Ezra Klein: The White House's Troubled Relationship with Labor

[flpoljunkie]

(He does make a point.)

The White House's troubled relationship with labor

The administration would probably be having an easier time getting unions to sign on to an excise tax compromise if the unions felt that the administration was fighting for them on, well, anything. Instead, card check seems dead, and the White House let Republicans (and a few Democrats) filibuster Craig Becker, the pro-labor lawyer that unions wanted to see on the National Labor Relations Board. Becker got 52 votes anyway, but there's been no talk of a recess appointment.

It's hard to ask your allies to take a hit for you if you're never willing to throw a punch for them.

By Ezra Klein
February 17, 2010

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2010/02/the_white_houses_troubled_rela.html

[vi5]

1. Pretty much sums up....

..most of their relationships with different democratic constituencies and bases doesn't it? Support us, but don't expect anything in return if it means offending republicans or big business.

If this were a month or two ago, I'd be expecting the "clap louder" patrol to be along any minute. But I've noticed that they've quieted down and are very silent lately.

[katandmoon]

2. Bingo. K&R.

[Imajika]

3. Unions should be thanking their lucky stars for Obama

The stimulus bill that President Obama pushed through probably saved hundreds of thousands of public employee jobs throughout the country - with well over half or more being union jobs. As bad as this recession has been, public service union jobs have survived quite nicely thanks to President Obama.

The Republicans would NEVER, EVER have supported bailing out states to help keep those jobs. In fact, that is one of the biggest reasons the GOP detested the stimulus bill.

And the White House is looking for ways to assist the states AGAIN this year to protect those jobs.

Union supporters somehow seem to be forgetting about the hundreds of thousands of public sector union jobs that would be GONE had it not been for President Obama.

And Card Check is not even popular with many on the left, it isn't shocking that President Obama can't force that through. He doesn't even have close to the votes needed to ram such an unpopular bill through the congress. I am pretty sure even George McGovern is still out cutting commercials against Card Check for heaven sakes. This issue is not some slam dunk. The President has to pick his fights, he can't take on every issue at once.

[FrenchieCat]

4. But you know how it is......if enough folks don't know the facts,

they'll run and side with anyone BUT the administration....
cause everyone is always right BUT the administration.
That's how they roll.....simple, distorted, and self serving.

[Imajika]

5. Yup, that is how it seems to be for some reason...

I guess people just don't realize how many union jobs the President saved with the stimulus assistance that went to the states.

We have reached a point where a majority of union jobs ARE public sector jobs. Of the roughly 2 million jobs saved by the stimulus, HUGE numbers of those were public sector jobs throughout the 50 states with approximately 37% of those being union jobs. Countless thousands of union jobs such as teachers, fire fighters, etc, were saved by the stimulus. A stimulus that the President pushed through despite how badly it polls and how difficult it has been to justify to the public. That stimulus which saved those thousands upon thousands of union jobs very well may have cost him the ability to get a lot of his agenda through, but he still did it.

Unions and those who support them should be thankful for this President, because you can rest assured a Republican President would NEVER have provided assistance for the states to save those jobs. Heck, that is one of the main reasons the GOP hates the stimulus so much.

[vi5]

6. Yes....it's been established...

Republicans are worse.
We all know that.
Unions know that.

But the fact is that like with Gays and Lesbians (yes, we know Republicans are worse on that issue as well), it's one thing to be better than Republicans.
It's one thing to do large, fairly broad things that benefit a lot of people, some of whom also coincidentally happen to fall into those groups.

But it's another thing to ask those same groups to expend the high levels of time, money, support, and effort that are needed and expect them to do so for "....well you also got some benefit from this other thing we passed for everyone, and besides Republicans would be worse."

The bottom line is that while some of Obama's policies and actions have swept up in them some net positive effects for those groups in question, there's been no sign that he's willing to stick his neck out and expend any kind of serious political capital for either group. So when it comes time for the administration and the DNC or whoever to ask those groups to do the same then nobody should act surprise when there's not an outpouring of gratitude and enthusiasm.

[flpoljunkie]

9. Unions, like the rest of us here, expect real results on healthcare and financial reform.

It is outrageous that some Dems do not support Card Check. They do not deserve to call themselves Democrats.

[burning rain]

7. Were union jobs going to be specially exempted from eligibility for being saved by stimulus funds?

Come on. Even Jim fucking DeMint couldn't have slipped in such a discriminatory provision with a straight face. That was no particular favor to labor, rather maintaining basic functions of the state, and many of the jobs saved happened to be union jobs.

[Imajika]

11. No, they just wouldn't have assisted the states at all...

There would have been NO stimulus funds to assist states with keeping public sector jobs. Period. None. Republicans absolutely oppose this. Even Republican governors who want bailout money would love to find excuses to eliminate public sector jobs - particularly unionized positions such as many/most teachers. Republicans in every state are looking for ways to slash the public workforce, especially in education and healthcare.

There wouldn't have even been a stimulus had it not been for President Obama. Had it been McCain or any other Republican we would have had an entire bill full of tax cuts instead of just 1/3 of the bill being tax cuts. All those union jobs that were saved would be GONE today had it not been for the stimulus.

[burning rain]

14. The fact remains that it was no particular favor to unions.

Those jobs would have been saved by the stimulus just the same if none of them were union jobs, as they have to do with basic functions and responsibilities of the state.

[hollowdweller]

13. Yeah but you are just talking about saving jobs.

Unless there are changes in the law, and policies and in the people who implement the laws and policies then just having a union won't help.

If workers try to organize but they can be retaliated against and the anti union courts or enforcement agencies won't protect them.

We can have all the safety laws and fair pay laws we want but if we put industry in charge of enforcing them how does that help??

A small segment of the population controls most of the wealth the workers are producing so in the absence of strong unions the gov't must step in with redistribution programs.

It would be better to give workers the power to get their own healthcare, afford a house w/o a sketchy loan.

[KoKo]

8. Obama shouldn't be faulted for this. He doesn't know what a Union is...

unless it's the "Student Union" at Harvard or Columbia. Same thing to him.

[senseandsensibility]

10. kick

for the workers.

[hollowdweller]

12. Dems always screw unions.

They do it in my home state and they do it nationally. Oh they are happy for the money, votes and phone banks and may pound the podium during an election but they end up seeing all that go away once they are in power.

I personally think there is no or very little difference between the parties. I wish my union would just run ads on the issues and totally get out of supporting any politician just because they are a democrat. I think that would be more useful than throwing it down a rathole.