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October 26, 2005
Remembering Why Labor Works
Paul L. Gass is Business Manager for the IBEW Local 175
I spoke to the Labor Council at the Local 175 International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), which is located at 3922 Volunteer Drive in Chattanooga. That's where Paul L. Gass's office is. And I shot the image above as Paul is standing with a signed photograph behind him of our former Democratic President and Vice President. I wanted to remind myself and you how good it used to be under Clinton and Gore, for it was a time of budget surpluses, growing economic indicators, and enlightened leadership.
The brothers received me well. I reminded them of my roots, about my family in West Virginia being blessed because of unions there. I told them that I am not ashamed ever to say I have been part of unions. I have been a teacher for years and a member of various teachers' associations, which are basically professional union groups. I reminded our area labor leaders that even in California (which seems friendlier to labor than Tennessee) skilled or professional groups are being attacked. Governor Schwarzenegger's California Recovery Team is backing a ballot initiative that would increase administrative costs and time for teachers to attain tenure, although tenure does nothing to protect you from being fired for more obvious reasons. For there are many reasons for being dismissed as a teacher.
I guess I could support this initiative, called Proposition 74, if I knew it was really about reform. Schwarzenegger is calling Prop 74 educational improvement, but if he wanted improvements why did he cut funding for teacher bonuses last year? What the governor really wants to do is weaken the CTA, the California Teachers' Association. This approach, of course, has been the typically shortsighted way to try to break labor for many years. And, yes, there are fewer people in labor unions (and supposedly more people in business), but has it helped. Some people are not meant for business. And instead of more people with wealth, we have all watched as a huge gaping canyon grows between the haves and havenots.
| By wjbailes | 12:32 PM
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