The Time Is Now, Mr. President

It’s time for payback. Now is the time for President Obama to repay the wage slaves for the money and support given to him when he ran for election and re-election. All the unions were asking was just the tools to work with, such as card check. For the federal contract workers at the U.S. Capital and other high profile locations in Washington, like the parks, museum and zoo workers, have the right to fight for collective bargaining rights and to obtain higher wages. President Obama should use his executive power for a higher minimum wage than $10.10 an hour, more like $15 to $18 an hour. Also, the President should change the classification of Federal employees who fight wildland fire to wildland firefighters with the pay that is fitting, such as California Department of Forestry firefighters receive. Then the President should make good on his promise to the people who have come here for work or a better, safer life, and quit deporting them and splitting up their families. These people are a – or could be – be an asset instead of a hindrance. This is also a good time to put forth all he can do to slow climate warming, veto the Keystone XL pipeline. Most of these actions would be felt worldwide and not just here in the U.S. If the people are given tools they will fight for themselves and their families, like the sit-in at Walmart in Los Angeles, which is an old tactic done in the auto industry in the 1930s. It will be interesting to see how the sit-in works today and what we can learn from the experience to make it better. Also, workers are planning a protest nationwide against Walmart on Black Friday, but workers could use a little help from our President and soon before the right wing takes over in January. If not there will be street battles just like in the 1930s and before the National Labor Relations Board members are now just empty suits and the laws have so many loopholes that they do more harm than good for the average worker. The reason we need card check again is because the right wing and GOP are on the march against workers worldwide from Bangladesh to Turkey to Africa to South America to Canada. It is a class war: the proletarians versus the oligarchies. Let’s hope President Obama can give the people some help in his last two years in office. Remember, all is fair in love and war, and the people are not getting much love from the anti-union people. The President has nothing to lose and everything to gain. He could go down in history as the Franklin D. Roosevelt of our time—not a bad legacy.