If you've tuned in to the news of the uprisings across the Middle East, chances are you've seen coverage of another popular uprising: the one in Wisconsin. Thousands of Americans have been marching in Madison and occupying the Statehouse. They are fighting to stop a bill introduced by Gov. Scott Walker (R−Wis.) that would take away the right of workers in the public sector to collectively bargain on almost all issues, as well as slash their pay. While Walker claims it is necessary to balance the state budget, in reality it is a move aimed at crippling the ability of public sector unions to negotiate for their members. The Wisconsin unions have already agreed to the proposed pay and benefit cuts. But instead of resolving legitimate concerns about the state budget, Walker has chosen to disenfranchise workers.
You might think this bill is remote from and unrelated to our lives as Tufts students. But the issue is both on our doorstep and crucial to our future. Let me explain.
The issue is not only in Wisconsin. In fact, it has moved just around the corner to Park Street Station where State Representative Daniel Winslow (R−Norfolk, LA '80) has proposed a similar, slightly watered−down version of the bill. The proposed legislation attacks Massachusetts public sector unions' ability to collectively bargain on several key issues that can be exploited by management to undermine workers' pay and benefits.
For example, if Winslow's bill passes, public sector unions will no longer be able to negotiate on issues of temporary and part−time workers or seniority. Seems mundane, right? That is, until you realize that management can use these proposed loopholes to squeeze out full−time workers who qualify for health insurance and get rid of workers who have accrued raises after putting years of their life into their jobs.
I joined 18 students yesterday from Tufts and other Boston schools at the State Capitol building, where we crowded into Winslow's office to demand the retraction of this bill. We wished to convey our strong convictions that this bill is a threat to workers, the middle class and our future. Shockingly, Winslow wasn't available to speak with us, though his aide did assure us that he wanted to hear from "all sides" of the bill.
Even if this issue has moved to Massachusetts, why should Tufts students care? Chances are you don't know anyone who works for the government who is a union member. However, many of us are graduating soon and will be looking for jobs. If you are thinking about becoming a teacher or a nurse or government worker to fulfill the active citizen in you (or because the private sector isn't hiring), these attacks on collective bargaining will affect your livelihood.
I'm confident that every student right now is nervous about finding a job and, really, every student who wants to get a job in the next four years should be fighting the anti−union bills for the sake of the economy. We are still in an economic crisis and the more spending power Americans have, the more they will buy from the private sector. Supporting the incomes of American workers is really the only way to stimulate the economy and finally create jobs. Thus, while anti−union politicians seek to pit private sector workers against public sector workers protected by unions, the truth is that prosperity in the public sector is needed to stimulate prosperity in the private sector. Don't trust me on this — I get confused by a W−2 tax form. But you should trust Nobel Prize in Economics winner Paul Krugman who has shown that the bill is "not about the budget; it's about the power."
In fact, the fight for collective bargaining is even bigger than the economy and protecting and creating jobs; this fight will help decide the question of where America is headed. Will we preserve the American dream of providing for our families and preserving the middle class? Will America expand freedoms or seek to carve up who gets what rights? The right to collective bargaining is the right to have a seat at the table when decisions are made about your job and the right to defend yourself against sexual harassment and discrimination. It prevents people from feeling powerless when they talk to their boss. Shouldn't our commitment to the right to expression and representation hold in our jobs as well as in the Middle East?
Many people in power want to use our uncertainty about the future to divide and pull us apart. The want every non−union or non−public−sector worker to turn against the government employees who are defending their right to have a say in their jobs. If you listen to these politicians, they will tell you that to survive the crisis, we must make others suffer. We must cut other people's livelihoods because we are afraid of losing our own.
Indeed, this attitude is alive and well at Tufts. For over a year and a half, the Tufts administration has worked to silence and discourage the efforts of Tufts' librarians, secretaries, lab technicians and other clerical workers from forming a union. University President Lawrence Bacow in April 2009 sent a memo to the staff stating his disapproval of forming the Tufts Employees Association. Along with it came a series of policies and manager trainings that restricted the employees' ability to talk to union organizers about the idea. If you've noticed the silver "No Soliciting" plaques at the entrance to every building, you have seen the administration's policy on the clerical workers' organizing campaign. In its zeal to enforce Tufts' legal and official stance on the Tufts Employees Association, the administration has risked intimidating the staff members who keep our university running.
We must be clear. We face a choice, both in America and on our campus: Will we allow ourselves to be divided by fear and anger, or will we choose to pull together and stand in solidarity for our common future?
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Philip Bene is a senior majoring in clinical psychology. He is the co-chair of Jumbo Janitor Alliance.
