GOP Vilifies Workers Who Serve the Public
By Fred Redmond
USW International Vice President for Human Affairs
Government workers are the latest victims of a GOP smear campaign. Right-wing strategists have revived the tactic of false accusation in a vain attempt to keep voters from noticing that the policies of the current batch of Republican candidates mirror those of the batch who laid waste to our economy.
From Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass, to Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels, Republicans are lying about government workers’ wages and work habits in an attempt to convince voters that the source of the country’s economic woes is public sectors workers – the very people who investigate child abuse, monitor nursing homes, enforce workplace health and safety, repair roads, protect our water and air, teach our kids, maintain our parks, clean our schools, and mail Grandma’s social security check.
The United Steelworkers union represents 26,000 public sector workers, ranging from lawyers who serve as public defenders to workers who ensure sewerage treatment plants don’t pollute. The union will not tolerate the GOP’s baseless attacks on our members. USW members who work in service to the public will discuss additional responses during the USW Public Sector Conference Oct. 21 through 23 at the Pittsburgh Hilton Hotel.
