellyaching I hear from co-workers about this. Our governor has done some fantastic things to turn this state around, and while I now have to contribute to some of my healthcare costs, I do so gladly. This state has suffered economically because of the unions, and, unfortunately most people in this state still fall for the classwarfare rhetoric that Democrats and unions use to pit w orkers against business. I would not be surprised at all if this latest union sponsored proposal passes, and I will also say that Michigan will go for Obama. What can I say? I'd love to move to Texas or some other state that shares my values but I am stuck here in the armpit of the US
chuck| 6.18.12 @ 9:09PM
Find a way, life is too short to live in a miserable place like Michigan. I'd go to Texas, Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, or one of the Carolinas.
J.C.Eaton| 6.18.12 @ 12:09PM
Years ago, I had a college roommate who became an electrical engineer. He was very bright, worked hard, graduated Marquette University at the top of his class. He took a job at one of the big three[not Ford] as a line supervisor. He was a truthful fellow so I believed him when he told me that the monday and friday absenteeism was profound[such good pay, the "employees" could afford the long weekends] and that he would find mattresses and used condoms sprinkled about the lines when he came on shift. Tell me; ARE THOSE EXAMPLES OF "GOOD, SOLID, MIDDLE-CLASS VALUES" OR WHAT?
Oldefarte| 6.18.12 @ 2:13PM
Hopefully they would CLOCK OUT when taking their fornicating down-time, but I seriously doubt it!!!!!!!!!
JD| 6.18.12 @ 2:51PM
This article put its author in the uncomfortable position of saying that legislatures were better at managing the economy than someone else (union bosses). I'm not sure I'm comfortable with saying legislatures are good at managing economies, period.
Marvin E. Fox | 6.18.12 @ 7:34PM
I wonder if it ever occurs to the socialist unions that redistributing the salaries from the middle class to themselves isn't what "social justice" is all about. They seem to be seeking single prosperity for more prosperous unions, not common prosperity equally shared with all working people. The "Workers Unite" sect of collectivism seems to be crowning itself with fewer workers and less unity.
Marvin E. Fox
Joan Of Snark | 6.18.12 @ 8:53PM
I asked a petition signature gatherer if he was aware of the huge, fancy UAW training facility on the Detroit riverfront. He was not. I asked him if he was aware they owned a beautiful resort in northern Michigan. He did not. I asked him if he thought it fair if his union dues went to support a candidate he did not support. He did not. I asked him if it was fair the union bosses were all rich men hour workers are denied a promotion or a raise after busting hump simply because it was not their turn. He did not. I asked him if he was smart enough to start his own business, take all the risk with his life savings, would he give away all the profits to his workers. Again, he would not.
After our conversation he packed up and left. I don't know if it was simply the end of his shift or he started to realize he has been taken for a ride but that was one petition left bare that day.
If this passes, will the last one leaving Michigan please remember to turn out the lights?
Dixon| 6.18.12 @ 10:42PM
If MI passes this constitutional entitlement for public unions, my state of WI will benefit as wolverines move to the Badger state...joining Illinois businesses and folks moving here too.
But one thing is guaranteed...MI will soon join IL and CA and other liberal states that have become economic basket cases and will soon be begging the rest of us to bail them out, ala Greece crying to Germany to change their dirty diapers. Cowards, all.
The unfunded mandates of public unions and federal entitlements WILL destroy America from the inside out if urgent action is not taken now. WI has acted. So has IN and OH and NJ and VA. But it is far too little and may be too late...I pray it is not...but this is very concerning.
This may be the legacy of my baby boomer generation. History will treat us very harshly.
Dimitry_Aleksandrovich| 6.19.12 @ 2:34AM
The right of workers to collectively bargain should be a US Constitutional Amendment. Good luck and God Bless to union members in Michigan trying to make such a right in their state Constitution. Self proclaimed American conservatives often forget that in true conservatism people and their families should come before profits.
spike59| 6.19.12 @ 6:28AM
the right of the actual WORKER (not the fat-cat union boss lounging around the pool. not the union THUG out beating people up who disagree, not the 'shop stewards' who put 'connections' before ability) to decide FREELY whether he wants to even join a union, and VOLUNTARILY pay his dues without paycheck confiscation, should be in the Constitution
self-proclaimed 'workers advocates' often forget that without profit, there is no technical innovation, business expansion, or job creation, and that you need to EARN your paycheck
Dimitry_Aleksandrovich| 6.19.12 @ 8:48PM
I have never seen my "fat cat union boss" lounging around a pool. Neither have I beaten up anyone who was opposed to the union. If you don't want to be a union member don't join a union shop and if you don't want your shop unionized vote against it. That's your right. However if you join a union shop or if your co-workers vote to unionize and you enjoy the rise in wages and benefits as a result then you should pay your dues. If you disagree with that then quit and join a non-union shop.
I know the profit margin that my company makes. If my company pulls in 25k in one day with a crew of four and that crew takes in $1,800 or less combined in wages and benefits and another $3200 goes to insurance, maintenance and fuel then the company nets $20k before taxes. Is that not a good profit?
Dixon| 6.19.12 @ 12:40PM
Collective bargaining is not a right, but a privilege that should be granted to private unions only by negotiation between labor and ownership.
It is a corrupt process when used in the public sector where union bosses demand and usually get ever increasing compensation and benefits from politicians who use other peoples money to get campaign cash and votes. Even FDR agreed with this and was a forceful opponent agains public union bargaining.
There is a simple reason collective bargain has not, is not, nor will EVER be an amendment to the Constitution: Is a a priviledge...not a right.
Dimitry_Aleksandrovich| 6.19.12 @ 8:59PM
When I was a public sector union member (state of California) my wages and benefits were decided by the State Assembly not by my union. My union was there to ensure safe working conditions and representation for the rank and file public sector worker. Collective bargaining is the right of every worker, but whether they decide to join a union shop or try to organize their workplace is up to the individual worker. If enough workers wish to organize a labor union the employer must recognize it.
If you don't own farmable land or own livestock to provide your own source of food for yourself and your family then you must depend upon the wages you earn working for somebody else. As Americans we believe in representative government, why shouldn't workers also enjoy some sort of representation before their employers? Their families depend upon a check and benefits. What's wrong with an workers organization that negotiates on behalf of the worker?