SPECIAL COMMENTARY: IT'S TIME FOR UNION FAMILIES TO RE-EVALUATE THEIR POLITICAL AND SOCIAL BELIEFS

By Ove Overmyer

Rochester, N.Y. -- It's time we have this conversation.  Every generation has to answer to the next. 

After the horrific assault on working people in Wisconsin, for the life of me I cannot understand why any union member or those who do not have disposable incomes would keep their Republican registration. I know you are out there-- I can here you breathing.  I'm talking directly to the people who are rolling their eyes right now.

You pretend to care about workplace rights, your membership and your pension-- then every year you give your vote, your money and support to GOP candidates who turn around and oppress us as working people. They revel in the notion that you are gullible, foolish and trustworthy.  Union folk are a diverse group, and that is our strength.  But we can no longer afford to support those who do not have our best interest at heart.

Yes, you were raised as a third-generation conservative Republican by nature and nurture. Well, you must remember that there has been a massive ideological fundementalist shift in American politics in the past few decades.  Ronald Reagan couldn't even get elected as a Republican today.  It’s high time we re-evaluate your place on the political continuum. The GOP center has radically moved so far right that it is exclusively pro-business, extreme, anti-worker and anti-equality.

Last election cycle, I personally objected to supporting one candidate for New York State Senate who happened to be Republican. I listed no more than 7 votes on his legislative scorecard that were anti-labor, yet we turn around as a union voice and endorsed him anyway.

The fact remains that there are probably less than a handful of elected officials in the New York State legislature that are pro-active on our issues. Assemblyman Harry Bronson, (D-131), is one of those people. It’s time we stop giving away our support “hoping” that they will be there for us when the going gets tough. Well, where are they now?

And don't think for two minutes those senate GOP members have individual voices-- when push comes to shove, the caucus votes as one. That next vote just might be the one that will eliminate the services you provide and the job you do every day.  Or, their next move just might be to completely dismantle the Triborough Amendment-- one of most important aspects of collective bargaining. 

Citizens United and the fight in Wisconsin

For those union members who still support GOP lawmakers, maybe now you'll finally understand that there has been an orchestrated, long-term effort over many years to get rid of union power in national politics-- and now the proverbial cat is out of the bag. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker's embarrassingly inane confessional over the phone to who he thought was one of the richest oil barons of the world proves this point.

The story of the year since Citizens United v. FEC may be perfectly crystallized in this fight at the statehouse in Madison, Wisconsin (see related article in the Voice Reporter).  Organizations like Americans for Prosperity spent millions of dollars in 2010 running misleading ads bashing health care reform, labor unions, progressives, immigrants, and American Muslims in order to elect Republican politicians who would stand up for the interests of big business. Now those interests are working hard, and spending a little extra money, to make sure they collect on their investments.

According to Opensecrets.org, out of the top 10 donors that contributed to political campaigns in 2010, 7 out of 10 donated to the Republican cause. The remaining 3 entities are worker unions, including your AFSCME dollars, which tend to support Democrats. If this isn't enough evidence to suggest that the new crop of Republican lawmakers want to destroy unions as a means to shift the political landscape, I don't know what would convince you.

The GOP could care less about private-sector unions, public policy and good government; it’s all about ideological political power favoring business and “who rules.” They also love the fact that the public-sector and private-sector don't exactly see eye to eye on all things, and they exploit that in a conquer and divide strategy.  The new wave of GOP lawmakers was handpicked by big business—they are just puppets to the rich corporations who got them elected at the expense of the middle-class working family.

Day of reckoning has come

Our day of reckoning has come-- worker rights are starting to crumble and we need every free-thinking union member, independent and right-minded patriot on the same page. There should be no more nuisanced posturing-- things could not be more clear.  Solidarity is not just a slogan or a word in a song, it should be our way of life.  And, let the "Wisconsin 14" state legislators be a lesson of courage for our local lawmakers.

Union folk and middle-class families should not give one dime to any political candidate regardless of party who doesn't champion middle-class values. That should eliminate 90 percent of the politicians we gave money to last year. Ask yourself this question, where are they now? Have you heard any Rochester area elected official speak up on behalf of working people in the past two weeks?  Shouldn't we be working harder to get more pro-labor candidates in office and holding the lawmakers we got elected more accountable? 

The Democratic ones that have been emailing me of late, seem to be trying to take advantage of the outrage that is emerging on the left.  Call me skeptical, but it feels opportunistic and doesn't feel genuine.  This is not just a Wisconsin dilemma either; this is a fight for the soul of America.  We need to "act up" now to give us the best shot at maintaining our middle-class quality of life.

My intent here is to get you to think outside of your comfort zone.  If for some reason you find fault with my logic, I would invite you to email the Voice Reporter. I would love a good go-around right now. My dander is up.

The opinions expressed here by Mr. Overmyer are the views of the author only and does not represent CSEA as an organization.