This page was last updated on October 8, 2014.
McClelland supports union membership; Gilda DeFerrari; Beaver County Times; October 8, 2014.
Ms. DeFerrari has written at least 11 letters since 2004. Previous letters from Ms. DeFerrari I critiqued are here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.
Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.
“Erin McClelland, who is running for Congress, comes from a family of union organizers starting with her great grandfather who organized the CIO at the plant where he worked. She recognizes that the benefits workers get are due to their union memberships.”
[RWC] Wrong. “The benefits workers get are due to” the economic value of the jobs they perform.
“At a time when corporations and businesses resist union membership for their workers, it is gratifying that a woman running for a seat in the U.S. Congress believes in the necessity of strong unions. She knows that the growth and well-being of the middle class came about because of the growth of unions.”
[RWC] Ms. DeFerrari appears to think corporations are not businesses. “The necessity of strong unions?” According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 6.7% of private-sector employees belong to labor unions as of 2013. That number would be even lower were it not for closed-shop labor laws that give labor union management the power to make union membership a job requirement.
“The public can be assured that she will give her support to unions any time it is needed. She should be elected to serve all the people in the district which includes Aliquippa and Hopewell Township.”
[RWC] Since Ms. DeFerrari specifically mentioned “support to unions,” apparently “all the people” doesn’t include businesses, you know, the job providers. In any case, shouldn’t our reps support us as individuals, not unions, businesses, and so on?
© 2004-2014 Robert W. Cox, all rights reserved.