CONN GAME IN CT

CONN GAME IN CT

by Mike Alewitz

 

 

 

Gov. Dannel Malloy and the Democratic Party of Connecticut are threatening massive layoffs as state workers seem headed towards a NO vote on a deal that would result in $1.6 billion in givebacks. The governor had claimed that the concessions were necessary in order to plug gaps in the state budget.

Originally Malloy threatened 4,700 layoffs - then raised it to 7,500. The governor casually tosses figures about, exhibiting an arrogance and contempt for those that put him in office, and little regard for the hardships such an action would cause.

 

In fact, there is no fiscal crisis in Connecticut, and there never was. The state is awash in money – in the hands of bankers, hedge fund operators, corporate executives and others that have benefited in recent years, from the largest transfer of wealth in human history.

 

To solve budget shortfalls, the legislature could simply impose a miniscule tax on the superrich, or cut off tax breaks to giant corporations, or take a similar measure - that would easily cover the so-called deficit.  

 

But this “crisis” was never about finding a couple of billion dollars. The real goal of this assault is political–the weakening of public employee unions. It is part of a bipartisan, nationwide, coordinated attempt to dismantle public education, Social Security, Medicare and other social programs. The employers intend to loot those vast resources  - and public workers unions remain one of the few obstacles that stand in their way. Ultimately, that is what these fights are about.

 

The strategies for union-busting vary by locale. In some states there has been a direct assault on legal collective bargaining, as in Wisconsin and New Jersey.  Here in Connecticut, the approach has been one of stealth. Here, the Democratic Party worked out a well-crafted deal with top officials of the State Employee Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC) that would undermine state unions while attempting to avoid a direct confrontation that might provoke organized resistance.

 

SEBAC

 

SEBAC officials were complicit in creating, and actively promoting, a deal that has little to do with collective bargaining and even less to do with union democracy. Officials refused to organize any opposition to massive cutbacks in wages and benefits. Lawyers and bureaucrats dealt in secret behind the backs of their membership. They acted as cheerleaders for the Malloy administration, whom they had supported in the last election. They withheld information and suppressed as much discussion as they could – not allowing comments on the SEBAC websites or related venues. They completely deserted the field of opposition to concessions, leaving it in the hands of right-wing, anti-union forces.

 

Malloy utilized a time-tested employer strategy to divide the ranks of the unions - appealing to a sizable percentage of the membership by maintaining more of their benefits, and dumping the worst cuts on younger, newer and future workers.  With the help of a compliant media they created the big lie: that the only choice possible was layoffs or concessions. At no point did SEBAC seriously raise the most elemental working-class solutions. Instead, they enthusiastically joined in the bullying, fear-mongering and guilt-baiting  - claiming workers, not the state, would be responsible for layoffs and cutbacks in state services.

 

The Vote

 

Faced with this situation, rank-and-file workers had little real choice in the concession vote. You could vote NO, knowing there was not a clear alternative plan and saddled with a union leadership that was unwilling to fight -  or - you could vote YES for what was clearly an unfair concession contract and another step in the slow death of our unions.

 

Many workers, battered from years of employer takeaways and complacent business unionism, were willing to accept the deal. Votes in unions like the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), buttressed with a promise of no layoffs or furlough days, were indicative of this.  Most AAUP members did not vote. Among those voting, it was lopsided in favor of the agreement.  Overall, among the 15 unions, the vote seemed likely to succeed.

 

But there was a different response from custodians, caseworkers and others in large locals of the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees Union (AFSCME) that deal more directly with those suffering during the ongoing recession. These workers voted NO.

Why? State workers, and those we directly serve, are fed up with the lies and intimidation. We are all sick and tired of watching the foreclosures, growing unemployment and tuition raises.  We are sick of watching billions go to the superrich while thousands of fellow workers are driven into deepening poverty.  So, despite incredible pressure from the state, the media and their own misleaders, workers are poised to reject the concessions.

Next Up

 

What will happen next? Malloy is threatening massive layoffs. Will SEBAC leaders embrace the decision of the members, develop backbones, start to act like union leaders and call for a fight back? Unfortunately, it seems more probable that they will simply repackage the deal and resubmit it to the members. There will be ever-increasing threats, until the ranks are pressured to agree.

 

Union officials will attempt to deflect blame for their own failed policies. This is what lies behind their last-minute publicity shenanigans of attacking the right-wing, antiunion Yankee Institute. They will blame the members for layoffs, instead of their own refusal to lead a fight to defend our rights.There is already an orchestrated media campaign blaming state workers for everything from closed beaches to hungry children.

 

In order to beat back the corporate offensive, we need to wage the kind of struggle beginning to unfold in places like Wisconsin. Policies of accommodation and concession bargaining can only result in continued failure. Fighting to defend our unions may not be simple or easy – but that is what has proven essential over the entire history of the labor movement.

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Mike Alewitz is a member of CCSU Profs4Progress and the AAUP.  He is an agitprop muralist, working in the US and internationally.