STOP THE LIES: IT'S UGLY OUT THERE AND THE SKY REALLY IS FALLING

Rochester, N.Y.-- In the ruling class’s endless strategy to divide and conquer working people, its current tactic of pitting public sector worker unions against average folks and those in the private sector is gaining ground-- much to our dismay. It's as if average folks don't know what to do or how to behave anymore when it comes to public employees, believing all the myths and falsehoods of America's progressive labor movement.

And on January 3, sadly, the New York Times reported without confirmed sources that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo will try to impose a one-year salary freeze on all state workers-- following the lead of president Obama freezing the salaries of federal public employees last December. 

The NYT and NY Daily News suggested this can happen by edict or an executive order which it can't-- once again driving home the narrative that middle class families are the problem and they need to take the fall for a troubled economy.  Just so you know, salaries of public employees can only be altered or changed through the collective bargaining process.

Most informed New Yorkers know that our fiscal problems were caused by deregulation, greedy Wall Streeters, a nose-dive in tax revenue, self-indulgent private equity firms, global corporations outsourcing our American jobs, our banking industry being unwilling participants in any kind of housing recovery and one hundred other reasons perpetrated by the most wealthiest people in our nation.

At the risk of sounding hyperbolic, we detest the dishonesty and trickery of this debate and demand that American working families start advocating for themselves right this instant. As ugly as it sounds, we are in the grips of class warfare 21st century style.  One thing that you can immediately do to help yourself is join the Stop The Lies campaign today.

Also today on January 3, as Wisconsin’s new governor Scott Walker was sworn in, state workers were preparing for an assault of which none of them have ever seen before. Walker is threatening to cut wages and take away their negotiated earned benefits. And he’s even raised the prospect of making it illegal for state workers to engage in collective bargaining-- rolling back some of the most important achievements of the 20th century American labor movement.


The facts are clear-- the assault on public workers is happening in one state after another in every corner of the country and it is literally tearing our communities and families apart.  Government salaries and pensions are not killing state budgets-- lawmakers, corporate lobbyists and the big donors who got these bureaucrats into public office are.

Make no mistake. This is a strategic, concerted, deep attack on public employees and the middle class and the right is feeling pretty good about how things are going. Is anyone listening? Are you out there? But, here are some facts--  the problems facing our state budgets were not created by union workers or the middle class-- so why are we accepting this treatment?
 

photo by Ove Overmyer

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the public sector unionization rate in America is in January of 2010 was hovering around 37.4 percent; in the private sector, it’s 7.6 percent. Slashing the wages and benefits and rights of public sector workers is a way to delegitimize organized workers. And for Conservatives, Tea Partiers and Republicans, it’s a way to politically overcome a Democratic power base and one of the few ways to destroy fundraising streams for progressive candidates.

Time and time again, we have been telling our readers that attacking public sector workers is just bad business for our economy but it seems the truth is not resonating with the American public just yet.  This is not rocket science-- it's just common sense that has no home right now.  And to those who oppose us, rest assured we will never give up our hopes and dreams of a better life for our working families.

One way to fight social injustice and economic oppression is to educate one's self and identify the common good. Also, we at the Voice Reporter are asking you to revisit our previous Stop the Lies posts to get a snaphot on what has been happening these past few months.

We imagine that the dissolution of union strength in America has become a "novelity act" to watch from the far right-- those who are rigging the system and rewarding themselves are now laughing all the way to the bank while the middle class is on it's way to oblivion.

At times like this, we are reminded of how important our union has been to improving the lives of so many New Yorkers for so many years.  We can not forget that simple truth.  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 can not give up the fight.

And, we need to continue to speak truth to power. Despite our grave circumstances and challenges, there is comfort in knowing that 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. We at the Voice Reporter hope you can join us in that fight to re-energize the middle class.