LJS: Dems take control of City Council; newcomers elected
May 06, 09:13 AM CST
“Having Democrats in control of the council should make it easier for Mayor Chris Beutler to accomplish his agenda. Currently, the council is made up of four Republicans and three Democrats; Beutler is a Democrat and he endorsed Carroll and Snyder.”
Read full article:
Dems take control of City Council; newcomers elected
– by Lisa Olivares | Send this to a friend
Midlands Voices: Employee Free Choice Act could help improve communities
BY VIC COVALT
The writer is chairman of the Nebraska Democratic Party.
During this historic election, we came together to build a better America. President Barack Obama inspired us by saying “Yes we can,” and we created real change together.
Already, President Obama has supported legislation that will better the lives of working families by addressing pay discrimination, providing health care for millions of uninsured children and keeping families in their homes. This was a great start.
However, Nebraska is beginning to feel the impact of the faltering economy. Exmark Manufacturing Co. recently laid off 80 employees in Beatrice, and the closing of the Meadow Gold plant cost Lincoln 60 to 100 jobs.
The problems in the economy reach beyond layoffs and unemployment. Many jobs today lack good-quality health care and pensions. Foreclosures are at an all-time high. Productivity has increased while wages have stayed flat. CEO pay is now 350 times the wages of an average worker.
We’re experiencing both the highest level of income inequality and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. To rebuild the economy, we must create a level playing field.
When workers have the freedom to bargain with their employers, the middle class is strengthened. Our state won’t prosper if the middle class keeps shrinking.
Unfortunately, our corporate-driven society has built a system in which workers fear company retribution if they choose to form a union. According to Cornell University research, at least one in every four workers is fired for exercising his right to freely form a union.
A poll by Gallup shows that a solid majority of Americans support legislation that would make it easier for workers to form unions and negotiate for better health care, wages and job security. Americans who want to be able to form and join unions shouldn’t have to risk their livelihoods in the process.
This is why the Nebraska Democratic Party supports the Employee Free Choice Act.
The Employee Free Choice Act would give workers a real choice to form a union and bargain for a better life, free from intimidation. It would stop companies from engaging in endless delays and stalling tactics to deny workers a collective bargaining agreement after they’ve chosen to form a union. Finally, it would establish real penalties when employers violate workers’ rights.
Our economy and our state need workers to have a free choice on whether to improve their lives through unions. Workers in unions are far more likely to earn a living wage and have access to health care. When workers can earn decent wages for their hard work, their earnings stimulate our economy.
With our current situation, workers simply cannot afford to buy the products that they’re producing. Consumer-confidence levels have thus reached historic lows. We need to remove the obstacles that are preventing workers from improving their buying power.
And when workers form a union, they can work as equal partners with businesses to set up employee training programs, reduce turnover and improve product quality. Recent studies from the Economic Policy Institute show that these cooperative relationships help local communities to prosper.
In these tough economic times, we need to give working families the choice they need in order to do what’s right for their families.
— footballmadman May 07, 09:13 AM CST #