NebraskaWorker

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Newsletter of the Nebraska General Membership Branch of the Industrial Workers of the World Spring 2011

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IWW Supports Wisconsin Public Workers

Statement by the IWW Defense Committee:
Right now in Wisconsin public workers from across the state, supported by private sector workers, students young and old, retirees, labor activists and more, are holding unprecedented protests in Madison against the utterly dictatorial move by Governor Scott Walker to gut their collective bargaining rights. After giving $140 million to special interest groups in January, many of whom donated to Republican campaigns and to the Governor himself, Walker is now attempting to strip Wisconsin's state workers of their hard-won right to collectively bargain over the conditions of their labor under the guise of filling a claimed $137 million budget shortfall. A similar bill has been introduced in Ohio, and Republican Sen. Jane Cunningham in Missouri has also introduced a bill to strip state law of all Child Labor protections. In light of these increasing attacks on the working class, We, the Steering Committee and Central Secretary Treasurer of the General Defense Committee of the Industrial Workers of the World, stand firmly behind all workers fighting back. We extend solidarity to all workers, union or non-union, fighting back against the Capitalist class trying to return us to conditions not found since the Industrial Revolution. As our primary mission is to offer solidarity and defense help to any workers imprisoned, arrested, attacked, or punished by the State in any way in fighting the class war, the GDC of the IWW is here to offer any and all help we

Join Us on May 1 to Celebrate Labor!

May 1, or May Day, is the day when workers the world over commemorate the fight for the eight-hour workday. May Day in this regard is called International Workers' Day, or Labour Day. The idea for a "workers holiday" began in Australia in 1856; after a Stonemason's victory, April 22nd was "Eight-Hour Day", a public holiday. With the idea having spread around the world, May 1st was chosen as the official workers holiday by the Second International in tribute to the workers killed in the Haymarket massacre by Chicago police in May 1886. The Haymarket affair occurred during the course of a three-day general strike in Chicago that united laborers, artisans, merchants, and immigrants in their fight for an 8-hour workday. Following an incident in which police opened fire and killed four strikers at the McCormick Harvesting Machine Co. plant, a rally was called for the following day at Haymarket Square. Towards the end of the rally, police moved in and opened fire on the unarmed crowd, allegedly because an unknown assailant threw a bomb into the crowd of police. The bomb and the police violence left at least a dozen people dead. A show trial led to the public hanging of four anarchists, even though some were not even present at the rally. In the following years, memory of the "Haymarket martyrs" was remembered with various May Day job actions and demonstrations. Ironically, the U.S. moved its labor day to September in order to remove any connection of labor day to the Haymarket iincident. But workers know better: Join us on the north steps of the Nebraska capitol at 1:00 PM, Sunday, May 1. The fight for labor rights is not over!

can during these times, and during all labor struggles. An injury to one is an injury to ALL! ________________________________

Anti-Union Bills Are In the Works for Nebraska Too!

Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman and the Republican-controlled Legislature want to diminish union rights in Nebraska, too. Lawmakers are debating bills that would scale back the Commission of Industrial Relations (CIR), the agency that handles labor disputes in the public sector. Spurred on by anti-union actions in Wisconsin and Ohio, some Nebraska lawmakers want to further weaken, or eliminate, the CIR. There are also bills being pushed that would end collective bargaining for state workers. (Continued on next page...)

Nebraska Worker - Spring 2011

Anti-Union Bills...cont. Conservatives repeatedly blame labor costs for the states budget woes. With soaring agricultural prices and the second-lowest unemployment rate in the country, the budget shortfall is not as bad as the governor and other conservative lawmakers would have us believe. But given the news about budget problems elsewhere, frugal Nebraskans are easily convinced that our own state budget is in dire shape. The corporate-financed and Fox News-staged Tea Party further fuels anti-government sentiments. Six different bills were introduced this spring to strip the CIR of authority to set wages or rule on work conditions and health/retirement benefits. One bill stops the CIR from dealing with cases involving public school teachers. Currently, 31 states have boards similar to Nebraskas CIR. These boards were usually created as part of a political compromise that also included bans on public employee strikes. The Nebraska commission was created in 1947 after a difficult strike at the Lincoln Telephone Co. The five current members were all appointed by Republican governors. According to a recent news report, Governor Heineman is using the budget deficit to justify abolishing the CIR.1 "I've made it very, very clear that the stars are aligned," Heineman said. "This is the year to deal with some reform of the CIR, and if there's not action, then I think there's going to be an effort to repeal it by putting it on the ballot." Julie Dake Abel, executive director of the Nebraska chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, said unionized state workers went without pay raises in the 2011-12 fiscal year. State workers also contribute 21 percent to the cost of their health insurance premiums, compared with an average of 6 percent in Wisconsin, said Abel. Because Nebraska is a right-to-work state, unions cannot collect dues from workers who decline to pay them. The average teacher-pay of $44,968 ranked 43rd in the nation.
1 Anti-union mood moves to Nebraska's modest unions, by GRANT SCHULTE, Associated Press, March 30.

CAPITALISM AND THE OGALLA AQUIFER

by Don Muhr
This is the first in a series of articles discussing social issues affecting Nebraska such as poverty, the environment, race, imperialism, and healthcare and their relationship to the worlds dominant economic system, Capitalism. In the final article, the author will discuss how revolutionary industrial unionism can be used as an agent of change.

Capitalism: The Real Problem

With the Ogallala Aquifer being such a vital resource for agriculture and providing 82% of the regions drinking water, it is understandable why so many people in Nebraska are resisting the construction of this pipeline. Nebraskans should be especially concerned because the land in the Sandhills is very porous. A disaster like the deep-water oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010 or the leak from a similar oil pipeline that dumped 800,000 gallons of oil in the Kalamazoo River in July 2010 could be catastrophic to our economy and to our long term health. The potential for disaster with the construction of the pipeline is great, but keep in mind that the Ogallala Aquifer is already in bad shape. Extraction of water from the aquifer has increased dramatically since World War II, and scientific studies now show that we may be only a few decades away from completely depleting this seemingly endless source of precious water. Its not just the quantity of the water remaining in the Ogallala Aquifer that concerns us; there are problems with the quality as well. Before the construction of access wells, the water from the Aquifer was pristine. Also, industrial agricultures reliance on fertilizers and pesticides to increase production has polluted the water. The full long-term health effects are still being assessed. The profit motive leads businesses and individual farmers and ranchers to largely ignore the mounting evidence that we have a dire emergency on our hands. These individuals and businesses are willing to risk the long-term sustainability and health of the very life source of this state for their short-term profits. They are able to rationalize a little bit of pollution so they can make more money. The quest for profit blinds them to where they feel comfortable ignoring the clear evidence that they are extracting water from the aquifer at a much higher rate than rainfall replenishes it. This lust for money and disregard for environmental safety is openly encouraged in our current economic system. The invisible hand of the market guides business decisions.

TransCanada Corporation proposes to build a 1900-mile long oil pipeline from Alberta, Canada through Nebraska to oil refineries in Texas along the Gulf Coast. Many environmental organizations, ranchers, and landowners in Nebraska correctly argue that this would threaten the Ogallala Aquifer, a vast but shallow underground aquifer located beneath the Great Plains. What many of these opponents fail to understand is that the Ogallala Aquifer is not threatened only by the building of this pipeline, but by an economic system that encourages shortterm profits over long-term sustainability: Capitalism. The Ogallala Aquifer occupies the High Plains of the United States, extending northward from western Texas to South Dakota. The entire system underlies about 450,000 square kilometers (174,000 square miles) of eight states. The Ogallala Aquifers total water storage is about equal to that of Lake Huron, one of the Great Lakes. It is the single most important source of water in the High Plains region, providing nearly all the water for residential, industrial, and agricultural use. The aquifer permits the widespread irrigation that sustains the regions farm economy. In fact, farming accounts for 94 percent of all groundwater usage. Irrigated agriculture produces nearly one-fifth of the wheat, corn, cotton, and cattle produced in the entire United States. Crops provide grains and hay for confined feeding operations of cattle, hogs, and chickens. The cattle feedlots in turn support the Great Plains regions many large meatpacking industries.

Nebraska Worker - Spring 2011

capitalism can be a part of the solution. We remind Mr. Johansen that capitalism can only work if there is constant growth, expansion and profit. Hence, capitalist firms will use all their wealth to support further growth, which is precisely the cause of the environmental destruction. I realize that most of the members of these organizations have a genuine interest in the environment. However, we all need to learn to question the acceptance of the capitalist culture. Surely, writing a letter or wearing a tshirt is not the best we can do. Until we question the motive behind TransCanadas desire to build a pipeline on top of our aquifer, we will not change anything. our own institutions. If we dont, we will be left with a water supply that is toxic and unsafe to drink. We may lose the water altogether. For Capitalists like T. Boone Pickens, environmental disaster is a business plan. He is actively investing in water supply systems.2 There is profit in replacing nature with privately-owned water systems, after all! The Lefts tendency to withhold criticism of the Capitalist system while claiming to be advocating for the environment is doomed to failure. Trying to fix the environment by tweaking Capitalism is like taking cough medicine to cure cancer. Also, we will gain nothing by trying to reach out to those who hold power in our state. Their power comes from operating in an economic system that encourages profit and expansion over stewardship and sustainability. They will not give up the system that worked for them at the expense of everyone else. The Left needs to recognize that Capitalism is the problem. Otherwise we cannot save the Ogallala Aquifer. _______________________________

Organizing against the pipeline

The organizations that are mobilizing against the construction of the pipeline include the Sierra Club, Bold Nebraska, and Nebraskans for Peace, among others. Unfortunately, these organizations do not pose a serious threat to the construction of the pipeline. They are not organized to engage in the long-term struggle to protect the Ogallala Aquifer much less the environment in general. For instance, Bold Nebraskas list of 10 things you can do include writing thank you and do more letters, starting a community petition drive, hosting a fundraising event, organizing discussion groups, and, of course, donating money. My favoriite suggestion on their website is: order tshirts, bumper stickers, yard signs, etc. The truth is that we cannot drink a t-shirt or grow food with a bumper sticker. At the same time, there is not a single item on Bold Nebraskas website that criticizes the Capitalist system, which, after all, is the motivating force behind the social issues the organization claims to be interested in. Nor does the Sierra Club seem to be serious about defending the environment. This organization blatantly ignores the role of our economic system in the destruction of the environment. Instead, the organization proudly noted that on Earth Day 2008, the Sierra Clubs Chairman, Carl Pope, even rang the bell on Wall Street.1 He rationalized this by stating that companies are an essential part of the solution if we're going to reshape our economy along sustainable lines. Support for an organization like the Sierra Club is dangerous because it gives us the illusion that we are fighting for the environment, when in reality the organization is rationalizing the business economy that is destroying our planet. Capitalist business is not part of the solution; it is the fundamental problem. The latest Nebraskans for Peace newspaper, Nebraska Report, has an article addressing the pipeline. But its author, Bruce Johansen, seems to be debating with himself whether or not
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Lets Get Serious!

We are facing a long-term struggle for environmental justice in this state, especially given the conservative progrowth political majority in our government. Some will argue that we need to be practical about how we engage in this struggle. But, the term practical is code for using tactics and language that is acceptable by our opposition and within a framework that makes them feel comfortable. This does not entail telling truth to power and doing what it takes to win. If we are serious about the environment, then we need to have an open and frank discussion about tactics. We need to ask ourselves: What will it take to win? The Left in this state effectively accepts Capitalism as its economic system and its for-profit pathology as a fact. The real fact is that the self-interested proponents of Capitalism have not won the debate. There are too many contradictions within Capitalism for it to be sustainable. The question is not if Capitalism will fail, the question is when. In fact, given the systems inability to stop the environmental destruction it is causing, it is effectively failing now. The organizations that advocate for the environment need to direct their criticism at the Capitalist system itself. If the people that run these groups cannot or will not do this, then those of us on the left who recognize the Capitalist system as the root of the problem need to create

JOIN THE IWW TODAY!

Since its founding in Chicago in 1905, the IWW has been open to all workers. Our members include teachers, social workers, retail workers, construction workers, bartenders, and computer programmers. Only bosses, those with the power to hire and fire, are not eligible to join. You have a legal right to join a union, and we keep your membership confidential. We are a volunteer-driven union. This means you, not union bosses, run your union. The IWW is not affiliated with any political party or movement. No money goes to politicians. Dues are used to sustain the union and assist organizing campaigns. Therefore, dues are low. Nothing will change until we organize. Contact the IWW Chapter in Nebraska: nebraskagmb@iww.org. The national IWW is at www.iww.org. We look forward to working with you to Fire the Bosses!
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Nebraska Worker - Spring 2011

percentage of Americans living, and working, in poverty rose to 14.3 percent in 2010.4 The number of people without health insurance surpassed 50 million in 2010. Incredibly, infant mortality has risen and life expectancy has fallen in one third of U.S. counties.7 The diverging income shares have gradually made the distribution of accumulated wealth even less equal. In 2007, the top 20 percent of wealth holders in the United States held 85 percent of all wealth. This wealth includes the value of housing, which has traditionally been relatively equally distributed in the U.S. About 70% of the average Americans wealth consists of the value of their principal residence. Even so, half of all U.S. households had wealth of less than $43,600 in 2007. If we just look at financial wealth, which includes such things as stocks, bonds, and other forms of savings, the top 20 percent holds an amazing 93% of all financial wealth. Business equity is even more concentrated: the top 10 percent of wealth holders owning 93.3 percent of all business equity. Since business equity is what really matters for the control of income-producing assets, we can conservatively say that 10 percent of the population owns just about all of the productive capacity of this country. Actually, the distribution is even worse: the top 1 percent of wealth holders own 63 percent of business equity. That is, one percent of Americans own two-thirds of our economy! Not much seems to be trickling down. The human side of these inequalities is reflected in the unequal outcomes across various groups who are part of American society. Median wealth, including home equity, for Hispanics or African-Americans was a miniscule $500 and $400, respectively! This is an incredible about-face for a country that some Fox commentators routinely tout as the greatest nation in the history of mankind. Something sinister is going on, and it is no accident! The fact is that some people worked very hard to bring about this concentration of income and wealth. Three major developments over the past 50 years have been identified by economists as the causes of the growing inequality of income, wealth, and opportunity: - lower taxes for the wealthy - globalization and offshoring - the decline of labor unions It does not take much reasoning to see that the first two developments are intimately related to the third. Unions were actively destroyed by corporations, who shifted jobs overseas or, where jobs could not be moved, employed increasing numbers of illegal immigrants who they could easily exploit. The bosses were aided by their paid cronies in both political parties who voted to reduce taxes on the rich and weaken labor laws and regulations protecting workers and their right to organize. Corporate power is at an all-time high. Corporate interests control government at all levels. But corporations cannot earn one dollar in profit without labor, which makes worker solidarity the only realistic counterforce to stop this concentration of income. Workers must unite and claim control over the means of production that is now controlled by the few (and the increasingly wealthy). The IWW is uniquely positioned outside the corrupt system that has bred the current ugly trends. Join us before there is no return from the economic and social disaster that is occurring right before our eyes. _______________________________
- Statistical Abstract of the United States (2010), Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Commerce. 2 - Bureau of Labor Statistics Current Employment Statistics. 3 - Bureau of Labor Statistics 4 Robin Hardin (2010), Working Age Poverty at 50-year High, Financial Times, September 17. 5 Anthony Atkinson, Thomas Piketty, and Emmanuel Saez (2009), Top Incomes in the Long Run of History, NBER Working Paper 15408, October. 6 - Emmanuel Saez (2010), Striking It Richer: The Evolution of Top Incomes in the United States (Update with 2008 Estimates), Stanford Center for the Study of Poverty and Inequality, July 17, 2010. 7 U.S. Census Bureau.
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Our Growing Income Inequality:

It Is Not an Accident!
By Hank Van den Berg In 1968, the minimum wage was about a third higher in real purchasing power than it is today. That made the minimum wage a living wage in 1968. Today the minimum wage of $7.25 per hour does not provide a living standard above the poverty line.1 In 2009, an average non-supervisory worker earned $18.62 an hour in the U.S. Amazingly, in 1972 the real purchasing power of the average real nonsupervisory wage was $20.20!2 Wages were 7 percent higher 40 years ago! Even more stunning is the fact that productivity of the average worker rose over 100 percent over those 40 years. So, for producing twice as much, the average worker took a pay cut. How could this possibly happen? If we look at income shares more broadly, we see that virtually all of the economic growth since 1980 has been captured by the top 10 percent of income earners. The income accruing to the remaining 90 percent of the U.S. population has not changed for 30 years. Inequality has greatly increased as a result of these income trends. The top ten percent of income earners in the U.S. captured almost exactly 50 percent of total U.S. income in 2007, a higher percentage than the top 10 percent captured during the Roaring Twenties before the 1929 stock market crash. The top one percent took about one quarter of total income in 2007.5 Since then, data shows that the 2008-2009 recession has hurt high income earners very little, while low-income earners have endured unemployment, underemployment, and falling real wages.6 Income inequality thus increased further despite the claims that the economy is recovering. More indicative of the truth is the U.S. Census Bureaus September 2010 report that the number of working people living in poverty rose to the highest level since the War on Poverty programs went into effect in the late 1960s. That is, the