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Divide and Conquer

Labor has few places where we can call attention to the needs of the workers. One of the places that unions do have control is the Longshoremen; they control the docks, the shipping out and the goods coming in from China or wherever. This is a very important high ground for labor for when being attacked, you want the high ground (Art of War). Is this why there is now dissension on the docks of Longview, WA.

As I understand it, a new company took over the dock and brought in another so-called union to do the work. The Longshoremen’s union is fighting back very hard, in the tradition of the Wobblies, to keep their work. What and why did this happen? Is this a divide and conquer, antiunion, GOP-corporation-driven strategy?

We do not need this at this time. If it is just union driven, our union leaders need to step in and resolve this conflict. If it is antiunion driven then labor needs to cut them off at their knees. The Wobblies would not have stood by and allowed this to happen. Do not let this be another Wisconsin or Ohio or Michigan or Minnesota, etc.

Wisconsin was the birthplace of public employee unions. Yet those unions were decimated by the corporate-led GOP. Now, the Longshoremen could be under the same attack because the GOP and corporations realize the power the Longshoremen hold in their collective hands. They could conceivably shut down the country with a strike.

This is becoming a do or die situation; recognizing this the Longshoremen used methods of the Wobblies by breaking windows, dumping grain and blocked trains. It is clear workers are losing faith in the court system to be fair and just. Justice is no longer blind when it comes to the working class.

If this becomes a reality, all unions workers must support the Longshoremen in this fight to keep this dock, and the high ground. If this dock goes so goes the rest as we have already seen in other union jobs this year.
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