The Workers of Wisconsin Went for Revenge, Not a Good Strategy

The result was an exhaustion of our troops and the huge loss of our capital and respect. The same results of the Air Traffic Controllers loss. With both of these losses we have embolden the GOP anti-worker bullies, which will now give them ahead start in momentum for the November elections. It’s like giving one runner a 50-yard head start in a 100-yard race and the only way the other runner can win is if the first runner trips and falls down. How are we going to trip up the GOP runner and where are we going to get the troops and money to do battle? I think first we must look at what we have been doing wrong, who do we want to lead us into battle, and what is their strategy to win? There is no doubt that we were suckered into trying to recall Walker, and not sticking to a plan of changing who sits in the Wisconsin state Assembly and Senate. We went for revenge instead of voting out the Republican Assembly and Senate state members. There was some success in the Senate, but labor let their hearts rule their heads. There is no doubt that the GOP has read and believes in the Art of War. It should be mandatory reading for all, especially those engaging in political activities. The unions went into a defensive mode. This will not win many battles for the best defense is a good offense. We seem to have forgotten this strategy. If we do use this strategy we must pick our battles and do everything to win. At this point in time, losing is not an option. We now cannot even depend on our own union members to support our fights. The nonunion workers loot at us with disdain and envy for our benefits. Why don’t union workers drop out of all labor contracts, which only tie our hands? We could start all over by organizing workers, who are not spoiled by what was given to them by the sacrifices of our pioneer union fighters, and just start at the beginning in the streets and work our way back with true working union workers, who are loyal and believe in solidarity. The way it is now is like the workers are standing in quick sand. If we start by not renewing contracts, the money people will start to worry about the stability of their work force and they will have no choice but to negotiate with us in an honest fashion. At this time, I don’t think this will work with union construction workers because their unions are run differently. Their unions have their own pensions, which they manage and the union members are hired out of the union halls. What they do need to do is organize and tell more about the benefits of their workers and their apprenticeship training programs. Today’s most union workers do not understand or know how or why they receive the benefits they do. Unions have failed to educate their workers and the public at large so when the GOP needed a scapegoat they used the union workers and all those ignorant, Fox-watching voters took the bait and the unions weren’t prepared.