Fillmore County Journal

"Where Fillmore County News Comes First"

Letter about Unions…

by

Fillmore County Journal - Weekly Newspaper Serving Southeast Minnesota's Bluff Country - Letter to the Editor

To the Editor,

A few queries about Jason Sethre’s virulent anti-union editorial: Mr. Sethre, at what point in recent history did the boss-management class go from malevolent to benevolent? When did they soften their hearts to the plight of the worker? Sorry pal, they ain’t changed since, as the old saw goes, “Unions were good in their time, but—”! Unions have been under attack from Sethre and his right wing crowd since day one. A spate of “Right to work” laws plus action by thugs like Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker have caused the labor movement to ebb and weaken. The end result is stagnation of wages and living standards for the working class and a flowering of income amongst the CEO-boss class. Nothing changed, pal. The old bottom line is still all important. Maybe when there is a renaissance of trade unionism in America, the so-called “angry white working class” who elected Darth Cheeto will wake up as to who their real enemies are. As for me, like Woody Guthrie said, “I’m stickin’ to the union till the day I die!”

Jerry Grehl,
Harmony, MN
Teamsters Local 773,
Allentown, PA
(retired, and living a good life thanks to my union pension, plus SocSec)

Comments

  1. February 6, 2017

    http://fillmorecountyjournal.com/one-moment-please-im-sorry/

    One Moment, Please…
    I’m sorry
    by Jason Sethre

    First, thank you to Jerry Grehl and Jack Bratrud for their thoughtful perspectives offered on the Commentary pages of the January 30, 2017 issue of the Fillmore County Journal. Both of these local readers put me in my place, and I consider this a good thing.

    Based on the response from my original opinion piece about unions, I came to several realizations.

    We have very passionate readers.

    After the January 23, 2017 issue of the Fillmore County Journal arrived in more than 13,500 mailboxes throughout the region, I started to receive feedback.

    There were some locals from Chatfield, Harmony, Lanesboro, Preston, Fountain, Rushford, and Spring Valley who said I hit the nail on the head. And, then a few local union workers took to Facebook to share their dismay.

    And, then I learned that what I had published had traveled far beyond our little corner of Southeast Minnesota.

    I started receiving private Facebook messages, e-mails, and online comments on http://www.fillmorecountyjournal.com from upset union workers from Chicago, Minneapolis, Kasson, Elgin, Rochester, and Lincoln, Nebr. – just to name a few.

    This feedback and many others helped me come to the conclusion that I was wrong. The fact that these union workers and union supporters felt incensed enough to contact me with their concerns made me think about what I had done to them to cause such consternation. My words hurt. I don’t blame them for being upset.

    Essentially, as I see it now, I assailed the foundation of their livelihood. These men and women proudly work at their jobs to earn a living to take care of their families. In retrospect, as I attempt to put myself in their shoes, my commentary challenged the stability of their life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.

    As I reflect, what bothers me most about this entire situation is how I was adding to the polarization of our society. On a daily basis, politicians on both sides of the aisle along with our national media keep that polarization front and center, which perpetuates the demise of our social decency. It’s not healthy for mankind.

    The American Middle Class

    As I was fielding these unfavorable responses, I started to experience what I can only describe as a Bernie Sanders moment. Why are we – the Middle Class – tearing each other apart?

    I started to think about how the majority of us in Fillmore County make up of the Middle Class. And, there is nothing constructive about any of us knocking each other down for our career contributions to society.

    If we are bothered by the state of our nation’s socio-economic affairs, should we be looking at the elite puppet masters of this entire establishment?

    Should we question why the CEO of Walmart makes 1,133 times more than the median worker total pay of his company? In 2014, the CEO C. Douglas McMillon made $25,592,938 while his employees averaged $22,591 that same year. When we spend money for products and services, what and who are we supporting?

    This presents another reason to buy local right here in these small towns as much as possible.

    According to a May 11, 2016, Pew Research Center analysis, the Middle Class median household income in America was defined in 2014 as a range of $42,000 to $125,000.

    In Fillmore County (Minn.), according to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2015, the median household income was $53,889.

    Yes, the majority of Fillmore County is a part of the struggling Lower Middle Class – hovering in the lower 14th percentile of the Middle Class.

    The Game of Life

    The Game of Life, a household favorite for many, is not too far off from reality.

    We choose a career path, and sometimes change our careers a few times throughout our lives. Some of us get married, have children, raise a family, and hope to retire with something.

    Just like in the board game, we select career cards and in some cases deal with the cards we are dealt. Our lives come with struggles that hopefully make us wiser and stronger.

    Union or non-union, we are teachers, police officers, construction workers, accountants, tellers, clerks, hairstylists, retailers, salespeople, mechanics, plumbers, electricians, postal mail carriers, artists, waitresses, nurses, pastors, farmers, and countless other occupations.

    Every job is important or it wouldn’t exist. Each of us chooses a career path that we hopefully enjoy and this provides us with an income that also hopefully supports our personal objectives in life.

    We are all in this game of life together.

    My apology…

    I sincerely apologize to Jerry Grehl, Jack Bratrud, Jim Westby, Carl Westby, and any other union workers or supporters whom I offended, near and far. Just be glad you are not related to me and don’t have to listen to my political wisdom after a few beers at a Thanksgiving family gathering.

    With that said, I especially apologize to my father (retired after nearly 40 years as a union worker, a Teamster, and shop steward), and my sister (currently a union worker).

    In the newspaper business, when we make a mistake, the printed word is published and shared with more people than we can ever imagine.
    I hope this apology finds anyone who read and was bothered by my original commentary published on January 23, 2017.

    I’m not infallible. I am human, and not a perfect one at that.
    Again, my apologies to any union workers and their families.

  3. Excellant. People can give all the reasons against unions, but unions get a living wage for their members. The decline of the middle class started when Reagan got rid of air traffic controllers union and has continued with Walker in Wisconsin. Don’t bring the lowest paid up, but bring the living wages down. So goes the draining of the swamp right into the Trump holding pond.

  4. Excellant. People can give all the reasons against unions, but unions get a living wage for their members. The decline of the middle class started when Reagan got rid of air traffic controllers union and has continued witk Walker in Wisconsin. Don’t bring the lowest paid up, but bring the living wages down. So goes tbe draining of the swamp right into the Trump holding pond.