The War Against The Little People

http://www.smirkingchimp.com/node/34557

It’s tempting to interpret the GOP-led efforts to bust unions and defund government as a war against the state. In the past, I’ve made that argument, and certainly the ever-radicalizing Republican Party is preoccupied with getting officials elected to the government… in order to then dismantle the government. But I’ve been remiss in depicting this war as being a battle between the state (represented by unions, public workers) and the private sector (represented by corporate Dems, Republicans). Actually, the war is being waged against all poor workers whether they exist in the public or the private sphere.

Over the protests of thousands of labor union members who filled the Statehouse, House committee voted on party lines today to send a bill that would bar unions and companies from negotiating contracts that require all employees to pay fees for representation.

House Bill 1468 -- which supporters call the "right to work" bill and which opponents call the "right to work for less" bill -- passed the House Employment, Labor and Pensions Committee on an 8-5 vote and now goes to the full House for debate.

These are private sector union members – not the dreaded shedevils over at the teachers’ union. In Republicanland, these are the workers who have “done the right thing.” They’ve abandoned the state for better paying (Go Ayn!!) private sector jobs. They’ve invested their faith entirely in the free market, and yet when it came time to organize and fight for fairer working conditions, the Republican-led Indiana House committee voted along party lines to squash workers — not because they’re insects from the state — but because they’re little people attempting to collectively bargain in order to gain some leverage.

More at the link --