Comments on: Wal-Mart Lover George McGovern Throws Unions Under the Bus For His Lobbyist Friend, Rick Berman

By: Blue

Blue — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 17:52:57 +0000

Hmmm -I’m of two minds on this … I don’t particularly like the union model (very disparate outcomes) but, admittedly, at its inception and throughout times in our labor history it’s been a necessary evil. I would much prefer a revamp of the US Dept of Labor as well as labor laws that represent the interests of, you know … labor rather than the corporate overlords.

By: dmac

dmac — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 02:41:42 +0000

i was active in cwa in the 80’s…union steward and one of four union members on the company/union safety committee. and an intervention counselor.

the negatives-just off of the top of my head-

people hate paying union dues, figure they come in , do their job, why do they have to pay them? when a lot of the money goes to the national.

they hate workers being protected who shouldn’t even have a job there.

they hate that the union can’t ‘make’ management do something/changes, but management can make workers do something/changes.

a lot of what a union does isn’t seen by the workers. daily and yearly negotiations for issues-heath care coverage , safe environment, job security, treatment in the workplace-by management and co-workers.

in the 80’s there started to be a surge in union membership, they started a ‘grassroots approach to organizing’–the phrase ‘grassroots’ was coined by an organizer in kentucky who started it.he never got credit for it…..

By: dmac

dmac — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 02:31:58 +0000

i like ratlush

By: Hugh

Hugh — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 02:17:42 +0000

Steel suffered because of lack of investment in newer mills coupled with really cheap labor costs in a bunch of other countries. It is an early example of what has happened to so many manufacturing sectors and jobs in this country. Even so the loss of manufacturing jobs had really accelerated under Bush. There were 17,114,000 manufacturing jobs in the US in January 2001. The initial estimate for July 2008 is 13,501,000, a 21% loss or 3,613,000 in not quite 8 years. By comparison, Clinton actually managed to increase manufacturing jobs slightly ~300,000 in his 8 years.

By: aliasofwestgate

aliasofwestgate — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 02:16:49 +0000

I think the UFCW is doing itself harm. It works for raises for food and retail workers, but only the most piddly of them. When i worked for a grocery under that union, i was lucky i got .15 cent raises. Now as a pharmacy technician (who’s national certification isn’t even honored by her employer) i’m lucky if i get a .30 cent raise every year. That would be fine if i was at the salary cap, but cost of living is far beyond what they pay me right now. The quarter of a dollar raises do nothing when gas has doubled in the last year.

Ironically? I got paid higher wages for being a telemarketer for SBC before it got gobbled up by ATT in 2001. The raises from THAT union on the other than? 1 to 2$, depending on where you were on the pay scale. The Food Service and Retail union is shooting itself in the foot. We get good health benefits(especially at the pharmacy) but our asses are kicked by the cost of living instead. I do mean to tell the new rep or at least make some sort of statement about the lousy raises before we ratify a new contract this fall(if i’m still with the company).

By: greenwarrior

greenwarrior — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 02:14:53 +0000

that’s so poignant. and bittersweet. for a few reasons. those people fought so hard and laid their lives on the line for a living wage. and it’s just all been taken away so brutally.

and…i used to go listen to pete seeger sing waaaay back when.

and…all those men wearing hats, as was the style then, made me miss my father, who had many hats like the ones in the photos.

thanks neurophius.

By: neurophius

neurophius — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 02:14:28 +0000

oops, it’s Phoenix Woman upstairs

sorry, PW

By: neurophius

neurophius — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 02:12:19 +0000

Eureka Springs upstairs

http://firedoglake.com/2008/08.....-tell-you/

By: Hugh

Hugh — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 02:04:15 +0000

I’m sure as a New Yorker you remember that there used to be 7 daily papers in that city? Now, not so much. Turns out the printer’s union pretty much put themselves out of a lot of business.

Nothing the unions did to themselves compares to what was done to them by union busting Republicans and their corporatist masters.

By: ratfood

ratfood — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 02:00:25 +0000

Milk is the only example I can think of where the cream rises to the top. In human enterprises, it tends to be something darker.