Stop Attacking Workers! Statement of the Interfaith Worker Justice Board of Directors

[Joanne98]

Statement of the Interfaith Worker Justice Board of Directors


Teachers, police officers, fire fighters, public health workers, and other public employees providing vital services to our communities are under attack, falsely blamed for state budget problems. The primary cause of state budget problems is the downturn in the economy, caused by Wall Street abuses and risky practices, not the salaries of public sector workers. The economic downtown has meant that states receive less in tax revenues from workers and businesses. Attacking public sector workers, who did not create these problems, threatens to raise unemployment.

Under the guise of budget-cutting, these attacks are taking many forms: reductions in pay and health care; outsourcing of work to private companies; selling state assets. Both Democratic and Republican governors have called for major cutbacks. Bills that would in one form or another roll back union rights and wage standards have recently been or will soon be introduced in roughly 30 states (the number is constantly rising).

Our religious traditions insist that workers, as human beings with inherent dignity, have the right to form associations to improve their conditions at work. Statements issued by a wide array of Catholic and Protestant denominations, the Union of Reform Judaism, the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of the Conservative Movement of Judaism, the Council on American Islamic Relations, the Muslim American Freedom Foundation, the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, and other faith bodies support the right of workers to organize and bargain with their employers over wages, benefits, and a voice on the job.

Public employees with union contracts are often portrayed as overpaid and somehow less deserving than workers in the private sector. In fact, we rely on public workers to provide services directed toward the common good, and studies have shown that they are not paid more than private sector workers with comparable levels of education. An attorney working as a county prosecutor or public defender makes considerably less than his or her private counterpart. Rather than pushing down standards for public workers, all workers should be valued and achieve respect at the workplace.

Under the guise of protecting workers, some states are also considering so-called "Right to Work" laws that would apply to all workers, not just those in the public sector, and make it nearly impossible for workers to organize effectively and negotiate fair standards at work. Under "Right to Work" laws, workers cannot negotiate with employers to create a common dues structure. This is not a matter of workers' rights but rather an open attack on unions and the ability of workers to win decent and dignified standards at work. It is also anti-democratic. In a democratic society, we elect public officials and abide by laws that are passed, whether we voted for the party in power or not. When workers choose to form a union, the union must represent everybody, including those who voted against the union.

States with Right to Work laws have lower wages, even when factoring in the cost of living, and fewer job protections. The 18 states with the highest workplace fatality rates are "Right to Work" states.

The U.S. economy is in a tough moment. With continued high unemployment, low job growth and looming state budget deficits, people are anxious. It is a moment to come together and thoughtfully address the challenges and re-examine equitable options for revenues and taxes. Using the state budget crisis as a pretext for ramming through anti-worker "Right to Work" laws and prohibitions on state worker representation is an affront to workers and to the faith principles of justice and fairness. The people who take care of our children and our elderly, build our roads and schools, teach our children, serve our food, attend our houses of worship, and work in our hospitals and industries deserve better.

http://www.iwj.org/index.cfm/stop-attacking-workers

[xchrom]

1. Great statement . Nt