I went to Los Angeles recently to attend a conference reflecting on what is wrong with our economy and what we can do together to create the change necessary. It is a task that every worker, union and non-union alike, must undertake in order to achieve a future economy that works for all of us.
This was my first trip to Los Angeles, and the thing I will remember most is the large amount of homeless people there were. From downtown to the other cites in greater LA, the homeless were everywhere. Tents and tarps were everywhere, providing the only shelter some of these people had. Those who were lucky enough appeared to have found residency under some freeway bridges, the ones that had not been surrounded by razor wire that I had only seen before around penitentiaries.
As I gazed upon the look of desperation that I saw on some of these people faces, I recalled my own fear of being in this very situation only a year ago, and how close all of us truly are from being homeless ourselves. The shallow eyes that were devoid of any emotion were such that I am ashamed that this situation exists anywhere, but especially here in our nation where we have such an abundance of wealth. So why are we in this situation, and how has it gotten so bad?
It was recently announced that the percentage of pay increase for roughly 90% of wage earners in 2010 was about 2.1%, while pay increases for the top 10% of wage earners went up by almost 25%. This should be of immediate concern for all of us. However, when we look at the period of 1990-2005 it becomes an even more disgusting picture of the economy for most workers in America. For this period, the wages earned by median wage earners when adjusted for inflation increased a mere 4.3% for the 15-year period. Minimum wage earners actually lost 9.3% of real purchasing strength during the same period. The most disgusting figure is that of CEO pay which increased by a massive 298.2%! These individuals earn more in a day than most of us earn in a year!
So what can we do to demand the changes that will help all of us to create a fairer and just economy that works for all of us? We must all work together to affect change on the political front. Many of the rules that were put into place by our government after the great depression in the 1920’s and 1930’s have been weakened or ended all together, which has led to much the same economic collapse as occurred then. We have new rules and laws in place that will weaken and dismantle our strength to maintain and form union representation in our workplaces. The easiest way to fight back against these actions is to support, work, and vote for politicians who understand and are sympathetic to our situations, and hold those elected accountable for their votes. We can also contribute to COPE, our union’s committee on political education. Through the combined voluntary monetary contributions of our membership of 2.2 million members, we can make a powerful statement in the political arena. If you are not currently contributing to COPE, I urge you to contact a steward in your facility to sign up, or if you are contributing, consider increasing your pledge.
However, politically we can only do so much; we must also do something in our communities. We must use our power to spend our money in places that pay their workers fair wages and benefits, and boycott those who do not. Places like McDonald’s; who last year made over 8 Billion dollars in profits, but most employees have no benefits. Or Wal-Mart; who is the worlds largest retailer and continues to make exorbitant profits, but pays low wages and few benefits, including being involved in lawsuits for not paying overtime as well as discrimination cases against women. Or Chipotle, who recently fired a great majority of workers here in Minneapolis only 2 weeks before Christmas who lacked documentation. A question must be asked; why did Chipotle hire them without checking these documents? The list goes on and on.
We as a union are starting a drive called “Fight For A Fair Economy”. This drive will join union and non-union workers alike in a movement to work towards change in our communities as well as our nation. We will have protest and political actions, phone banking, a fight for a fair contract in our facilities and many other activities for us to become involved in. Like our May Day march coming up on Sunday; May 1 at Powderhorn Park.
One thing is certain; none of us can do it alone. It will take a combined effort standing up and letting our leaders and our communities know that we will not tolerate a nation that allows 400 people to earn as much as 150,000,000 individuals. That we will no longer accept 5% of CEO’s controlling almost 70% of the total wealth of our nation. Or a nation of corporations like General Electric that pays zero corporate taxes because of unfair tax laws.
Join me now Brothers and Sisters! Stand up with me against these inequalities! Stand up with me and let our nation know that we will be heard, and we will achieve change! Join me in this Fight For A Fair Economy! And as always…
Solidarity Today! Solidarity Tomorrow! Solidarity Always!
In All Ways!
Mark Freeman
Methodist Hospital
