This resolution was present by the GCDP Policy Committee at the 2018 Winter County Convention and passed by the members present.
RESOLUTION TO THRIVE, NOT JUST SURVIVE
WHEREAS, from 1980 to 2014, the pretax income received by the American Middle-Class has stagnated or declined while costs have grown out of control for necessities like energy, healthcare, or education;
AND WHEREAS, many Americans have watched as their health insurance premiums, deductibles, and co-pays have ballooned while their retirement benefits have shrunk;
AND WHEREAS, the income of the wealthiest Americans grew by 636% from 1980 to 2014 with the top 1% earning on average 81 times more than the bottom 50%;
AND WHEREAS, American workers are responsible for the creation of that wealth, but have seen little of it in compensation for their hard work and dedication;
AND WHEREAS, the Republican Party believes that the strength of the economy should be measured by the number of jobs created or the amount of corporate welfare provided to businesses as opposed to being measured by whether the average American is actually better off;
AND WHEREAS, while the unemployment rate has continued to decline since January 2010, wages and benefits continue to stagnate or shrink for Working and Middle-Class Americans;
AND WHEREAS, in that same span of time, the Republican Party, both nationally and locally, has and continues to engage in a concerted effort with anti-labor interest groups to undermine the rights of American workers to form and join labor unions and to collectively bargain with their employers;
AND WHEREAS, workers who are unionized receive on average 13.6% more in wages, are 28.2% more likely to receive employer-provided health insurance benefits, and are 53.9% more likely to earn employer-provided pension benefits;
AND WHEREAS, the number of American workers represented by unions has declined from 26.7% in 1973 to just 13.1% in 2011;
AND WHEREAS, companies have turned our cities against one another to compete for jobs and economic development leading cities on a race to the bottom with each struggling to provide the largest tax subsidy;
AND WHEREAS, even though these companies receive enormous subsidies to bring good paying jobs to the area, these companies then pay their employees substandard wages and benefits and engage in abusive employment practices, such as union busting;
AND WHEREAS, it is incredibly difficult to raise a family on these substandard wages and benefits with many Americans forced to live paycheck to paycheck such as Americans no longer needing just one job, but being forced to take at least two just to make ends meet with the majority of Americans just one emergency away from financial ruin;
AND WHEREAS, instead of doing something about the widening income inequality in our country, the Republican Party has passed a tax bill that provides massive tax breaks to corporations and the wealthiest few while at the same time attempting to push millions of low-income Americans off of health insurance;
AND WHEREAS, Governor Snyder signed into law and implemented the Michigan Business Development Program that provides corporate welfare to companies who promise to create good paying jobs in the State of Michigan;
AND WHEREAS, Michigan, under Republican leadership, has relaxed these obligations over time and has failed to hold these companies to their promise squandering taxpayer dollars;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Genesee County Democratic Party goes on the record to reaffirm its dedication to the rights of American workers and expects that our lawmakers redouble their efforts to bring not just any jobs, but good jobs to the State of Michigan that pay a living wage and provide Michigan workers with benefits and a path to retirement;
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Genesee County Democratic Party expects that lawmakers will support proven strategies for economic development, such as investing in public infrastructure and education, including K-12, higher education, and vocational training—to prepare the Michigan workforce for an emerging blue and green economy.
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Genesee County Democratic Party expects that both federal and state legislators enforce the promises made by companies who receive taxpayer dollars, including their pledges to create good paying jobs;
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Genesee County Democratic Party will ask the Michigan Democratic Party to adopt a similar resolution;
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Genesee County Democratic Party will ask local units of government in Genesee County to adopt a similar resolution;
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Genesee County Democratic Party will ask its federal and state legislative delegation to sponsor a similar resolution; and
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Genesee County Democratic Party will ask other County Democratic Parties to adopt a similar resolution.
