Obama Must Be Proud

What was it Obama said in his Inaugural address? Something like "It is ....the selflesness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose a job which sees us through our darkest hours." That should have sent a very clear message to the working class that we are being messed with once again, even more.
So called job-sharing has been round for along while. Seen as a concession to workers , and a popular concept in female dominated ocupations like nursing , allowing women to share half time benefits and more time off to "look after their families." it has never been anything more than the elimination of jobs. 2 workers doing one job and collecting one workers benefits is always better for the employer than creating more positions. It is a subtle way of eliminating jobs. Not accidentally it has never been as far as I can see an "opportunity" jumped on by workers in health care. One of the reasons it has not been a popular choice for women workers is because they simply cannot afford half pay and half benefits and instead have been forced as usual into the 16 hour work day ( some with young children know it is in fact a 24 hour workday) - an 8 hour day in the workplace followed by another 8 hour days doing unpaid domestic labour.
What worker would not rather have a 30 hour work week at same pay or at the very minimum 35 hour work week , with the option of free quality childcare available 24 hours a day for public sector workers who work shift work-nurses, paramedics, transit workers etc.
Unfortunately either the leedership of the unions who buy into this scam either do not get it or they do? Sure they do and it is a quiet almost invisible concession to the boss and the capitalist class couched as is often the case in the guise of "opportunity."
This has been going on for decades. Now in crisis the bosses and politicians and trade union leadership all in cahoots together, are trying to sugar coat the bitter pill even more, peddling more "workweek sharing" to workers.
The Globe and Mail today " Canadian government has long supported work sharing as an alternative to outright layoffs." They fail to say that the union leadership has supported this and couched it as "opportunity." Layoffs correctly strike genuine and legitimate fear into workers. Layoffs force the hand of the the labour leaders. Either fight layoffs or collaborate with the employers and in fact do the work of the employers by implementing them according to seniority. How may times have i heard the leadership of my nursing union righteously try to allay our fears saying in effect-"no worries-we will make sure the employer honours seniority " as nursing jobs disappear.
A professor at University of Toronto's School of Management offers this cold hard fact "there are many unions who would voluntarily accept such worksharing agrements today."
In February 2009, Rogers Communications ' the company recently gave all full-time staff the "opportunity" to reduce their workweek, accepting a 20 percent paycut in an effort to avoid laying off 20% of its staff."
In Taiwan -"some 100,000 workers are taking 10 days of unpaid leave to prevent job cuts."
UAW and CAW -wage freezes and unpaid leave (replacing SPA days- special paid absence)
"voluntary" giving up of benefits.
Leadership of United Steelworkers Wayne Fraser-prevaricates -'thousands of Ontario's Steelworkers are "voluntarily" working reduced hours."
Please !! What worker in their right mind wants to accept up to 20 percent paycut through worksharing-none I know.
So it seems that the trade union leaders are forcing "selflessness " down the throats of all us "selfish" workers who are willing to fight for full time jobs at full pay and full benefits, and expecting to pay our rent and our mortgages and feed our families.
OBAMA must be proud of these traitors.