All workers in the U.S need to know what the American Legislative Exchange Council (A.L.E.C.) is and what it is up to. This group is funded and put together by the right wing, anti-union people, like the Koch brothers. Its mission is to write legislations so state governments can pass into law.
If that wasn’t even to deal with, this same group of libertarian oligarchs and other greedy rich people have formed a new group called American City County Exchange (ACCE) to write legislation for counties and cities to pass into law. The legislation is written entities that used to be nonpartisan municipal governments. This is to counter the National League of Cities, which is the voice of cities and counties.
Some of the legislation the ACCE is putting out is to end the automatic deduction of union dues from paychecks, which is a precursor to a state becoming a right to work state, and that means the right to work for less.
The ACCE distributes model legislation on everything from taxpayer bill of rights that would require a super majority to raise taxes to measures requiring that cities explore all available materials to build sewer pipelines. This is funded by corporate lobbyists, who work for PVC pipe associations. They also fight against $15 an hour minimum wage. The ACCE could break all city-county fire and law enforcement unions so all workers must now, more than ever, watch their city managers and county chief executive officers, and who gets elected to the city councils and board of supervisors.
Governments closest to the people should be given the most power and if we lose this it will be the death knell for unions. They will use that knell by driving it through the hearts of union workers, which will drive all wages down. So all workers need to know what A.L.E.C. and ACCE means and watch for their legislations to pop up in council and supervisor meetings.
Unions need to educate their people and all labor councils should have a union rep at all city council meetings and board of supervisor meetings. They should have the agendas e-mailed to them so they can study them, looking for A.L.E.C. and ACCE legislation. The reps should report back to the labor councils’ meetings so all are informed.
Also, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which teamed up with A.L.E.C. and ACCE to break unions and dismantle public employee pensions between 2011 and 2012. Twenty-nine states adopted their legislation that cut pension benefits.
Wake up union workers and not for your good and that of your families. A.L.E.C., ACCE, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are looking out for their own interests so it’s up to you to take care of your own interests.
Yes, they are coming for us. Workers need to have one another’s backs because no one else will. Neither the broader labor movement nor the Democratic party are prepared to meet the urgency of this moment. So it’s going to fall upon the rest of us to mount a real resistance against Trump’s authoritarian takeover. We’re going to have to get our hands dirty. I don’t care if you have a good, well-paying union job and you are in the middle class now—if you see a worker being dragged out of his workplace regardless of how skilled the job and potentially taken to another country, you should be ready to be there for that worker. When I.C.E. shows up, gather around and shame them into leaving. It has worked in other places. America is sleep walking into authoritarianism, and if there’s anyone out there who is a member of a labor union that is safe—at this point— and doesn’t think this applies to them. Understand that they just haven’t gotten to you yet. They’re coming for all of us. There are ...
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