As we noted here, there weren’t many labor voices booked on the Sunday morning chat shows. One, actually–Richard Trumka from the AFL-CIO.
ABC’s This Week featured four governors (two Democrats, two Republicans) talking about their fiscal problems. CBS‘s Face the Nation had a soft interview with New Jersey Republican Gov. Chris Christie. Host Bob Schieffer asked him one question that began, “You have a reputation as a straight talker, I think….” Schieffer went on to play a clip of Christie bravely calling for Social Security cuts. Instead of questioning Christie’s totally inaccurate premise–that you “have to raise the retirement age”–Schieffer asked him, “Should other people be saying that?”
Over at NBC, Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker could at least be challenged by another guest on the same show. They weren’t on at the same time, but NBC viewers could hear Trumka say this:
Well, first of all, this isn’t about the budget crisis. Let’s look at how this–his arguments migrated. First he said it was–the budget crisis was caused because workers were paid too much in Wisconsin. We now have studies that show they’re not overpaid, they’re underpaid. In fact, people with a degree in Wisconsin get 25 percent less than their private sector things.
Then he said it was about the pension. Now we find out that his pension plan, unlike a lot in the country, is almost fully funded. The assets match the liabilities.
And then the employees said, or the members out there said, his workers said, “We’ll accept your cuts.” And he said: “No. We won’t accept your accepting our cuts.” And the most outrageous thing that he did, and he talked about this, was he’s now saying to them, “You either have to accept a loss of your rights or I’m going to lay you off.” Now, no person should have to face the right of their loss of their job or the loss of their rights. I know Governor Barbour would never say to his employees, his people down there, “You either have to give up your rights or you have to give up your job.”
So there isn’t much of a pension crisis in Wisconsin. State workers aren’t overpaid. And those same workers have agreed to many of the concessions Walker is demanding. If this were part of every discussion about Wisconsin, we’d be having a far more sensible discussion.
NBC host David Gregory followed with a popular right-wing argument about public workers’ unions–that their political campaign contributions mean that elected officials owe them favors:
You raise a lot of money from public employees. That goes, goes to finance campaigns to try to get somebody in office that you can do business with. And ultimately you’re supporting someone, in some cases, that you’re ultimately negotiating with. They also know that political employees, rather, public employees are politically active because they’re organized by the unions. And so they make concessions on things like pensions, on healthcare, knowing that the promises don’t come due to well down the road. Isn’t this the cycle that we’ve gotten into that public unions have to take some responsibility for?
In other words, aren’t politicians doing favors for you because you help them get elected? How often have CEOs and corporate trade associations–who have far more money than labor to give to politicians–been asked that kind of question?
In other words, aren’t politicians doing favors for you because you help them get elected? How often have CEOs and corporate trade associations–who have far more money than labor to give to politicians–been asked that kind of question?
We’re asking the Koch brother – and several other contributors to Walker’s campaign. They are getting paid back in a BIG way. Big way. How convenient that he doesn’t see that. I have no respect for David Gregory anymore. But Trumka summed it up nicely as far as I’m concerned: “…no person should have to face the right of their loss of their job or the loss of their rights…” Damned skippy! Why should be faced with that BS?
Republicans believe that struggling employees would rather lower wages and benefits of working families around them than increase their own standard of living.
There are only 2 states with more children in poverty than Kentucky, Governor Haley Barbour’s state of Mississippi and Bill Clinton’s state of Arkansas (http://datacenter.kidscount.org/data/acrossstates/Rankings.aspx?loct=2&by=a&order=a&ind=43&dtm=322&tf=38).
I thought FAIR was different until I read the last line of this story. This is a LIBERAL BIAS newzine.
It is a TRUTH that the Teachers Unions contribute solely to the Democrats. In WI, the DEMS get 20pct of their gross income from the UNIONS.
How can the DEMS possibly negotiate with their backers? Even a drug dealer can figure this out.
But FAIR doesn’t see this wrong. It focuses on other WRONGS by Corporations to justify the cozy same sex marriage between Unions and DEMS.
Lest people don’t believe, GE is a huge corporate contributor to the DEM Party as are others.
FAIR is clearly a LIBERAL BIASED Spinmeister group,.
Bill johnson you are astro turf. Or your attention span is only a paragraph long. The article is about the underrepresentation of labor in our media. FAIR is concerned with the media’s reprensentation of the issue. I admit, they seem to have a left leaning bias, but their point is “why aren’t we even talking about this in the ‘news’?”
How could they hire people with passion to find stories about labor being over-represented in the media? Publishing/broadcasting is expensive and it is financed by the employers, not the employees. Why on earth would they over represent or fairly represent their opposition?
How about this. You can research democracy now’s stories and offer FAIR articles about how warm fuzzy corporations are unfairly represented.
“How can the DEMS possibly negotiate with their backers?”
I have seen this faulty argument time and time again. Unions do not negotiate contracts with elected officials, except in the sense that the elected heads of governmental entities (governors, mayors, etc.) may give the final approval of a contract after personnel departments do the negotiating. But very often those governors or mayors are REPUBLICANS! In Minnesota, we have had non-Democratic governors for the last 12 years until Mark Dayton was sworn in last month. Union and union members’ contributions to Democratic candidates had nothing whatsoever to do with the last 24 contracts MN state workers unions have negotiated.
And when Democrats ARE the mayors or governors, there are still usually contentious negotiations. This argument just does not hold up, like most of the Republican talking points.
FAIR does not have a liberal bias, but they ARE advocating for under-represented voices in the media, and those under-represented voices are usually the left-leaning ones because corporate-controlled news media outlets want to silence those voices.
The corporate contributions made to Democrats are mostly about corporations hedging their bets. They want to try to ensure that if a Democrat wins a certain office, they can try to have some paid-for influence.
That’s right, Jamie. For numbskulls like Mr. Johnson above (I’m guessing he’s probably in the same income bracket as you, me, and those damn union workers), it’s as if all Democratic politicians are Bolsheviks, who conspire with their Bolsheviki, extravagantly over-paid union members to create a a vastly powerful union of implacable, tax-stealing. lazy bums who suck the life out of our Republic. The possibility that a Democratic governor might drive a harder bargain than a Republican is simply never considered. For the mis-led ignorant, it’s a zero-sum game–you’re either on my team, or the other team, and we have utterly mutually exclusive interests. Of course the teacher’s unions support Democrats–should they support, say, Governor Walker, who wants them to cease to exist? They understand what side of the bread their butter is on, and hapless dupes like our above poster don’t. Unions also understand that a Democrat isn’t necessarily going to support them. In a general way they might, but it’s always going to be tough going, always. Mr. Trumka’s comments are right on the mark. The argument has been deliberately mis-directed to hide the Governor’s (and his master’s) true intent, which is the destruction of the unions.
Jamie and Carter
Mr johnson is wrong. When he says FAIR has a liberal bias i would say bias indicates preference.FAIR is STRICTLY liberal.They have been kind enough to let me on,and i am a tea party conservative.But as to their articles,to date- i have never seen one yet that upholds conservative ideals. Completely ,unabashedly Liberal.99.9%
Want to see real bias?Take a look at how many times Mr Trumka has met with O-Bam.It is truly astounding.I hear Michelle thinks they may be having an affair.God knows she see him less