Union Perspectives

The fight to survive is going to be unions versus AI. Unions and all working people will need all the help they can get and it can be with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) train, which is kicking ass in the elections so far this year. This is an enormous opportunity for smart unions. Just look at New York City and its unions. Some were slow to see the opportunities available, but then came around to see the changes occurring all around them with the new mayor. It would be nice if America’s unions were able to make a decision to back the candidates who most accurately understand the reality of where the battle between labor and capitalism stands. The other reason is the rising power of the DSA is not going to stop. Unions do not want to start playing footsies with the Fascists. It looks, instead, to be a rising power of the Left and we need to recognize the fact that they can help change the Democratic party for the better and get rid of Democrats in name only otherwise known ...

  Union members at the ballot box to pretend this election cycle is business as usual is to engage in a dangerous form of political malpractice. Not only do we, union members, have to get out and vote, we have to vote smart and elect people who are union supporters. Every vote matters. Then we must show just how much power unions have by getting our members to vote for people who will stand up for our rights and support. More than twenty-eight countries are fighting for four-day work weeks in Europe, North America, Asia, Oceania, South America and Africa.   The United Arab Emirates has the most averaged hours worked a week at 46.5 hours followed by South Africa at 42.5 hours. The U.S. has been 40 hours a week. We have to vote smart, not by political parties, but vote for candidates who support unions and workers. We have to show just how much power we have by getting our members to vote for people who will stand for better working hours at the same pay, fight against right t...

  We need a third Declaration of Independence. In order for that to happen labor the world over must come together to beat back the “Trumpfication” of the world. The way to start the pushback is to participate in a blackout scheduled for August 1 through the 7th. We think we have the people power so let’s test it during the August Blackout. Let’s use some of labor’s $38 billion war chest to promote these types of progressive activities to see if we can pull off the Holy Grail—a worldwide strike on April 1, 2028 and we need to demand a third Declaration of Independence and those of us in the United States as well as other underpaid countries want a good livable wage starting at least at $24 and hour, good pensions, healthcare with no out of pocket costs, a four-day week, the right to vote, the right to form unions, government laws on artificial intelligence, a universal basic income to compensate for the loss of jobs, free schooling to at least a bachelor’s degree or in a trade tr...

We've been through this shit before. On January 10, 1776, Thomas Paine wrote Common Sense, The Rights of Man, a 47-page pamphlet outlining the rights of Americans deserved emancipation from Great Britain. “We, the people, can change the world,” he wrote. Just as the new Americans beat the British Monarchy in 1776, we, today, can and will beat back oligarchies of the world in 2026. This will be done with union people power the world over. It will be the most powerful army of the world, We, union people, will demand a new world for the people, not just for the oligarchies and their families. We will demand healthcare, elder care, child care, free schools for all levels of education, voting rights, right to unionize, good wages, safe working conditions, pensions adequate enough to live on, climate change mitigations, and LGBTQ rights. It will be a government for the people by the people, not the corporations and oligarchies pulling the strings of those who make the decisions. We can e...

A look at union labor and the advent of AI, the good and bad of it on working people. The bad is more people moving to hands on labor from white color, higher educated people who have lost their jobs to AI. So, hands on high school workers will be competing with people with bachelors and masters degree for jobs that will end up being a union problem. But the good news is that labor unions will have highly educated workers who will turn to labor activism and will view the economic inequality and activism is the best way to fight it. But unions must remember that the holy grail of corporations is that AI will replace all workers and this is why unions should be watching for it will happen with a thousand small cuts so unions must make the large corporations pay for the jobs that are taken by AI. The money could go into a unemployment or UBI to keep the U.S. people off the streets. If we don’t have a safety nether the consequences of AI. We will see the people in the streets with pitchf...

The survival of American democracy requires the existence of a flourishing union work force. In a survey, 68 percent of Americans approve of labor unions. So, as an old sheet metal organizer, I say we need to go all out in organizing while the soldering iron is hot, to use a sheet metal workers tool. We should organize all workers no matter where or what kind of work they do. All workers have the right to belong to a union and all should support each other. If you, in your work place, do not know how to form a union, then do what Napoleon’s military adopted adage, ‘Jump into the battle and then figure it out.’ One of the best ways to organize is worker to worker and plan it out over a meal or coffee and talk to other union workers to see what would work best for you and also what unions are winning at this time. Just go for it. When things are in disarray, like the shit show in Washington, D.C., they might not even know what you are doing until it is too late for them to push back aga...