Public Employee Unions Failing Badly At Public Relations

By RICK UNGAR

While Wisconsin’s governor Scott Walker has managed to ignite the passion of union supporters throughout the country, the fact that Walker has pushed his union-busting efforts to the brink of success speaks volumes as to how the nation’s public and private unions have failed to read the tea leaves and prepare for the onslaught.
Despite the  tens of thousands who have turned up to battle Walker’s attempt at taking away collective bargaining rights, the governor continues to hold most of the cards. With a solid majority behind him in the state legislature, there is a very strong likelihood that Walker will win this battle and set off a chain of events around the nation that could deal the union movement a crushing – even fatal- blow.
The unions had to know this was coming – and yet, they were completely unprepared.
In an era where the public is all too ready to blame state employees for what they perceive as feeding at the public trough – while those in the private sector are left to suffer the ravages of a deep recession – the union PR machine has been anything but effective.
In fact, state and local employee unions around the country have been extremely responsive to the economic realities of their state. In many states and localities, these employees have stepped up by forgoing pension and benefit opportunities that were gained through years of trading larger salaries for a better pension and benefits program. They have accepted the ever increasing number of furlough days that have hit their families hard in the pocketbook.
While the public at large may not know it, the members of the public employee unions have been suffering through these hard times right along with workers in the private sector.
The question is why doesn’t the public know it?
While it is being widely reported that public employee unions contributed some $200 million to democratic party campaign coffers in 2010, where are the pieces telling the stories about how much money unions have contributed to worthy and important charities? I know that America’s unions do make sizeable charitable contributions to their respective communities, but try a Google search to locate some specific instances and you’ll find it a very difficult task.
We are in an era where the nation’s unions have formidable enemies who are spending huge sums to bring the modern union movement to an end. These entities have already been remarkably successful in diminishing the power of unions in the private sector and now they seek to finish off the movement in the public sector – the only area where the unions have experienced growth in the last thirty years.
Over the past few days, I have heard from a great many people around the country voicing their opinions on what is taking place in Wisconsin. What has truly surprised me are the number of working folks who have no understanding of what the union movement has done for them – even if they have never been affiliated -and have, as a result, taken a position in support of those who wish to end collective bargaining in Wisconsin.
The minimum wage, the forty-hour work week, safety standards in the work place, maternity rights, employee pensions and health care benefits– all of these are just some of things that never would have existed in the United States had the union movement not become a part of the work environment in this country.
What’s more, we know that when unions negotiate salary increases for their membership, they establish new ‘floors’ of acceptable payment levels which impact greatly on non-union workers’ ability to receive higher pay. Yet, so many non-union workers appear to be oblivious to how they benefit from the union movement and are actually rooting for the forces that would bring the union era to an end.
When people will take a side against their own self-interest, it is a sure sign that one side has done a masterful public relations job while the other has failed miserably.
America’s unions would do well to take some instruction from one particular such organization that comes to mind – the NFL Players Association. These are the folks that bring you the many television spots showing their members spending quality time with kids in hospitals, schools and other such community related endeavors. Run a Google search on the player association and you’ll see example after example of what these people are doing to help their respective communities.
As the professional football players face an impending lock-out by owners, with whom do you imagine the American public will be siding?
The only thing that will stop what is happening in Wisconsin from spreading like wildfire to other states is a belief among state politicians that going against the unions is bad for their re-election prospects.  And the only way this will happen is by reminding the working public just how important unions are to their lives and their fortunes, even if most of these workers have never carried a union card.
Right now, I don’t think too many state elected officials are particularly worried about siding against the unions – and that is very bad news for all workers.
If the union movement wants to survive in this century, they are going to need to step up – not only by making reasonable adjustments to some of their policies in order to meet the expectations of the public, but by letting the public know what they are doing to benefit the nation.
There is much they can talk about in this regard – but they need to get started.
The ship has already left the dock and the water is pouring in.