Union Perspectives

This is the year of labor. We have had some very good wins, but now the work begins for the big fight in 2028 when a lot of the contracts expire at midnight on May Day, May 30. On this day we, labor people, could pull off a nationwide strike to get a four-day work week with full pay, healthcare with no out of pocket costs, better pensions and a universal basic income for those who fall through the cracks. This can be paid for by the mega millionaires and billionaires. These money hoarders need to pony up and pay their fair share instead of getting on their ponies and riding off to one of their tax havens. To counter the rich, we must elect labor-friendly people from the bottom up who will tax the greedy, instead of taking their “political contributions.” Volkswagen recently had a union vote. The final tally was 2,628 in favor of a union, 985 against. What the hell is wrong with these 985 workers? This is where organizers could begin their unionizing by educating workers on labor histor

The source of all wealth is labor and if our labor leaders use our labor the right way we can make large wins, like a four-day work week with full pay and all the benefits; and a UBI for those who fall through the cracks. This is the way we rebuild the country and the democracy and the working class, which will be a good middle class. We need to look at what is most important for the 99 percent, and pay attention to what we can do. Yes, there are other important things that we need to keep fighting for, such as climate change, the U.S. Supreme Court and cases before this corporate-owned majority, such as labor rights, voting rights, and women’s right to choose. To change this we must elect a president who will appoint law abiding people to the courts. Most of these concerns are long-range goals that we must continue to work on. For now, let’s work on what we can do to educate and encourage all labor people to vote for their own and their family’s best interests, and our unions. We must

Is Senator Bernie Sanders the person to lead labor in politics? What would happen if Senator Bernie Sanders and Shawn Fain, president of the United Automobile Workers, joined forces? Could Bernie, with labors help, get the working people a four-day work week with full pay, healthcare with no out of pocket costs, childcare and free education and a universal basic income for those who fall between the cracks? Before you say or think this is wishful thinking, go back and look at what we used to have before Republicans started chipping away at benefits so that corporations wouldn’t have to suffer a loss in profits. If that’s not enough look at other countries that take care of their people and corporations still make profits, just not obscene profits. Labor needs a person who can carry the torch in government for the union workers and in trade unions need to support the torch bearer, Bernie Sanders, and the people he supports to get the votes needed to get the laws that support the workin

Labor must always be on the offense so we must never rest. There should never be time that we are not organizing for new members and shops. This is a 24-7, 365-day a year job that unions must commit to in order to beat the destructive nonunion GOP corporations wishing to destroy the union way of life. Every town with a labor counsel should be the headquarters for organizing for all unions at one time. We started a program called Labor Cities. Maybe we should look at that program again. Unions need to work on a ‘work-life’ balance, like a four-day work week with full pay. Workers need to stop and think about how they are selling their time one hour at a time and time is the greatest resource that we have in our lives and on this earth. Corporations want to exploit this resource as cheaply as they can get without regard to the hardships on the workers. Corporations are not your friends. Remember the billionaire class. They have a different set of rules for themselves and expect everybody

The working people and unions need to be thinking big and way ahead to keep up with the working conditions, which continue to change with the advancement of automation and artificial intelligence, which is going to put people out of work. A.I. is an inevitable by product of progress and unions have t be prepared for the changes that come with it. These workers are not going away. They will still need shelter, food, and healthcare. They are the spenders who buys the goods and products that the corporations market. So, one way to keep the money flowing is a universal basic income. This way, people can work for less if their union negotiate a good contract. Then there is the possibility of a four-day work week, which will be a big change in the work environment. There are some good things which can come from the four-day work week. Our unions are the ones that should be upfront and at the table to get the best deal for their union workers. The corporations will be looking out for their

It’s time for labor to go for something very big in the U.S., which always seems to lag behind other countries when it comes to workers. Labor is on a very big winning streak and it’s just like the snowball rolling down a hill. The farther it rolls down the hill the bigger and more powerful it becomes. But if it stops, it will just melt away. The union snowball today is still rolling and getting bigger so let’s go for the four-day work week. The four-day work week gives workers more time with their families, enabling them to do more together, which could, conceivably, improve marriages and reduce juvenile delinquency rates. This work week could be a huge lift to the lifestyle of all workers and their families and the social infrastructure of their communities. There are so many unrecognized benefits to a schedule like this. Benefits and pay would remain the same as a five-day work week. The workers would have more time to participate in their children’s activities, volunteer to be a f