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| Anchorage, Alaska, Mayor Dan Sullivan said at a May Chamber of Commerce forum that paying union dues is “slavery.” Photo used under a Creative Commons license from Flickr userU.S. Army Alaska (USARAK). |
Anchorage, Alaska, Mayor Dan Sullivan said at a May Chamber of Commerce forum that paying union dues is “slavery.”Photo used under a Creative Commons license from Flickr userU.S. Army Alaska (USARAK).
But Anchorage, Alaska, Mayor Dan Sullivan took worker-bashing to a new low with his comments at a May forum sponsored by the city’s Chamber of Commerce.
Sullivan, who is running for lieutenant governor, was asked for his opinion on so-called right-to-work legislation – which he supports.
His response? Union dues are “slavery.”
Speaking after the event with reporters, Sullivan elaborated on his point saying that the act of paying for union representation is a form of “economic slavery.”
The NAACP publically called for Sullivan to apologize two days later, saying that that comparing centuries of slavery in the U.S. to current political topics “diminishes how horrible and tragic” slavery was for African Americans.
Initially, Sullivan doubled down. The same day as the NAACP request, Sullivan said at a press conference:
He backpedaled later that day, issuing a press release that stated, “I apologize if the use of the word offended anyone.”
Sullivan has earned a reputation as being unfriendly to working families in Anchorage. As mayor since 2009, he has sought to diminish wages and union rights for municipal workers in Alaska’s largest city.
Despite Sullivan’s assertions, unions remain one of the most effective institutions to help lift wages and offer benefits to people of color across the U.S. According to research compiled by the SEIU:
Unionized women of color earn almost 35 percent more than nonunion women of color.
Unionization raises Latino workers’ wages by $2.60 per hour, making them 26 percent more likely to have employer-paid health insurance and 27 percent more likely to have a pension.
Unionization raises African American workers’ wages by about $2.00 per hour – more than 11.2 percent.
