War on Workers: This GOP Senator Thinks That Time Off for Workers is ‘Goofy’
by Nick Goroff
They hate unions, hate the minimum wage, hate labor laws in general and in some cases they even hate bans on child labor.
But now, some Wisconsin Republicans are taking the extra step in the
GOP's war on workers by moving to establish a seven day work week,
because in reality, time off from work is nothing short of an affront to
workers.
Glenn
Grothman, a Tea Party Republican state Senator from Bend, has put
forward a proposal to the state legislature, which would seek to roll
back many of the gains for worker protections won by unions, central
among them, the five-day work week. Referring to the laws as "goofy,"
Grothman suggested they be scaled back, naturally, in the name of
"freedom."
Wisconsin
is one of only a few states in the nation to mandate by law that
workers be given at least one 24-hour "rest period" per every five days
worked. The once staunchly pro-union mid-western state has been a battle
ground over labor rights since the 2010 election of Governor Scott
Walker and the occupation of the capital Madison. Throughout the early
part of 2011, shortly after Walker's inauguration, the capital city of
Madison experienced a long and highly publicized occupation protest by
workers, organized unions and progressive activists, who opposed
Walker's assault on collective bargaining rights and agreements, leading
ultimately to a failed recall effort in 2012.
The
move by Grothman is likely to be celebrated among state Republicans,
who over the past several years have bent over backwards in their
efforts to restore gilded age labor policies, much to the benefit of
themselves and their industrial backers/cronies. Labor unions and their
allies have been working overtime since the GOP took the power of the
state to combat a rising tide of pro-corporate, anti-worker legislation.
This latest battle concerning work week limitations, which is often
cited as a central victory in the history of the American labor
movement, is being seen by many as one of the most overt Republican
assaults on worker rights to date.
Calling
the five day work week law, which serves to ensure employers are not
over-working their employees, "goofy," Grothman went on in an attempt to
rationalize his proposals in an interview with the Huffington Post stating:
[box
type="shadow"]“...you may have a factory that wants to run more shifts
or want to work overtime and is short of people — and the employee wants
to work, and the employer wants them to work, why shouldn’t they be
able to work?”[/box]
Now,
beyond ignoring the larger economic realities of employers throughout
the country, routinely seeking to reduce working hours and outsource
many jobs either to overseas plants or through automation, Grothman
seems to be overlooking the slightly smaller but just as pressing
realities in his own state. With Wisconsin presently 33rd in the nation
for overall job creation and the Walker administration's track record
of killing job creating public works projects, such as the 2011 light
rail contract with Spanish train maker Talgo, which resulted in the loss
of several thousand jobs and the filing of a civil suit
by Talgo against Walker and the state for breach of contract, the
presumed factory jobs with oodles of available overtime are likely about
as in touch with reality as Grothman's opinions on women in the
workplace.
In
the same Huffpo interview, when asked about equal pay for woman, the
Winsconsin Tea Party Senator said simply that "You could argue money is
more important for men."
The
only real thing is, no, you can't Glenn. You actually can't. Maybe you
should take some time off and think a little more about these things.
Luckily for you, there's a law about that still.
(h/t: Freakoutnation)
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