As 2012 Approaches

by Robby Stern

The last half of 2011 is a precursor to what promises to be a very challenging and potentially exciting 2012. This morning I watched a dramatic video of the Chancellor of U.C. Davis walking through a phalanx of students sitting in absolute silence on the ground as she exited a meeting to walk to her car. Their silence was a powerful condemnation of the immorality of the Chancellor and her campus police force that attacked nonviolent sit in protestors on the U.C. Davis campus over the weekend. The shocking film of two campus policemen spraying students as they sat on the ground has been broadcast worldwide.

Also broadcast worldwide is the picture of 84 year old PSARA member Dorli Rainey, as the pepper spray drips from her hair and face. One must ask why the Seattle police chose to pepper spray Dorli and the others with her. If the police believed that the street needed to be cleared, then the appropriate action was to arrest these nonviolent activists who were acting in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street, which had also been subjected to a brutal attack. To Dorli’s credit, she used the opportunity presented by the national and international media to focus on the issue of the 1 % and the 99% rather than allowing the discussion to be about police tactics. We send our thanks and admiration to Dorli for her bravery and determination.

It is impossible to miss that the level of physical violence being exerted on Occupiers and their supporters has escalated. There is now coordination among local officials around the country to contain and perhaps eliminate the Occupy movement. At the same time, there is talk of escalating economic activity by the grassroots. Occupy Oakland have called for a total west coast port shutdown on December 12th. This is a tall order and may not come to fruition, but the fact that it can even be discussed in realistic terms suggests the economic power that may be building at the grassroots level. As the labor song says, “We Do the Work” and we create the wealth.

Meanwhile, another unprecedented event has occurred in Washington. To quote from “The Stand”, the online news service of the Washington State Labor Council, “After consulting with its affiliated unions and community allies, the Washington State Labor Council will try something new in the special legislative session that begins Nov. 28 and the 2012 session. The WSLC will pursue a budget agenda in coordination with community, religious and small business groups that share labor’s concerns about all-cuts budgets harming our families and Washington’s economic future, and that agree that significant investment in public infrastructure is needed to create jobs now.”

The article goes on to say, “The Wall Street Recession continues to decimate Washington state’s economy and harm families. Our state budget has been slashed by $10 billion in the past three years — eliminating thousands of jobs, costing families their health care coverage, increasing school class sizes, sending college tuitions skyrocketing, and shredding our social safety net. Unemployment remains high; near 9% statewide and up to 60% in certain construction trades. And state economists say we are only halfway through this ‘Second Great Depression.’”

Labor is joining with these other forces to demand that the state protect our communities by investing in jobs and public necessities, like education and health care. They have agreed on the following common agenda:

“1. Substantially increase revenue and utilize revenue bonding to protect critical services and jobs in education, health care and public safety.
2. Create 30,000 direct jobs, and many more indirectly, by building and repairing community assets — including public buildings, bridges, state parks, water and irrigation systems, and college campuses — with a $2 billion general obligation bond on the spring ballot.
3. End unjustified tax breaks that don’t create jobs, and reform our tax break system to make it more transparent and accountable.”

In the past, these organizations enter the legislative session with their own legislative agendas. While cooperation on agreed upon proposals happens frequently, never, to my knowledge, has there been an agreement before hand to enter a legislative session with an agreed upon common agenda. This level of engagement between organized labor and other sectors could presage a very powerful force in our state. PSARA strongly endorses this legislative program.

Finally, we can all celebrate the failure of the Super Committee to come to an agreement. It is horrifying, if it is true, that the Democrats were prepared to make cuts in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid in order to reach an agreement with the Republicans. Evidently, the Republicans were trying to drive a deal the Democrats could not stomach. Thank goodness no agreement was reached. We need to make our voices heard that the cut in the Social Security payroll tax must be allowed to expire and not be renewed at the end of December, 2011. It imperils Social Security.

In addition, we will insist that the debate around the 2012 election be about who will be served, the 1 % or the 99%. The Bush tax cuts for the wealthy must be allowed to expire at the end of 2012, and besides government job creation, the payroll cap on Social Security contributions must be scrapped so we can create an even better and stronger Social Security system for our children and grandchildren.