Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Wisconsin becomes litmus test for Right-To-Work-For-Less States

Scott Walker isn't turning into the success story the Koch brothers were hoping for when they started pumping money his way.

Wisconsin has the distinction of being the state that actually lost the most jobs in the past year.

That's not exactly a resounding endorsement of Walker's "right to work" initiative.

"Right to work" is the insidious Orwellian moniker for anti-union initiatives that have become popular in many American states. In practice, a "right-to-work" state severely limits the rights of workers to organize.

The guiding philosophy behind "right to work" is a Darwinian belief that there is always somebody willing to work for less. And once you get unions out of the way there usually is.

It's been proven time and time again. When Peter Pocklington embarked on his union-busting war of attrition against the Gainers workers in Edmonton way back when, he knew that with the right government supports he would be able to restructure the wage scale in the meat-processing industry.

And even though Pocklington's unbridled greed eventually landed him in an American prison, he was successful in destroying the established wage structure of the meat-packing industry.

Before Pocklington, guys who worked in meat processing plants did shit work for a living wage.

After Pocklington, guys who worked in meat processing plants did shit work for a shit wage.

Virtually the entire North American meat-processing industry today is staffed by recent immigrants or illegal immigrants who work for minimum wage or close to it.

Peter Pocklington was a pioneer and a visionary.

Scott Walker is a Johnny-come-lately.

Working people aren't fooled by "right-to-work" propaganda anymore, no matter how much money the Kochs and their ilk throw into these campaigns.

"Right to work" just gives you the right to work for less.

No comments:

Post a Comment