Benefits that most American workers, both union and nonunion, have long enjoyed enabling a decent standard of living for families are being cut back or eliminated by corporations simply because they think they can get away with it. Hit the jump to read the rest of the story.
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At the same time, according to the AFL-CIO, the typical American CEO earns $11.4 million, or 343 times more than the average worker.
Labor Day became a federal holiday in 1894 after 34 workers who were members of the American Railway Union were killed during a strike at the Pullman Co. in Chicago. This led to a national recognition that the average working man needed to be protected and represented, so as not to be exploited.
Most workers today don’t make the connection and take for granted benefits such as paid vacations, sick days and workplace safety rules and lunch hours – even the five-day/40-hour work week.%A0But these modern day standards weren’t the result of employers being generous. They came about because unions and workers had to fight for them, becoming standard even for nonunion employers and employees.
Yet now, America’s workers are being told by American employers that unions and their goals are part of the problem. They’re being told that just to keep their jobs, they need to sacrifice key benefits.%A0Most interesting is that these efforts are being led, in many cases, by companies that are highly profitable. Two recent examples are Verizon and Mott’s.
In early August, workers at Verizon went on strike for two weeks after their contract expired.%A0Despite a net income of $13.9 billion from operations in 2010 and $6.89 billion in profit in the first six months of 2011, plus another $1.32 billion in tax benefits, Verizon made significant demands of its longtime loyal workers.
These included cuts in compensation of up to $20,000 per year per employee and the right to outsource even more jobs overseas, having already sent 25,000 out of the country. Meanwhile, the company’s top executives collected $258 million in salaries and bonuses in the last four years.
During the summer of 2010, workers at Mott’s in Williamson, N.Y., – a company best known for its apple sauce and juices – were hit with demands they accept pay freezes, benefit cuts and other concessions.%A0These demands were being made by a company with a $550 million profit – because top management felt they could exploit the national economic climate to extract major concessions.
