From the Milwaukee Community Journal, the largest African American Newspaper in Wisconsin
Many of you—our readers—remember the value of collective bargaining when blatant racism often plagued employment upward mobility and when qualified workers were subsequently denied access to increased wage opportunities.
Likewise, Milwaukee’s Black middle class grew stronger on the wings of the unions and collective bargaining, which resulted in the rapid growth of Black middle class families, many who continue to pay employment taxes, purchase homes and educate their children who continued the upward trajectory for themselves and their heirs.
Unions not only contributed to a strong Black middle class, it contributed to the fiscal, social, educational, spiritual and civic growth of the city of Milwaukee.
The destruction of the growth paradigm in Milwaukee’s Black community is unequivocally tied to the loss of industry and unions current struggle for survival as both entities try to bridge the employment chasm that prevents all of us from traveling successfully along the road of economic recovery.
The state workers who have been protesting Walker’s attempt to destroy unions must return to work. Our elected Democratic officials who have been “AWOL” in order to prevent state Senate Republicans from taking up the governor’s budget recovery must represent us; while the governor must end his effort to destroy collective bargaining, thus destroying the union movement.
Those who support the union movement and the right to a fair wage and decent working conditions must urge the governor not to throw the baby out with the bathwater in dealing with the state’s budget crisis......
http://www.communityjournal.net/?p=11270
Many of you—our readers—remember the value of collective bargaining when blatant racism often plagued employment upward mobility and when qualified workers were subsequently denied access to increased wage opportunities.
Likewise, Milwaukee’s Black middle class grew stronger on the wings of the unions and collective bargaining, which resulted in the rapid growth of Black middle class families, many who continue to pay employment taxes, purchase homes and educate their children who continued the upward trajectory for themselves and their heirs.
Unions not only contributed to a strong Black middle class, it contributed to the fiscal, social, educational, spiritual and civic growth of the city of Milwaukee.
The destruction of the growth paradigm in Milwaukee’s Black community is unequivocally tied to the loss of industry and unions current struggle for survival as both entities try to bridge the employment chasm that prevents all of us from traveling successfully along the road of economic recovery.
The state workers who have been protesting Walker’s attempt to destroy unions must return to work. Our elected Democratic officials who have been “AWOL” in order to prevent state Senate Republicans from taking up the governor’s budget recovery must represent us; while the governor must end his effort to destroy collective bargaining, thus destroying the union movement.
Those who support the union movement and the right to a fair wage and decent working conditions must urge the governor not to throw the baby out with the bathwater in dealing with the state’s budget crisis......
http://www.communityjournal.net/?p=11270