4A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, September 8, 2005 OPINION e £dp * JASON Z. PESICK Editor in Chief SUHAEL MOMIN SAM SINGER Editorial Page Editors ALISON Go Managing Editor EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SINCE 1890 420 MAYNARD STREET ANN ARBOR, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com NOTABLE QUOTABLE And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were under- privileged anyway, so this - this is working very well for them." - Former First Lady Barbara Bush, on "Marketplace," a radio show syndicated by National Public Radio, as reported yesterday by washingtonpost.com. \JA t~f rQ 0 ALEXANDER HONKALA THE FITI? CuMI'-CKET s ARE 4-~vAA-~4 I sou ic s rnol, Labor isn't doing its job CHRISTOPHER ZBROZEK BORN IN THE U.A. abor Day this year was, for many Americans, nothing out of the ordi- nary. Hurricane Katrina might have made the long weekend more som- ber, but I suspect it didn't cancel too many barbe- cues outside of the disas- ter zone. Here in Ann Arbor, the Michigan Theatre kindly confused Labor Day with Memorial Day and offered free admission to veterans. For the labor movement, however, this was the first Labor Day since three large unions split from the AFL-CIO this sum- mer in a dispute over lackluster organiz- ing efforts. So far, the divide in organized labor is far less rancorous than it could be - Teamsters and AFL-CIO unionists marched together in the Labor Day parade in Detroit - but only time will tell whether the union shake-up will lead to the organi- zation of more nonunion workers or merely to a further decrease of what little political power labor has left. Either way, it's difficult to imagine a return of the days when Detroit's Labor Day parades drew hundreds of thousands of people. Sure, unions won the wages that built up America's middle class and brought us nice- ties like the 8-hour workday and workplace safety measures. Their political clout might have aided the civil rights movement in the '60s and got social programs like Medicare through Congress. Maybe they were impor- tant - once. Today, however, only about 8 percent of private-sector employees are in unions. American labor is now best known for its sad rear-guard efforts to protect the jobs and benefits of its members for a while until the close of their factories and for its continual attempts to stop free trade and globalization, a battle being fought on the losing side of history. It's no surprise, then, that it's hard to get anyone excited about unions. Here at the University, the situation is no differ- ent. The visible faces of labor here aren't those in overseas sweatshops whose efforts to unionize are met with force, but rather our lecturers and graduate student instruc- tors. With the exception of Residential College kids and other predictably liberal contingents, their unions don't exactly meet with full support from the student body. Wouldn't paying lecturers more raise our tuition? And why does a grad student need a union, anyway? (Nevermind the GSI I recently had who has gone back to school to earn his doctorate and is supporting his wife and two kids on a GSI's salary). Many of us seem quite comfortable work- ing in a society without strong unions. This is the 21st century, after all. This is global- ization, and a high school diploma just isn't going to cut it anymore. These days, you can't rely on one corporation to provide a job for life and a pension until death, and you've got to pick up skills to make your- self marketable. Readers whose econ. lec- tures are still ringing in their heads can add pious statements about unions leading to inefficiency through inflexible labor mar- kets and greater unemployment due to arti- ficially higher wages. That's all well and good - for those who are educated and affluent and competitive in a global economy. For many in the middle and working classes whom unions traditionally benefited, however, a society without strong unions means fewer prospects for a good job. There is rather solid economic growth in this country - but it's overwhelmingly benefiting the rich. The New York Times recently commented on the growing income inequality in this country, noting that medi- an household income has been basically stagnant for five years and that all but the richest 5 percent of society saw real wages hold flat or fall in 2004. But the increasing income distribution gap isn't a new phenomenon; the rich have been getting richer and the poor getting poorer here for a couple decades now. I'd wager that the decline of unions and their demands that a fair share of corporate profits go to work- ers has something to do with it. Unions, if they are to be relevant, need to adapt themselves to today's economy. This is globalization, and protectionism just isn't going to cut it anymore. They need to focus on organizing workers in new fields, not on preserving jobs in dying industries. They need to start fighting for better 401(k) plans instead of better pensions. And they need to accept the reality that globalization is happening, whether they like it or not. Rather than simply oppos- ing every free trade deal, they should start using their political clout to ensure that free trade includes the right to organize unions for those in developing nations and job retraining programs for those who will be harmed at home. Ultimately, the American labor move- ment needs to realize that there's more at stake here than saving jobs in steel or tex- tiles. Unions have a key role to play ensur- ing a fair society by redistributing wealth from corporations and their wealthy stock- holders to workers and their families. Argue all you want for a laissez-faire capitalist wonderland without unions or redistribution of wealth to the poor; I'd say we saw something of that wonderland in action in New Orleans, as the rich fled and the poor drowned. A free market without strong unions simply doesn't do a good job supporting a fair society with equal oppor- tunity for rich and poor alike. With any luck, the AFL-CIO split shocks the labor movement back to work ensuring good jobs are available throughout society, and Labor Day doesn't become a memorial for the unions we once had. 0 Zbrozek can be reached at zbro@umich.edu. 01 VIEWPOINT The case against hurricane relief BY IMRAN SYED alas, that day is not yet here. Therein laiesy- the nerve to send a "Desperate SOS," just our problem, Mr. President. There is no room because bodies were piling up around him. Dear Mr. President, for hot-headedness in this situation, only What a baby! This guy is almost as bad as Howdy. I realize you're a busy man so let's room for sympathy and level-headed action. those soldiers who want body armor; who do not beat around the bush. In the wake of last So if anyone like the mayor of New Orleans these people think they are? They want to week's hurricane and subsequent flooding of blames you for standing by and doing noth- survive - well I want a pony. the Gulf Coast region, you have come under ing, you can just claim you were playing to Ungrateful people like him need to be fire for sending delayed and insufficient relief. your strengths. taught a lesson. I say you already went out on I, for one, would like to congratulate you on So what if National Guard troops arrived a limb - taking time out of your well-earned your handling of this situation and would like in New Orleans three days after the storm? five-month-long vacation and all. Retract all to make one important request: Stop sending People should not be blaming you, but rather federal aid in New Orleans; there are only a aid to New Orleans. thanking you for sending any troops at all. few thousand in need of help now, anyway. It is clear to me now, it took me a minute It is obvious no troops arrived immediately This petty relief operation is going to cost too to figure out your brilliant plans that you have because there were none standing by. A lot of much, and you might even have to take some already thought this through. Sure, there are the people who would have been standing by funds out of your beloved "war on terror." people calling you a hypocrite for promis- - reservists, they call them - are on active We don't need any of that, there are still too ing to protect America while standing by for duty in Iraq. Now come on, fighting the evil- many evildoers left to smoke out. And here's nearly three whole days while New Orleans doing evildoers halfway across the globe is the kicker: Because you've already mobilized tore itself apart in the aftermath of the hurri- more important than saving our own dying all of these National Guard troops; why not cane. But great minds think alike, Mr. Presi- people? just send them to Iraq instead of home? dent, and I am right with you on this one. Some blame you for cutting flood protec- Here's a quick recap: having no signifi- I now understand that the day you stood tion grants in the years leading up to this hur- cant number of national guardsman stand- so valiantly on the rubble of the World Trade ricane. Well, I ask how dare they? So what if ing by, even when a category 4-5 storm is Center and swore to avenge the victims you one of our nation's most treasured cities sud- imminent. Stellar. Cutting flood protection were acting more out of anger than sympathy. denly has about 500 extra rivers? The impor-, grants for a city below sea level? Smooth But hey, it's cool. A man's got to do what he tant thing is that you were able-to squeeze to the max. Offering nothing but empty understands, and if you only understand war, some more money out and use it to give more words to the sick and dying? Touch6. Hay- then by all means, let us have war. tax cuts to that all-important top 1 percent, ing thousands of troops in Baghdad while Now that's the problem in this situation, luckily, none of these people are among those gangs take over New Orleans, shooting at isn't it? There are no enemies we can stereo- starving and dying in the Superdome. Heck, rescue helicopters, looting stores and mak- type, no countries responsible that we can what's so bad about the flooding? What's ing the police station the fortress of a last overwhelm and though there may once come wrong with the way New Orleans looks now? stand? Cool, calm and key. the blessed day when we can nuke that old, Has a bit of that enchanted Venice feel if you social-security-hoarding, Canadian-drug- ask me. Syed is an LSA sophomore, and a member of mail-ordering witch named Mother Nature, That foolish mayor of New Orleans had the Daily's editorial board. LETTER TO THE EDITOR 0 Editorial Board Members: Amy Anspach, Amanda Burns, Whitney Dibo, Jesse For- ester, Jared Goldberg, Eric Jackson, Brian Kelly, Theresa Kennelly, Rajiv Prabhakar, Matt Rose, David Russell, Dan Skowronski, Brian Slade, Lauren Slough, John Stiglich, 7"