“Help And Hope” Take The Day Off

As Barbara Boxer gathers today with the Big Labor bosses who have lined her campaign war chest over the years, a new study from UCLA shows that rank-and-file union workers – like all working Americans – are feeling the pain of the recession. That’s, of course, in spite of the big-government economic stimulus plan Barbara Boxer championed, which she said would bring “help and hope” to Californians, save or create 400,000 jobs in the Golden State and keep unemployment under 8 percent nationwide.

UCLA Study Shows Union Jobs Disappearing. “Union jobs in the Los Angeles metropolitan area are disappearing at a faster rate than anywhere else in the country, according to a UCLA study released on Labor Day. ‘The State of the Unions in 2010: A Profile of Union Membership in Los Angeles, California and the Nation’ found the recession has wiped out union membership gains over the past three years. During the survey period of July 2009 through June 2010, UCLA's Institute for Research on Labor and Employment found unionization rates fell by a full percentage point in the five-county Los Angeles metropolitan area -- a larger margin compared to state and national levels.” (“Union Jobs In LA Disappearing At Rapid Rate,” KPCC, 9/6/10)

Union Job Loss “Inevitable” Due To “Duration And Depth Of The Recession.” “‘Given the duration and depth of the recession, it was inevitable that union jobs would be hit,’ said Lauren Appelbaum, IRLE research director and the report’s lead author. ‘Jobs are continuing to disappear, and unionized jobs are continuing to disappear along with them.’” (“Union Jobs In LA Disappearing At Rapid Rate,” KPCC, 9/6/10)

Union Member: “So Many Union Jobs Have Been Lost Because Of This Recession.” “One local union member said the job situation has gotten consistently worse over the past few years. ‘So many union jobs have been lost because of this recession, and quite frankly, I think if you have a union job, you can thank your lucky stars that you still have a job,’ said Gus Fanfassian of ATU Local 1700.” (Lisa Hernandez, “Study: Socal Union Jobs Are Disappearing,” KABC Website, 9/6/10)
Clearly, Barbara Boxer’s failed economic policies are so ineffective that she can’t even help save the jobs of her biggest fans: Big Labor. Looks like “help and hope” took the day off today, too.