In America, Labor has no political allies anymore

[GBCW 397]

Throughout most of the 20th century, labor could count on having the Democratic party squarely in its corner.

...

Meanwhile, the Republican Party battled on behalf of capital, supporting right-to-work states, deregulating industries, and lowering tax rates. That was the 20th century alignment.

It began to change at the end of the 20th century. A key marker occurred in 1992 when President Bill Clinton signed into law a tax change that allowed only the first $1 million in CEO compensation to be deducted for corporate income tax purposes.

...

In whose favor was this measure intended? Labor? Hardly. There was no obvious benefit to them. Capital? Yes indeed. Shareholders were complaining about CEOs demanding ever-higher compensation – and the Democrats responded to help capital reign in CEO talent. Arguably the attention to the needs of capital has continued in the Obama administration. This administration featured enthusiastic embrace of the TARP bailouts of banks that protected their shareholders first and foremost and the continued low interest policies that favor capital owners. Of course, the argument can be made that these policies help labor too, by avoiding a recession/depression. But the careful attention to capital first is a relatively new behavior for the Democrats.

Meanwhile, the Republican Party has increasingly shifted its allegiance to high-end talent, a tiny offshoot of labor that began to emerge around 1960. During the Reagan era, for instance, they cut the top marginal income tax rate from 70% in 1980 to 50% just two years later. By 1988 it was 28%. In seven years, an executive earning a million-dollar salary went from keeping $340,000 after federal taxes to keeping $725,000.

...

While hedge fund managers and the like are often seen as representatives of capital, in fact they ought to be considered high-end talent: their investor-customers are in fact the representatives of capital. The GOP even went as far as putting forward a card-carrying member of the high-end talent class, ex-strategy consultant and private equity manager Mitt Romney, as its Presidential candidate in 2012.

So in the modern economy, capital has the Democratic Party as its friend and high-end talent has the Republican Party as its new BFF. But who wakes up in the morning thinking first of labor, even Monday morning on Labor Day? Arguably it is no one. Labor is on its own politically in America in the 21st century.

http://blogs.hbr.org/2014/08/in-america-labor-is-friendless/

Edited September 1, 2014 by intheshadows

[Pooky 3,786]

Not even the unions themselves are allies of labour, as much as they are fundraisers and political agitators for the Democrats.

Where unions claim to be the representatives of labour, you have to wonder where the representatives for labour have gone.

[GBCW 397]

You have been in the United States long enough; it's time to drop the 'u' in labor! Assimilate already, damn.

[Pooky 3,786]

You have been in the United States long enough; it's time to drop the 'u' in labor! Assimilate already, damn.

You will have to pry that 'u' from my cold, dead spellchecker.

[Karee 4,190]

The Democrats have abandoned the unions in favor of future Democrats from south of the border.

[spookyturtle 9,466]

The Democrats have abandoned the unions in favor of future Democrats from south of the border.

And the Republicans have also abandoned the American labor force by not fighting for E-Verify. They sold themselves for a different reason than the Democrats. Two wrongs don't make it right.

[Pooky 3,786]

The Democrats have abandoned the unions in favor of future Democrats from south of the border.

And the unions are scrambling to make sure that whoever they may be, they pay into the unions. I mean, how else are they going to bolster their membership, now that most of the US citizenry has rumbled their ongoing con?

[Robby999 1,024]

And the Republicans have also abandoned the American labor force by not fighting for E-Verify. They sold themselves for a different reason than the Democrats. Two wrongs don't make it right.

DACA pretty much makes the E-Verify system another waste of time and money for the time being.

[spookyturtle 9,466]

DACA pretty much makes the E-Verify system another waste of time and money for the time being.

What about the past 10 years?

[Karee 4,190]

And the Republicans have also abandoned the American labor force by not fighting for E-Verify. They sold themselves for a different reason than the Democrats. Two wrongs don't make it right.

True. They're both complicit in it, although I don't think the Republican's mantra has ever been about helping the working man. So it's no surprise they're looking out for their corporate buddies.

And the unions are scrambling to make sure that whoever they may be, they pay into the unions. I mean, how else are they going to bolster their membership, now that most of the US citizenry has rumbled their ongoing con?

It was nice while it lasted. I hope they saved some of those union dues, because the con is over.

DACA pretty much makes the E-Verify system another waste of time and money for the time being.

Why? These DACA folks are all getting 2 year EADs, so they're legal to work.

[Robby999 1,024]

True. They're both complicit in it, although I don't think the Republican's mantra has ever been about helping the working man. So it's no surprise they're looking out for their corporate buddies.

It was nice while it lasted. I hope they saved some of those union dues, because the con is over.

Why? These DACA folks are all getting 2 year EADs, so they're legal to work.

What use is E-Verify system if you give EADs to almost everyone the system was designed to prevent from working? That is what I meant by DACA making E-Verify useless for the most part.

[spookyturtle 9,466]

What use is E-Verify system if you give EADs to almost everyone the system was designed to prevent from working? That is what I meant by DACA making E-Verify useless for the most part.

What about the ten years prior to DACA?

[Karee 4,190]

What use is E-Verify system if you give EADs to almost everyone the system was designed to prevent from working? That is what I meant by DACA making E-Verify useless for the most part.

They could at least use it for the people that don't fall under the DACA program, but for the most part they don't. It can't be used for existing employees which I don't get at all.

[spookyturtle 9,466]

It can't be used for existing employees which I don't get at all.

That makes two of us. That is idiotic.

[Robby999 1,024]

They could at least use it for the people that don't fall under the DACA program, but for the most part they don't. It can't be used for existing employees which I don't get at all.

From these numbers they shouldn't be that many left that don't fall under DACA protection to even make E-Verify worthwhile. But I do agree with both you and Spook about it being stupid not requiring exisiting employees to validate their work eligibility.

http://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/Resources/Reports%20and%20Studies/Immigration%20Forms%20Data/All%20Form%20Types/DACA/DACA-06-02-14.pdf