Bend Over, America

The American worker no longer has to wonder what will happen in these times of economic crisis. Already city and state governments are trying to balance their budgets on the back of their employees. Here in Denver, the mayor has asked the police, fire and sheriff department employees to take a 2% wage decrease or face possible layoffs. This follows rancorous wage negotiations between the city and police just last year which finally ended with a modest increase over a multi-year time.

The sheriffs just got their first significant increase in many years and a new city jail is well on the way to completion despite efforts by some to divert the money to programs that could intercede to stop incarceration, treat drug and alcohol addictions and improve schools; all proven preventative methods to avoid the ever growing imprisonment of a certain population of citizens. That would be people of color. With staff cuts, the new jail will immediately be short of qualified staff to adequately do the needed duties.

My guess is John Hickenlooper, the Opie acting mayor of Denver, has the cynical plan of going after the “heroes” who wear flag pins on the job first before the next request of city employees in other areas. If the badge guys and gals accept the decrease in wages they become role models for the rest of the work force.

There is no doubt in my mind the rest of management in all areas of the work force will be following the plan of making cuts on the backs of workers. Local government will also continue the trend to cut budgets in the safety net of Medicaid clients, the homeless, mentally ill and all other programs of human services. The weakest and poorest of this nation just don’t have advocates and political action committees like AIPAC and the defense contractors.

Over 400 billion dollars have bled from the American treasury to “bail out” Wall Street, automakers, insurance giants and other corporate giants but the American worker will have to face the foreclosure threat with less in their pay check. Health insurance will become more costly and families will have to choose between food or paying for catastrophic illness and injury. Elderly Americans will have to choose between food and life-saving medications. The mentally ill will have to choose between psychosis and relapse or paying co-pays that take away their monthly grocery money. And, we must ask where is the money for the alleged bail out going? Certainly not to the citizens most in need. Not even to the middle class families facing foreclosure and needing to go to the local food banks.

I’m sorry, why is it the American people don’t want to organize their workplaces? Is it because they can’t get enough abuse from the bosses who will continue to get bonuses from CEOs who continue to make obscene amounts in salary more than the average worker? Is it because they can no longer afford health and dental insurance? Certainly becoming homeless wasn’t what the workers felt came with their jobs.

All these dilemmas and many more continue to face the workers as they continue to be targeted as the problem in the economic meltdown. None of the greedy corporate masters are going to have to be responsible for their key roles in causing the meltdown. No politician allowing the regulation free world of Wall Street will pay for their role in the largest theft in history. The war machine continues to suck the life out of the American citizen and there appears no end is in sight. The bad economy favors reenlistments and new enlistments as jobs become impossible to find for the inadequately educated American students.

First there was the fear Wall Street was collapsing and taking a majority of American pensions with it. Then, it was either bail out or the end of the American economic system. Then, the Big Three automakers came to DC begging for financial aid. When it appeared a deal was done, anti-union Senators reneged because the UAW wouldn’t accept further concessions of pay and benefits. The finger was pointed at the workers while the malfeasance and criminal tactics of brokers, traders, politicians and the wealthy was pushed aside.

Since it worked so well against the UAW, the next step was to blame the rest of the workforce. That effort has started in earnest and soon we’ll all feel guilty about failing our country in a time of need, bend over, and take it like we always have done in the past.

Wm. Terry Leichner, RN
Denver VVAW member