Anti-Worker Trio Dominate Iowa Republican Caucuses

The first votes of the 2012 presidential election were cast last night in Iowa. Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, and Ron Paul topped the polls. None is a friend of working families.

Mitt Romney traveled to Ohio this fall in support of Senate Bill 5, which stripped firefighters, teachers, and other public employees of the right to collective bargaining. Shortly thereafter, Ohio voters overwhelmingly repealed this anti-worker law. He has criticized the NLRB as being “out of control” for protecting things like the right to strike and fair union elections. And he has endorsed the notion that corporations are citizens. Good news for Wal-Mart and other Republican contributors. Bad news for democracy.

Rick Santorum established one of the most extreme anti-worker records during his time in the U.S. Senate. He voted against increasing the minimum wage and farm price supports crucial to the job security of thousands of agricultural workers. He has vowed to repeal manufacturing regulations that keep workers safe, falsely blamed unions for bankrupting state governments, and supports giving even more tax breaks to big corporations.

Ron Paul believes the federal government should be limited in protecting the safety of workers, yet have a heavy hand when it comes to employer-employee bargaining. He voted against raising the minimum wage and extending collective bargaining rights to first responders. He has called unions “unconstitutional.”

Romney, Santorum, and Paul were the big winners last night, but working families would lose if any of them reached the White House. By comparison, President Obama has been a consistent champion of good jobs, fair benefits, and a secure retirement. When it comes to standing up for workers, the 2012 presidential contest is no contest at all. That’s why we’ve strongly endorsed the President’s reelection bid.

The Problem with Mitt Romney's Economic Plan

In my letter in today's Wall Street Journal, I point out that Mitt Romney's economic plan further highlights the GOP's obsession with protecting corporate interests at the expense of the poor and the middle class. As I stated in the letter:

As the nation's unemployment rate registers at 9.1%, it is clear that we need to take bold steps to lift Americans out of poverty and rebuild the middle class. Instead of engaging in antiworker rhetoric, Mr. Romney and his fellow Republicans should focus on creating economic policies that generate and sustain good jobs with decent wages and benefits, with the end goal of giving America's middle class the purchasing power it needs to revive the economy.