Union Perspectives

In his April 2, 1925 speech, Eugene V. Debs said, “The capitalist politician tells you how intelligent you are to keep you ignorant. I tell you how ignorant you are to make you desire to be intelligent.” The kernel of this speech offered a telling measure of foresight by Eugene Debs: “This world respects as it is compelled to respect,” Debs declared. “Develop your own capacity for clear thinking. Unorganized, you are helpless, you are held in contempt. Power comes through unity.Organization or stagnation, which will you take? The labor movement must either go forward or backward.” At this time, the unions are in the fight of their lives and must pick a side or just go in on their own, and spend their money on local and state elections--this is where they can do the most with their money. It is easier to elect people who will support Project Labor Agreements on job sites, which are prevailing wage jobs based on union wages for each trade; and also be able to keep the elected official...

The Bernie Sanders supporters must be ready for the long-haul fight. Just electing Bernie is just the start, the beginning of the revolution. A true revolution carries the mission until complete change is carried out and taken hold, which means we will have to elect a true Democratic Congress and Senate. Not only do we need to rid the Congress and the Senate of Republican politicians, but also Blue Dog, centrist, and corporate-beholden Democrats, if we want to see the change needed. When we clean house, then we can see real change with free education. Norway, Sweden, Finland, France, Germany, Slovenia, Chile and Brazil all have free college education and the main reason is that their governments aren’t controlled by corporations and the stock market. When your politicians aren’t beholden to corporations, it’s amazing what can be accomplished. Those who say increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour would cost jobs; you have to ask why would these people say such a thing. When you pull...