The White House promoted unionization as the solution to the nation’s economic woes Wednesday, arguing that businesses should welcome it because they did better when their workers had strong unions.
“Collective bargaining is a win-win solution,” said Labor Secretary Tom Perez. “It is a false choice to suggest that you support your workers or you support your bottom line.”
Perez made the comments at a White House event dubbed the “Summit on Worker Voice.” The event featured workers, union leaders, liberal activists and some labor-friendly employers. Among those present was AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka.
No representatives of major business groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce were invited. No economists were called as speakers either.
Unions typically increase a business’ labor costs by obtaining better wages and benefits for workers, which reduces the bottom line. The White House argued that was nevertheless a net positive for businesses because it made workers happier and more productive.
Perez highlighted the example of one summit participant, Greg Adams, executive vice president at Kaiser Permanente.
“We are committed to working with our employees and their unions,” Adams said, arguing that this boosted the quality of the company’s products. “We try to create a culture where no matter where somebody is in the company, we celebrate them bringing up issues.”
Another participant, Ambereen Khan-Baker, a Rockville, Md., teacher, said that her union, the National Education Association, helped to mentor her as a teacher to better understand students. “It’s directly from what I learned with the union. I bring that into the classroom.”
Robert Hathorn, a Clinton, Miss., Nissan plant worker, discussed his efforts to organize the workers at the plant. “Labor rights are civil rights,” he declared, adding, “Lead us not into ‘temp nation’.”
Perez and his co-host, White House policy adviser Valerie Jarrett, stressed that they wanted the event to “start a conversation” about worker rights, one that “pushed people outside of their comfort zone.”
However, the lack of any representatives from business to explain why they resisted unions resulted in a one-sided discussion. Aside from arguing that unions were good in and of themselves, little was discussed at the event about how to change that culture.
The event also took the time to criticize the push to get states to adopt “right-to-work” laws, which prohibit workers from being forced to join or support a union as a condition of employment. New Mexico State Senate Leader Michael Sanchez described his efforts to prevent a right to work bill from being voted on. It was a tough fight, he said, because the proponents of the law tried “every procedural move they could think of” to get a Senate vote. With help from state labor leaders, Sanchez was able to create enough pressure to prevent that.
“I am very proud of our state Senate Democrats for standing strong on this,” Sanchez, who called right to work bills “anti-worker legislation.” He did not bother to explain exactly what the laws do.
Perez also took two veiled shots at Republican Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, who has regularly fought public sector unions in the Garden State. Perez referred to the hostility that teachers unions faced, referencing one elected official’s claim that he wanted to “punch teachers’ unions in the face.” Christie made a similar and clearly rhetorical comment in August.
