Standing up for organized labor
September 5, 2013 8:34PM
Members of the crowd hold up signs against military action in Syria as U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., speaks with constituents during a town hall meeting at the Burton Barr Central Library, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2013, in Phoenix. The meeting, which was supposed to host a variety of topics that effect Arizonans, became a platform for the topic of military action in Syria. (AP Photo/Ralph Freso)
Updated: September 6, 2013 2:22AM
I can only wonder where Paul Kersey of the Illinois Policy Institute obtained his information and formed his opinions for his Labor Day op-ed [“Union bosses fail working people they claim to help”].
Researching Caterpillar, I see recent union concessions in Illinois and Wisconsin, with pre-concession wage examples given at $12.20 per hour. These skilled jobs at Caterpillar require an associate’s degree.
During this same period of time, Caterpillar has made record profits while its CEO Doug Oberhelman is frequently quoted in the media criticizing Illinois “business climate.” Caterpillar paid Doug Oberhelman $16.9 million in 2011 and $22.4 million in 2012. Meanwhile, some of the people who work for Caterpillar are making poverty-level wages and are now dependent on federal and state programs, just to survive. These programs are paid for with our taxes, so we the taxpayers are subsidizing Caterpillar and its record profits.
Last year Caterpillar sales increased 10 percent and its earnings per share increased 15 percent, yet the somehow non-union employee bonuses plunged 31 percent. Oberhelman’s compensation increased 32 percent.
Hostess’ CEO Gregory Rayburn tripled his salary to $2.5 million, while cutting the workers’ wages and benefits. The cash for Rayburn’s pay raise came from diverting the workers’ pensions, which the taxpayers will now be obligated to restore, all so Rayburn could earn bonuses in liquidating the company while sending thousands of his employees to the unemployment line.
Laws are needed to protect the workers and taxpayers from these abuses.
Remembering how we earned hard-fought workers’ rights is what we commemorate on Labor Day. History has taught us what we must do to correct these abuses; we must join together.
Greg Lydon, Crete
Don’t strike Syria
The international community must act on Syria, but unilateral military strikes by the U.S. are not the answer. My faith leads me to oppose war. I also believe that the president’s proposal for U.S. military action in Syria is a mistake because it will undermine the emerging international consensus against the use of chemical weapons in Syria and could potentially lead to more deaths.
The international community has effective political tools to address the use of chemical weapons and to work to stop the killing in Syria. The U.S. needs to engage with the Arab League, Russia and the Organization for Islamic Cooperation to build a process that could lead to peace and effectively bring those using chemical weapons to justice.
I hope Rep. Jan Schakowsky, Sen. Dick Durbin and Sen. Mark Kirk will reject the president’s request to authorize the use of U.S. military force in Syria.
Mary Dean, Andersonville
