Looks like there are two parts of the labor movement in NW Indiana to me.
One group that wants to grow jobs by building roads and buildings and rails and homes. One group that only wants to increase wages for the few remaining job holders.
One group that wants to work with both sides of the aisle to better our communities. One group that only wants to work with Dems, same as always.
One group that wants to cap property taxes on homes, even if that means cutting the size of governement. One group that only wants to protect the size of government, as if innovation itself is evil.
Now these two groups will face off when Governor Daniels is in town on Friday to raise $500,000 for his re-election. Some labor leaders and members with Daniels and supporting him, others picketing outside.
From the Times:
A gala fund-raiser for Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels is prying open a deep fissure in Northwest Indiana's construction unions.Some union locals are crying foul over a full-page ad in newspapers last week listing the Northwest Indiana Building and Construction Trades Council as a sponsor of the $500-a-plate fundraiser to take place Friday night at the Radisson Hotel at Star Plaza Theatre in Merrillville.
Mike Campbell, president of Laborers' Locals 81 and 41, said many of his 3,000 members are furious because the ad gave the impression all 33 union locals in the council are supporting Daniels and the gala.In fact, Laborers' locals in Indiana have endorsed Democrat Jim Schellinger and donated $126,000 to his campaign, Campbell said. Campbell called Friday's gala "an anti-living-wage, anti-working-family event."
Local 81 is based in Valparaiso and Local 41 in Hammond. The locals cover Lake, Porter, Jasper, Newton, Starke and LaPorte counties.Ironworkers Local 395 business manager Jim Stemmler also called The Times shortly after the ad appeared and said his local and the Ironworkers' state council have endorsed Schellinger.
When contacted Monday, Northwest Indiana Building and Construction Trades Council President Chris Hernandez said the council's $50,000 gala sponsorship has come entirely from funds raised by individual locals and labor councils."It's a sponsorship for the dinner; it's not a building trades endorsement," Hernandez said.However, some individual locals within the council have endorsed Daniels.
Gala organizer Dan Dumezich said $400,000 already has been raised through sponsorships, as well as table and dinner purchases. The former state legislator from Schererville said he is confident it can break the $500,000 mark, making it the largest gubernatorial fundraiser conducted in Northwest Indiana."The fact is the building trades council and all the unions under them are supporting the governor at this event," Dumezich said Monday. "And that's a tough cookie for some of them to swallow."
Crown Point billionaire Dean White also is a $50,000 sponsor of the event, as are the Northwest Indiana Contractors Association and International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150.Campbell said Laborers' Locals 81 and 41 plan to have protesters outside the Radisson on Friday.
Daniels will be the Republican candidate for governor in November. Schellinger is facing off against Democrat Jill Long Thompson in the Democratic primary May 6. The winner will face the governor.Daniels came to the Northwest Indiana Building and Construction Trades Council in late January to ask for its support, Hernandez said.The next week, the council's vice presidents' committee met and approved the council's gala sponsorship, he said. However, it was agreed no council money would be used. Instead, individual labor councils and locals were able to donate to the event to support the council's sponsorship, Hernandez said.
3 comments:
Jesus, Indiana should have become a Right to Work state in '06 when we had the chance.
Yep, we should have. But now we're afraid to.
I for one can live with the unions, the guys I've known want jobs and care about Indiana. They support the Illiana, the South Shore Extension, taking the airport away from fraudulent Gary, eliminating expenses in government.
But there is definitely a split in their ranks. Some don't care a hoot about the economy, their community, or anyone but themselves.
They want high wages, even if no one can afford to buy their products. This is pretty foolish economics.
I was a union member back when I first started working and know first hand that there are some union members who only look out for themselves.
Old time employees had beautiful contracts, while the newer ones received wages just a little over minimum wage -- just enough to offset the union dues that we were required to pay. When there were raises, the union dues always rose to take the extra money.
If someone wanted to try to move up by volunteering to do something that could have been done by an older member of the workforce, people filed grievances -- even though the newer worker would get the same pay for the work that the folks on the older contracts would get. It was a disincentive to people who wanted to move up by showing some initiative. Newer workers never had a chance to develop their career in the service industry because they were usually relegated to the starting jobs the older employees didn't like.
All of the contracts were in favor of the oldest workers and were anti-competitive for the newer employees.
There was high turnover among the younger staff because they knew someone standing next to them might be doing the same work but getting significantly more money just because they managed to stick around. You're doing a job and someone else is doing the same thing for 3 times as much because it was a Sunday or late in the evening -- it wasn't a great way to foster solidarity.
The one good thing was great medical benefits.
But, younger people -- except if they got pregnant -- didn't really need to have a Cadillac of a health plan, especially if they were covered by their parents. The insurance didn't kick in until after a year, so sticking around was also required.
The one good thing about the union was that nobody ever got fired -- unless they stole something or tried to harm a customer or fellow employee. Even with those standards, there were some people who got the axe because they couldn't refrain from "five finger discounts" and the like. (Of course, to make sure the employee didn't win a union appeal, the company would always film and get the police involved -- they worked security -- usually after an investigation that made sure serious criminal charges would stick).
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