Things are starting to look up for wage slaves. The economy is slowly recovering. Manufacturing is starting to return to the USA. Construction is starting to build again and most of all the workers are starting to understand how to organize themselves for workers’ rights and not just here, but all over the world. Soon there will not be a country where the anti-union companies can threaten workers with moving their factories to and this is evidenced by the companies that are returning to the USA.
So 2013 could be the tipping point for the workers. Hell, we have already won the people’s election of our president, which showed the power of people over moneyed people so what’s to stop us from getting good wages and benefits from the Walmarts of this world.
The fact is there is nothing to stop us except fear, apathy, and ignorance of how it was done before, and what worked and what did not and for this knowledge we can use the secret weapon, which are our labor histories. Everything we need is all written down: the strategies, tactics, wins, and losses. We can look into one of the greatest playbooks of human labor history, and it seems that this is what our wage slaves are doing.
They are using the old IWW playbook where they did not sign contracts, had a loose leadership and the power was in the workers, using the IWW tactics: walk outs, information pickets, over issue, such as safety working conditions, and a living wage. When Walmart goes, all the other low-wage-no-benefit corporations will follow suit, which will mean that wage slaves will have more to spend, which will mean that someone will have to make more products. This will mean the upward cycle begins: more money made, more money spent, more jobs needed to meet the demand. It’s not rocket science, its simple supply and demand. If we can put more disposable income in the hands of our workers, it won’t take long for a new Middle Class to form.
Yes, 2013 is going to be a very good year for our service men and women will also be coming home, and with that we will need more jobs. But what we do need to do is to find strong, new leaders to replace our fallen labor heroes, such as Rose Pesotta, the Reuther brothers, John L. Lewis, Eugene Debs, and all the old IWW leaders and, I think, we will see some soon out of the Walmart and fast food labor fights – we can hope.
Unions’ long game is to get all union contracts to expire on the same day nationwide. The United Auto Workers combines contracts ends on April 28, 2028. This could then result in a mass national strike starting on May Day beeginning that year. This could then put enormous pressure on employers, but also on lawmakers. It’s the muscle and sweat of the workers that keeps this country great, not the individual company or corporations. This May Day strike would be the time to change the workers’ world for the better by negotiating for a 32-hour week with the same pay, and the U.S. adopts a healthcare for all with no out of pocket costs. This would also help the employers as they would no longer have to provide healthcare. By striking, the UAW won same pay for new workers, all UAW contracts will end on the same date, a 25-percent pay increase, a cost of living adjustments, a guaranteed right to strike over potential plant closures, and also the right to vote to unionize through the card che
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