Is Donna Shalala Anti-Union?

    Over the past few months, I've made it a habit to try to hold Democrats accountable for their votes or actions when it comes to labor-related votes. A few people yelp: why are you picking on Democrats? My friends, we know how Republicans are going to act (sure, that's an over generalization--there are a few "moderate" Republicans, mainly from the Northeast, who sometimes will side with labor). But, if Democrats play footsie with Wal-Mart or vote for so-called "free trade" agreements like CAFTA, what exactly is the point of electing Democrats?

    Or when they act anti-union when they get into positions of powers. Which brings me to the story of Donna Shalala. When we last heard from Shalala in public service, she was Bill Clinton's Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), a position she held for eight years. She had a reputation as a liberal--though it's hard to understand how a liberal would stick around to help implement Clinton's so-called "welfare reform," which cast millions of poor mothers and families into deeper poverty.

    Then, Shalala picked up a nice cushy job: president of the University of Miami. One of the reasons Shalala comes into her comfortable office every morning and doesn't have to stumble over trash is the university's janitors. The janitors work for a contractor, UNICCO, which pays them as little as $51 a day and provides no health benefits. The janitors are trying to unionize.

    That's where we come to Shalala's behavior. Publicly, she has said that the university has no role in the negotiations and she displays all sorts of nice quotes about how the university needs to be a good corporate ciutizen. But, privately, she has allowed UNICCO to run an antiunion campaign; union organizers from SEIU were kicked off the campus when they were handing out food and water to the workers after Hurricane Wilma, the organizers aren't allowed on campus and students are prohibited from posting information about the union (so much for free speech).

     Here are some facts to show how truly disgusting Shalala's behavior is. The union estimates that the Shalala would have to agree to shell out  $9.4 million over 3 years to pay the janitors a living wage with healthcare. That would add up to just 0.6 percent of total revenue for one year which is ...ready for this number?...$1,416,863,964 (that would be more than $1.4 billion). Or just 4.3 percent of the funds the government pays out to the university. Or just 0.7 percent of its net assets ($1.2 billion).

     Or think of the rich versus poor comparison. The university pays its president and officers a total of $4,347,977.80 (clearly, I went into the wrong line of work).  Over three years, they earn $13,043,933.40.  A UNICCO worker would have to work for 2 months or 326 hours to earn what Shalala earns in one day; her annual salary is a cool half a million (actually, $516,904.19). Pay the president and officers just 28 percent less (they can probably make due) and you can pay a living wage AND healthcare for the 400 UNICCO workers.

    I'm sure Shalala goes to parties where she and her friends decry the outrageous behavior and low moral values of heartless Republicans. But, while she is sipping her cocktail in some swanky apartment, it probably doesn't occur to her that her behavior is no less appalling. I'll pose the question: what kind of values does a university instill in its students when it pays its rulers huge salaries while consigning to poverty and poor health the people who keep the rulers' empire running?

Comments

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[jordan dub zero]

Toward A New Democracy (STAND) and we've been leading the student side of the Living Wage Camapaign now in motion here at UM.