Recovery and reinvestment needed — not retreat and retrenchment

"I don't view the labor movement as part of the problem. To me it's part of the solution."

With those words, President Obama demonstrated that he understands the interdependent relationship that exists between employees and their employers, unions and management.

And so it didn't go unnoticed at NYSUT headquarters in Albany or in union offices across the nation that the very first bill signed into law by President Barack Obama was a pro-labor measure.

When our new president signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act, making it easier for workers to sue for pay discrimination, unionists and other workers felt, as Vice President Joe Biden put it, welcomed back to the White House.

It seems clear that the new administration is acknowledging organized labor and the contributions of workers as part of the solution to our nation's economic woes.

In addition to the Ledbetter legislation, President Obama signed three executive orders reversing anti-labor regulations created by the previous administration, and announced the formation of a task force, headed by Vice President Biden, aimed at raising the living standard of middle-class Americans.

And, finally, when the Employee Free Choice Act, scheduled to come before Congress this session, gets to the president's desk, labor leaders feel confident they will have a friend in the White House.

AFL-CIO President John Sweeney has correctly called President Obama's first official acts in office "the first steps in a long road to restore balance between workers and corporations."

The Obama-Biden administration clearly understands why unions matter.

"We need to level the playing field for workers and the unions that represent their interests," President Obama said recently. "Because we know that you cannot have a strong middle class without a strong labor movement. And we know that strong, vibrant and growing unions can exist with strong, vibrant and growing businesses. This is not an either-or proposition between the interests of workers and the interests of shareholders. The American economy is not — and has never been — a zero- sum game."

This president understands that America's working women and men must have a voice if we are to address our current economic crisis. He has set a place at the table for unions side by side with the business community. He knows that if we are going to work our way out of the current economic crisis, it's going to take the efforts of all of us — business and labor, Republican and Democrat and, yes, the working class and the very wealthy.

NYSUT is no stranger to partnerships. This union is willing — in fact, eager — to work with any group or individual sharing our goals and priorities. We regularly form coalitions with other unions and progressive organizations, yet we also collaborate with the chamber of commerce and school administrators when the time — and the issue — is right.

NYSUT's executive vice president, Alan Lubin, co-chairs the Business and Labor Coalition of New York — BALCONY. And at election time we endorse candidates from both of the major political parties.

For NYSUT, it has always been about issues and values, about our members and those they serve.

This crisis — as painful as it is for many Americans, including many of our own colleagues — provides an opportunity to rethink the way government operates, to redefine how best to achieve our priorities, and, as I wrote about in an earlier column, to decide just what we stand for as a society.

Through the Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the new leadership in Washington, with the expert help of our state's delegation leaders — Senator Schumer and Congressman Rangel — has provided real change aimed at recognizing the importance of the average American and the middle class — change aimed at protecting and promoting our nation's work force while at the same time revitalizing its economy.

Now it's Albany's turn.

With a state budget crisis and billions of dollars in federal stimulus money winding its way to New York, we, too, have before us a transformational opportunity. Now it's our turn to think anew about the relationship between New York's workers, businesses, and our state's priorities.

But, in order to succeed, we must first ask ourselves very fundamental questions. How can we best maximize the potential provided by the federal stimulus bill? What should New York be doing to create a strong, self-sustaining economy? How can business and labor work together more closely so shareholders, small businesses, and workers thrive? For as the president said, "When workers are prospering, they buy products that make businesses prosper."

Critical to the answer are two elements that are closely intertwined: investing more in education and creating a more vibrant middle class.

Think of what might be possible if every public school could offer quality pre-kindergarten to every 4-year-old, ensure small classes and adequate health support, provide necessary remedial programs as well as advanced level courses, and invest in recruiting and retaining the best teachers and providing them with the most up-to-date and challenging professional development.

We would not only prevent staff reductions that add to unemployment and drain the economy further, but would also promote the quality education needed to drive our economy into the future on a sound foundation.

And as our public schools become even more successful, enrollment would surely continue to increase at our state's excellent four-year and community colleges, creating a legion of highly trained candidates for tomorrow's employment opportunities.

Together, New York's business community, labor community and government entities can and should seize the opportunity to solve our budget crisis in ways that would fuel our state's future.

The federal government has provided at least part of the solution; now it's our turn to step up.

Yet, some still say that New York should cut its budget, abandon its investment in education, and slash programs benefiting working families.

Squandering the federal stimulus by insisting on cuts rejects the purpose and potential that New York's congressional delegation worked so diligently to achieve.

Perhaps calling for retreat and retrenchment make for a good sound bite, but New York's working families know that recovery and reinvestment sound right and are right for all New Yorkers.