A ROCKY ROAD AHEAD FOR THE LABOR COMMUNITY




  
















Any way you slice it, the labor community has a fight on its hands. We must rise again to confront the forces who plundered and pillaged our economy and to convince everyday Americans that we will not be scapegoats for a troubled economy. (Photo above:  A feisty patriotic cheerleader pulls no punches for the Democrats at the One Nation rally in D.C. on Oct. 2.  Photo by Ove Overmyer.)

Rochester, N.Y. -- One week after the One Nation Working Together rally in D.C., I'm convinced now more than ever that the labor community has been taken for granted and marginalized, pouring tons of money into the Democrats' campaign coffers with practically nothing to show for it. Not that I am not grateful for president Obama's leadership-- I am. Considering the cards he has been dealt, things could be drastically worse.

My issue is with 59 U.S. Democratic Senators, who seem unable to get the job done. The House has passed nearly 400 bills only to see them die an ugly death in the other chamber. On top of this and even closer to home in New York State, these midterm elections are looming large for us labor folks. And in today's terrible economy, with a bipartisan push for austerity, many leading Democrats aren't even bothering to hide their anti-labor agenda even as the unions push for support for them.

Take Democrat Andrew Cuomo for example, the likely winner in the governor's race. His attacks on teachers' unions and other public-sector employees could come from any Republican. He talks of a tier 6 for new public employees. He wants public-sector unions to take a one-year wage freeze and basically roll over to help bail out New York's budget mess. His model: the 1970s fiscal crisis, when public-sector union leaders agreed to accept thousands of layoffs. Count on him to appoint Rochester Mayor Bob Duffy, his choice for Lt. Governor to "tangle" with the unions when they get into office.

Cuomo's public-sector union bashing is so ugly that the New York State United Teachers and we, the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) have--so far, at least--have withheld our endorsements. But the state AFL-CIO and WFP backed him anyway, thanks to the support of private-sector unions. This illustrates the labor communities' ongoing internal dilemma-- this is one more example of how the public and private sectors are each other's evil twin and are not even on the same page when it comes to looking at the bigger picture.

The problem for the State of New York this time around is that we would have catastrophic results with a Republican governor-- when Paladino gave his acceptance speech on Primary Election eve he said he would cut Medicaid by 20 percent. He also said he could care less about a reduction in vital services and would incarcerate and assist unemployed people with their hygiene skills. The height of hypocrisy comes when he announced yesterday that he wants to "tighten ethics laws." We don't need smaller government, we need smarter government and he's not it. And, most fair-minded voters know that Carl Paladino is just an irrational human being. Anger is not a governing strategy.  And one more thing-- if you don't consider yourself a wealthy person, you have nothing to gain by voting for a Republican.  Period.


Eugene V. Debs giving a speech.
photo provided by Getty Images.

 At a time when both parties are united in making working people bear the brunt of the economic crisis for the failure of others, union members would do well to recall the famous quote of the Socialist Party's Eugene V. Debs, who battled the U.S. political duopoly in presidential campaigns a century ago: "I'd rather vote for something I want and not get it, than vote for something I don't want and get it."

Well, what I want is a legislature and governor who knows that for us to prosper as a nation, working families must be a priority. No matter who gets elected on November 2, labor has a defined role to play in deciding the future of our state and in our local communities. Wouldn't it be better to have a seat at the table when it comes time for decision-making rather than be shut out of the process altogether? One would think so. Would it be better to use diplomacy, come to some sort of compromise and negotiate how things will get better? One would think so. We have to be pragmatic and remove idealism from the picture. Despite the campaign rhetoric, working families have a fight on our hands either way.

With CSEA's 100th Annual Delegates Meeting about to convene in Albany next week, I am reminded of how important my union has been to improving the lives of so many New Yorkers for so many years. We should use our CSEA union history as a guiding light to direct us to our promised future-- our American dream if you will. We need to continue to speak truth to power. Despite our challenges, there is comfort in knowing we have made so many positive significant contributions to the New York State way of life for over a century. With each passing day, our struggle continues but with a greater sense of purpose and urgency. Heaven help us all.

-Commentary by Ove Overmyer