How Low Can Your Salary Go? 117 ALEC Bills in 2013 Fuel Race to the Bottom

[zeos3]

http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/17774-how-low-can-your-salary-go-117-alec-bills-in-2013-fuel-race-to-the-bottom#.UfBb4dRdNBI.email

At least 117 bills introduced in 2013 fuel a "race to the bottom" in wages, benefits, and worker rights and resemble "model" bills from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), according to a new analysis by the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD), publishers of ALECexposed.org

As working Americans speak out for higher wages, better benefits, and respect in the workplace, a coordinated, nationwide campaign to silence them is mounting -- and ALEC is at the heart of it. ALEC corporations, right-wing think tanks, and monied interests like the Koch brothers are pushing legislation throughout the country designed to drive down wages; limit health care, pensions, and other benefits; and cripple working families' participation in the political and legislative process.

ALEC has pushed an anti-worker agenda since at least 1979, when it began striking out against "forced unionism" and for a "right to work," says a 1998 ALEC document. This "right to work" agenda does not create jobs or job security, but it does tilt the playing field against workers to give corporations more profits -- and CEOs more power -- in the workplace and in the political arena.

Harold Schaitberger, General President of the International Association of Fire Fighters, put it best when he told CMD, "The sole purpose of ALEC has been to develop the most anti-middle class, pro-corporation policies, legislation, and agenda in history. They've been waiting for just the right moment to reverse the progress of the American middle class and drive everyone to the bottom, to the lowest wages, the weakest benefits, no job security, and no retirement to speak of. We may not have the billions of dollars of the Koch brothers. But we have each other and we must stick together and fight ALEC's cynical and un-American agenda."

At the bottom of the link is a list of "workers rights" bills on a state by state basis. Why don't we try this: Let's post the below links to our state group (here on DU) to try to raise awareness and get some momentum behind getting rid of ALEC on a state by state basis.

Here's a list of worker rights, education, and tort reform bills being pushed by ALEC in each state.

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/ALEC_2013_Bills


Here is The Center for Media and Democracy's "ALEC Exposed" site.

http://www.alecexposed.org/wiki/ALEC_Exposed


Let's try to raise awareness about who we need to fight against in our home states.

[Doremus]

1. k&r

[A HERETIC I AM]

2. Ummmm...just so you're aware, in case you aren't....the "R" in a "K&R"....

Means "Recommend" .

There isn't much point of typing "k&r" if all you did was "K"

I rec'd and the counter went from zero to one, and you posted two minutes before!