Holding Worker's Interests Accountable

Working Life discusses the importance of holding Democrats accountable for their votes or actions on labor related issues, and makes the point that we can’t assume just because they’re Democrats they’ll act in the best interest of workers. Is Donna Shalala Anti-Union? is the perfect example of a Democrat who acts anti-union once they get into a position of power. To refresh your memory, Shalala was Bill Clinton's Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) for eight years. She went on to become president of the University of Miami where she finds herself involved with the university janitor’s efforts to unionize. They currently work for a contractor (UNICCO), which pays them as little as $51 a day and provides no health benefits.

That's where we come to Shalala's behavior. Publicly, she has said that the university has no role in the negotiations and she displays all sorts of nice quotes about how the university needs to be a good corporate citizen. But, privately, she has allowed UNICCO to run an antiunion campaign; union organizers from SEIU were kicked off the campus when they were handing out food and water to the workers after Hurricane Wilma, the organizers aren't allowed on campus and students are prohibited from posting information about the union (so much for free speech).

Here are some facts to show how truly disgusting Shalala's behavior is. The union estimates that the Shalala would have to agree to shell out $9.4 million over 3 years to pay the janitors a living wage with healthcare. That would add up to just 0.6 percent of total revenue for one year which is ...ready for this number?...$1,416,863,964 (that would be more than $1.4 billion). Or just 4.3 percent of the funds the government pays out to the university. Or just 0.7 percent of its net assets ($1.2 billion).

Or think of the rich versus poor comparison. The university pays its president and officers a total of $4,347,977.80 (clearly, I went into the wrong line of work). Over three years, they earn $13,043,933.40. A UNICCO worker would have to work for 2 months or 326 hours to earn what Shalala earns in one day; her annual salary is a cool half a million (actually, $516,904.19). Pay the president and officers just 28 percent less (they can probably make due) and you can pay a living wage AND healthcare for the 400 UNICCO workers.

Our country used to value work – all work – as worthwhile, but times have changed. The message being sent by our politicians now is that only "certain" work is valuable (CFOs, CEOs, corporate executives) and worthy of huge salaries and perks. Education is being treated the same way too. If you don’t have an MBA or beyond, then the implication is that you didn’t do enough to reinvent yourself. This is snobbery, pure and simple, and we should all be posing the same question as Working Life:

What kind of values does a public university instill in its students when it pays its rulers huge salaries while consigning to poverty and poor health the people who keep the rulers' empire running?

In fact, take out the words "public university" and replace them with "society." What kind of society consigns workers to poverty level wages and poor health while those at the top earn huge salaries? My answer: A society that has lost all sense of morality and fairness.