Adrianne Shropshire

Supporting Unions Abroad, Undermining them at home

Last week Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice put forward an $85 million proposal to support the development of dissident causes in Iran. The money would go to Iranian reformers, political dissidents, human rights organizations, non-governmental organizations, political organizations and labor unions. Labor Unions? The Bush Administration supports the growth and development of labor unions?

With declining wages, public sector attacks on health care and pension benefits, Administration attacks on unions that represent federal employees, a federal labor relations board made more useless than it was before Bush took over, CAFTA, and prevailing wage exemptions follow the hurricane Katrina fiasco I was under the impression that the Bush regime despised labor unions. Who knew?

Apparently the Bush Administration believes that unions are a necessary and important factor in developing and maintaining a democracy. And in fact, the Administration seems to be saying, labor unions are such a vital component of a democratic society that they should be supported with tax dollars.

Now, if we could only see some demonstration of this new found support for labor here at home. I'm sure the AF-CIO and Change To Win will be holding their collective breath.

Adrianne Shropshire: Author Bio | Other Posts
Posted at 11:17 AM, Feb 20, 2006 in Labor
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