Solidarity of union bosses

Organized labor has been causing trouble all across the country this year in the struggle toward “building a fair economy, providing workers a voice on the job, fighting for equality and ensuring that all working people can live with dignity,” according to the Service Employees International Union.

Most recently, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union attempted to ruin Walmart’s Black Friday festivities.  

They failed and the evil empire reported record Black Friday sales and that only 50 employees participated in strikes nationwide.

The main goal of the Walmart protests was to force the company to “share profits with all associates.”  

Curiously, none of the Walmart protesters demanded that UFCW do the same even though it paid president Joseph Hansen $361,124 in 2011.

The Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union, better known as the Bakers’ Union, recently made headlines when 18,500 workers were put of work after the Hostess company union would not accept cuts in pay and benefits.

I’m not sure how forcing an American icon to cancel all operations helps the Bakers’ Union achieve the goal of bringing “economic justice in the workplace to all workers in our jurisdiction and social justice to workers throughout North America.”  

Have the 5,000 members of the Bakers’ Union who worked for Hostess felt the great satisfaction of “economic justice” that comes with knowing that not only do they not have jobs but also the 13,000 nonunion employees of Hostess do not have jobs?

Also, do they realize that the Bakers’ Union pays more than $4 million to 29 executives, including president Frank Hurt, who registered $262,654 in salary and benefits last year?

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the largest public sector union in the country, paid general counsel Larry Weinberg $536,035 in 2011 and president Gerald McEntee $512,369.

Forcing a recall against Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker earlier this year, AFSCME failed in its fight to maintain unsustainable, taxpayer funded pensions and benefits for its government workers.

No word yet that any of the more than 300 AFSCME employees who make at least $100,000 plan on sharing their money with poorer union members.

The National Education Association, which played a part in Superintendent of Public Instruction-elect Glenda Ritz’s win in Indiana, paid Executive Director John Wilson $492,484 in 2011 and president Dennis Van Roekel $460,060. The NEA paid 40 of its executives more than $200,000.

The teamsters last year paid $372,489 to president Jimmy Hoffa, who may be remembered for threatening Republicans at a President Barack Obama rally: “Let’s take these sons of bitches out.”

In 2011, AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka received $293,750, American Federation of Teachers president Rhonda Weingarten received $493,859, and SEIU Secretary-Treasurer Eliseo Medina received $330,503, not to mention the lavish benefits of hundreds of other top executives.

With all their rhetoric of fairness, dignity and the plight of the workingman, you’d think these fat cat union bosses would create organizations that share profits with all associates — right?

­— arcarlis@indiana.edu