More of The Same

MORE OF THE SAME

San Francisco janitors face an uphill battle as Union leaders invite the fox in to the hen house

San Francisco janitors, members of SEIU Local 1877 are angry. They are angry that their wages in a city that is one of the most expensive in the world, are too low. They are angry at the disrespect the employers give them, adding more duties, bit by bit taking away hard won gains. They are angry that the employers want to them to pay a $10 co-pay for doctor's visits, $10 co--pay for formulary prescriptions and $5 for generic ones.

The Janitors are ready to fight. On Saturday August 2nd they voted overwhelmingly to strike. But it is clear that the union leadership has already prepared the ground for a defeat. As I write, Willie Brown, the millionaire corporate lawyer and mayor of San Francisco is mediating between the Union and the employers who own the downtown buildings that the janitors clean. On the local news this evening the news anchor made it perfectly clear: Brown is mediating between business owners and the Union in an effort to "avoid a strike". It should be noted that it wasn't reported that Brown is mediating in order to avoid the possibility of the Janitors having their already meager disposable income cut even further by the introduction of co-payments for medicine and doctor's visits.

Barring a revolt from below, the Janitor's fate is sealed. The power now has switched from the independent strength of the workers to the millionaire big business politician, Brown and his friends, the building owners. The same Brown who has welcomed cuts in the pay of city workers in order to help pay the deficit. Most workers hate these politicians, that's why we don't vote for them in huge numbers in the U.S. But Mike Garcia, SEIU official considers the intervention of the millionaire Brown as "a huge accomplishment".

Brother Garcia goes on to say that the Mayor promised him three weeks ago he would come in and mediate if talks broke down" "He followed through on his commitment", says Garcia. Brother Garcia, like all Union officials, sees the intervention of a big business politician as positive because it is better than the alternative, mobilizing and relying on the power of his own members, the union movement, and workers in general. From the point of view of Union officials like Brother Garcia, nothing can be gained from a strike. He is a prisoner, as are his colleagues, of his own consciousness; his own world view. Like all Union officials at the highest levels, he doesn't have a fundamental disagreement with the employers on the major issues; the employers right to own the business and to make profit. If wages and benefits interfere with profit, wages and benefits must be cut.

In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle Brother Garcia let's the employers know that there need not be a strike, cuts can be made, just don't cut so much. "We are always willing to negotiate." he says reassuringly. "If the doctor's visit co-payment were reduced or removed, a deal could be struck on the drug co-payment."

This strategy that amounts to damage control is official policy of the AFL-CIO. Only a few weeks ago in Oakland there was talk of installing tracking devices in city workers vehicles and taking before and after pictures of their work. The union official representing these workers, also SEIU, was shocked. But he gave the same assurances, we're willing to talk about anything". The employers aren't willing to talk about anything. The shorter workweek, increased wages, health care, more jobs; the employers won't be so generous with the subject matter at the negotiating table.

Giving these sort of assurances to the employers is not the way to push back their offensive against working people. It's clear that the union leadership in the janitors conflict has called in Brown to get the employers to impose a slightly less damaging contract. Every day, every week, every contract, the employers are pushing us further backward. It is not only the San Francisco janitors that are facing this offensive, it is happening to all of us. And despite the willingness of the janitors to fight for a better life, like contract struggles before them and others that will come after, the policies of the leadership of the AFL-CIO from the top down, will ensure that no "real" gains are made. They will ensure that the employers get their concessions in some form or fashion.

Given the present leadership of the trade union movement it is quite possible that the current low percentage of workers organized in Unions could fall even further as we suffer more defeats and setbacks and union members begin to question why they pay increasing dues as wages and benefits decline. Workers built unions to advance our material interests, to make our lives better; they were not the result of an exercise in civics.
Due to the social outlook of our leaders we are in for further setbacks, but there will be considerable turmoil in the Unions in the future as more and more union members accept the fact that we are in two battles; one against the employers and another against the concessionary policies of our leaders.

Richard Mellor
Member, AFSCME Local 444
Oakland CA
8-5-03