WSLC Online -- Bender Column, November, 2007

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Columns by President Rick S. Bender
Rick Bender, President of the Washington State Labor Council, distributes a monthly column on working families issues to weekly community newspapers around the state. Editors of union newsletters and publications are encouraged to publish these columns, which are posted here the first week of every month (email us if you would like a higher resolution photo of Bender).

If your community newspaper isn't publishing Bender's monthly columns, give them a call and ask them to add it to their editorial page to balance the regular submissions from business interests.

Here are the latest columns:

NOVEMBER 2007: It is time to invest in our future -- The drumbeat sounding predictions of an income gap are getting louder and louder. And yet, skilled trade jobs are left unfilled.

AUGUST 2007: We're "business-friendly" because we're worker-friendly -- A big reason our economy is thriving is because we have policies that make our state attractive for workers.
JULY 2007: You -- not political pundits -- will decide who wins, loses -- "Was this a good legislative session for organized labor?" The answer is never simple, and 2007 was no exception.
JUNE 2007: No "Free Choice?" How about a little RESPECT? -- Washington's congressional delegation has gotten behind a bill to restore unionization rights to some 8 million "supervisors."
MAY 2007: H-1B visa program: Let's fix it before we expand it -- Given evidence of employer abuse and wage suppression, let's fix this program before we raise the cap on H-1B visas.
APRIL 2007: Washington, let's put the freedom back in "free trade" -- Objections are no longer about us imposing basic labor standards on others. Now, it's about them imposing standards on us.
MARCH 2007: Workers, their children deserve Family Leave Insurance -- Only five of the 168 industrialized nations do not ensure that workers get paid parental leave. The U.S. is one of them.
FEBRUARY 2007: Restore the Freedom to Choose Unions -- The Employee Free Choice Act would level the playing field and allow workers to choose for themselves, free of employer coercion.
JANUARY 2007: The Good News and Bad News on Unionization -- More workers are joining unions in Washington state, but broken labor laws have promoted a decline in unionization nationally.

DECEMBER 2006: Will Democrats' first 100 hours be undone by Bush's veto pen? -- Quick action is promised on raising the federal minimum minimum wage and lowering Medicare drug prices.
NOVEMBER 2006: Bad news for democracy: Big Media may get bigger -- Media consolidation is harming balanced public discourse, and democracy itself. And the FCC may make it worse.
OCTOBER 2006: Unions and politics are democracy at its best -- Union political action is critically important, and labor will not be deterred by efforts to silence the voices of working people.
SEPTEMBER 2006: Social Security privatization: It's ba-ack in 2007 -- President Bush wants to revive his effort to partially privatize the Social Security system after November’s mid-term elections.
AUGUST 2006: Love it or hate it, Wal-Mart is costing our communities -- Wal-Mart's business model has created an economic race-to-the-bottom that we should condemn -- and change.
JULY 2006: Bush's NLRB poised to "promote" many of us to supervisor -- Pending NLRB rulings could strip as many as 8 million Americans of their freedom to join a union.
JUNE 2006: Super-rich should stop complaining and pay their taxes -- With America at war and bleeding red ink, and our state's schools underfunded, they're whining about estate taxes?!
MAY 2006: Welcome (at the point of a gun) to Medicare's drug disaster! -- Congress and the Bush administration should fix the Medicare Part D Disaster before imposing threats on seniors.
APRIL 2006: The verdict is in: Higher minimum wages DO NOT kill jobs -- Eight years after "neo-conomists" predicted mass unemployment in Washington, the state is a job-creating machine.

DECEMBER 2005: Freedom must extend to the American workplace -- It's time to restore Americans' freedom to form unions without facing illegal harassment and coercion by employers.
NOVEMBER 2005: Bush bows to pressure, reverses his Gulf Coast wage cut -- The president sought to undermine decent wages at a time that victims of Hurricane Katrina needed them most.
OCTOBER 2005: CEOs aren't sweating Bush's Supreme Court nominations -- Americans should be paying more attention to the likelihood of a pro-corporate bias at the highest U.S. court.
AUGUST 2005: NLRB ruling jeopardizes off-the-job free association rights -- Not satisfied with workplace muzzles, the Feds want to take away our right to free association off the job, too.
JULY 2005: Labor law's 70th anniversary is bittersweet -- We must restore the right of American workers to decide for themselves whether they want a union, without employer interference.
JUNE 2005: We are investing in Washington -- It’s time to change the anti-tax anti-government conversation and ask, "What am I getting for my tax investment?"
MAY 2005: Mourn for the dead... fight for the living -- Every year, business and labor must rededicate ourselves to improving workplace safety and health in Washington state.
APRIL 2005: State workers weigh Union Security vs. the Right-to-Shirk -- Some Washington state employees are learning lessons about unions and workplace democracy for the first time.
MARCH 2005: It's time to fix our state's unemployment system -- Now that we can see the negative economic impact of the legislature’s frenzy to “reform” the UI system, let's make it right.
FEBRUARY 2005: Is the sky really falling? -- Assuming the worst paints a bleak picture for the future of Social Security, the most successful program in American history.
JANUARY 2005: It's time for Fair Share Health Care -- Large companies that don’t offer affordable employee health coverage shouldn't expect taxpayers to pick up the tab.

DECEMBER 2004: This holiday, give the gift of good union jobs -- As lawmakers repeal country-of-origin labeling, it's up to consumers to seek out what is "Made in the U.S.A."
NOVEMBER 2004: Offshore outsourcing poses a growing threat to jobs -- It's past time for policymakers to take seriously the negative effects of trade on our state and our country.
OCTOBER 2004: Economic Lesson #1: Work harder, earn less -- A new study in our state defines a living wage, or how much a person needs to earn to meet basic needs.
SEPTEMBER 2004: This Labor Day, and this election, we have a choice to make -- Working families are being squeezed like the proverbial lemon. This election we can make lemonade.
JULY 2004: Health costs cause financial crisis for working families -- A decade ago, 15% of bankruptcies were caused by medical debt. Today, that number has soared to nearly 50%.
JUNE 2004: The "other 4-year degree" a good option -- Graduating seniors should consider apprenticeship, an earn-while-you-learn opportunity for a career with good wages and benefits.
MAY 2004: A new vision for our energy future -- It’s time to take a bold step forward for our country to achieve a future of energy independence with the new Apollo Project.
APRIL 2004: Where are the jobs? -- The unemployment rate is dropping. Not because jobs are being created, but because Americans are giving up hope for finding a job in Bush's economy.
MARCH 2004: Bush's overtime pay cuts are pure chutzpah -- Opposed by Congress and working Americans, Bush will impose pay cuts this month that target veterans (among others).
FEBRUARY 2004: Our workers' comp system is a model for other states -- Despite recent rate increase, Washington's system is still one of the cheapest in the nation.
JANUARY 2004: Washington state needs good quality jobs -- Growing concern about job quality is leading many to support new standards for recipients of economic development subsidies.

DECEMBER 2003: Human Rights Violations Can Happen Here, Too -- The right to organize a union is guaranteed by law. But that right is routinely denied in the U.S. and in Washington state.
NOVEMBER 2003: Economic Fault Lines Shaking Our Economy -- Claims of recovery based on stock market tickers and fancy economic statistics don’t tell the true story of what’s happening.
OCTOBER 2003: It's Good Common Sense to Keep Workers Healthy -- Keeping workers healthy just makes sense. I-841 to repeal an important, effective workplace safety rule doesn’t.
SUMMER 2003: No columns.
MAY 2003: Pay-Per-"View" Think Tanks Push Business Tax Breaks -- CEO-funded studies support corporate tax exemptions. Now there's a shocker.
APRIL 2003: The Other War: Homeland Security is Now an Unfunded Mandate -- The Bush administration and Congress are not supporting first-responders' efforts in the war on terrorism.
MARCH 2003: Business, Labor Agree: Let's Get America Covered -- Joint column with AWB President Don Brunell on the emerging crisis of Americans who lack health insurance coverage.
FEBRUARY 2003: The Politics of the Minimum Wage are Back -- With the recession, business interests sense now is the time to tamper with the state minimum wage law.
JANUARY 2003: Business Climate Warmer Than Complainers Admit -- The facts just don't support the perennial, and counterproductive, complaints about our state's business climate.

DECEMBER 2002: Scrooge Alive and Well This Holiday Season -- Three days after Christmas, nearly a million Americans will lose their unemployment benefits, and the problem is priorities.
NOVEMBER 2002: A Difficult Time for Workers' Comp Premiums to Rise -- After years of no increase, a hefty premium hike is being proposed because recession has racked the state fund.
OCTOBER 2002: Transportation: A Critical Choice for Voters -- The economic future of our state is at stake in next month's election. That's why we must vote YES of Referendum 51.
SEPTEMBER 2002: Honor Our "Everyday Heroes" Every Day -- On Labor Day and Sept. 11, America will honor hard-working Americans. Put they deserve more than just occasional lip service.
AUGUST 2002: Unions Helping Families Fight Drug Abuse -- Re: Working Drugfree and other efforts by unions to help working people and their families identify and cope with drug abuse.
JULY 2002: Wall Street Greed Threatens Our Future -- Re: Corporate greed and malfeasance is not only costing workers their livelihoods and retirements, it threatens to prolong the recession.
JUNE 2002: June is Voice@Work Month -- Re: This is the month the AFL-CIO calls attention to attempts to thwart workers' fundamental human right to organize a union.
MAY 2002: Opportunities Open to "Earn While You Learn" -- Re: Spread the word to high school graduates about apprenticeship opportunities available to them.
APRIL 2002: Retirement Disasters Loom for Many Baby Boomers -- Re: The changing nature of "pensions," loss of retirement security, and what's being done about it.
MARCH 2002: Social Security Privatization Just Doesn't Add Up -- Re: Why proposals to divert withholdings into private savings accounts would result in severe benefit cuts or higher taxes.
FEBRUARY 2002: Workers Win with a Real Choice on the Job -- Re: Measures before the State Legislature to grant collective bargaining rights to various classifications of public employees.
JANUARY 2002: Our Economy Needs a Transportation Solution -- Re: Enacting a statewide transportation plan to boost our struggling economy.

DECEMBER 2001: We Need to Protect the Minimum Wage -- Re: Defending against attacks on our state minimum wage law by the restaurant and agriculture industries.
NOVEMBER 2001: Hard-hit Workers Need Help NOW -- Re: Assisting laid-off workers is the right thing to do, and the right way for Congress to jumpstart the economy.
OCTOBER 2001: It's Time to Move from Cynicism to Patriotism -- Re: Appreciation of public servants in wake of Sept. 11 tragedy and opposing I-747.
SEPTEMBER 2001: Preserving Our Wage Standards Protects Our Communities -- Re: Efforts to weaken our state prevailing wage laws.

Rick Bender is President of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO,
the largest labor organization in the state.

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