Jon on Labor / Workforce
Our candidate, Jon Viebrock is a full-time Union construction foreman. Jon and I talked about the role of labor in building this great Nation, and the benefits we all derive from organized labor.
A: The middle class and working families are the foundation of our economy. These families pay the lions share of taxes in our state.
Q: I was born in Arizona, which is a right to work state. I heard John McCain (Senator from Arizona) say something a short time ago suggesting we could "strengthen" our work force by providing workers with more "options". This is designed to sound attractive, but it seems like another way of promoting "right to work". What has been the historical effect of right to work programs?
A: Legislation designed to cut the wages of working class people (right to work legislation) is unacceptable. In every state where “right to work” law exists, wages for working families are below the national average.
A: By their presence in the job market, unions exert constant upward pressure on wages, benefiting working class people in all sectors of the economy. Legislation designed to break the power of unions to collectively bargain would eliminate this pressure, and wages for working class people (whether union or non-union) in the state would fall by up to 45%.
Q: In the 5th District in Washington State, many people work directly or indirectly for multi-national companies. On one of my last jobs, my organization outsourced 40% of our engineering work overseas, killing advancement opportunities. This is not the job market I had hoped to hand off to my son in a few years...
A: Unions battle fiercely to keep jobs here in America. Large corporations move jobs overseas because they can pay as little as pennies per hour in some countries. Additionally, many of those countries will allow nearly unlimited dumping of hazardous chemical wastes straight into the environment with no treatment whatsoever.
Q: In conclusion, what else should we know?
A: The two day weekend, 40 hour work week, health insurance benefit, and retirement plans for ordinary workers in the United States, exist because of union efforts.
Not every worker will (or even wants to) join a union. Not everyone will join the military either. The fact that not everyone will join is not a reason not to have unions.