Union Perspectives

Jobs: what happened and how we changed. Our work history used to entail jobs that worked from sun up to sun down, seven days a week and no work safety measures. From here we went to six days a week and 12 hours a day and then down to five days week and an eight hour work day. Included in the workforce were children before the child labor laws were implemented, which opened up jobs for more adults. Most all of these changes were the result of technology and globalization, which we've always had and labor just keeps evolving to survive, and the changes were most always driven by the wage slaves. Here we are with huge inequality in lifestyle and wages, which stayed the same or has shrunk during the last 30 years. So, why not use some of the things that worked in the past? Like going to six hour work days, four days a week, which would open more jobs for workers, and taxes on corporations, and the 1 percent, who are hoarding the cash, must be raised. Government must get involved for ...

We are adding thousands to the rolls of “pauperdom,” by the greedy, which should inspire labor unrest and all manners of social upheaval. Of the two—broken cities and low-wage jobs due to manufacturing being sent overseas—the only thing happening so far is the social upheaval being perpetuated by law enforcement killing black men, and labor is reacting very timid at this point. We must get people working again at living wages because unrest always follows loss of jobs, which increases inequality and lifestyle changes. When this happens, wage slaves or used to be wage slaves will do desperate things, and rather than look to the root of the problem the blame is laid at the feet of the people at the bottom of the economic ladder. In order to fix the wrongs we must follow the dots backward all the way to the money people: the oligarchies, bankers, Wall Street, and hedge funders. These greedy law breakers started the economic downfall with total disregard for the workers and their families....

Will labor ever have modern day leaders like William D. Haywood, Eugene Debs, Mother Jones, Daniel De Leon, Father Thomas J. Hagerty, Frank Little, Gurley Flynn or Joe Hill? Some of these people were members of the International Workers of the World also known as “Wobblies.” Some were also called “soapboxers” because they were the people who fought for freedom of speech and won the right to stand on a street corner and just talk about whatever they wanted. Most of these people were the voices of labor and talking about all workers in all industries the world over. So, today we should be using these hard earned rights to point out that the rich are getting richer and refusing to understand or respond to the growing disaster that they are creating. Today’s low-wage workers working full time earn a combined$14 billion while Wall Street took in $28.5 billion in just bonuses. We must take a page from history and look at the Gilded Ages of the oligarchies, which was turned around by the wag...

Where are the thousands of low-wage workers? Why are they not in the streets? This is the time—it’s spring and the weather is nice for the offense of the Have Nots or the Have Very Littles. It is hard to justify not coming together here in the USA when we have the right to do so especially when we see Vietnamese Nike and Adidas shoe workers in Ho Chi Minh City fighting for their social gains for wages and pensions. The Vietnamese workers organized 80,000 workers at the Pou Yuen Vietnam shoe factory. Why can’t we in the Free World put together that kind of number? This shoe factory is a subsidy of a Taiwan-based Pou Chen group, which employs more than 400,000 wage slaves in the countries like China, Vietnam and Indonesia. Last year 45,000 workers at its Yue Yuen Factory in Dongguan in southern China fought and won in 11 days for contributing that was owed to them. There were 300 strikes in Vietnam in 2014. These are communist countries and the workers seem to be kicking ass and holding...

To build our trade unions up we must get more jobs, which means more hours and then we can expand our unions by encouraging non-union shops to join unions and creating jobs for new apprentices. We have a process to do this and one way is the Project Labor Agreements and tools that are helping with this are the prevailing wage laws, which must be supported by certifying pay rolls. The other is ensuring that responsible contract language (RCL) is written into an agency’s bylaws. RCL means a government entity does not have to accept the lowest bid for work done. This takes people, time and knowledge of labor laws and politics. Prevailing wage jobs just about put us on an even ground with non-union contracts, and if we can take the government jobs from non-union shops this will weaken them in private bidding for their workers depend on the highest prevailing wages. If we keep them from getting these wages this opens the door to organizing non-union shops or taking their workers as new me...

Can labor mobilize our union families like they did in the 1920s, ‘30s ‘40s and ‘50s? If this could be done our union labor activists could be three to four times in numbers larger than the one person paying dues. If labor could mobilize our retired members there would be thousands more activists who could be recruiting or promoting unions and the fight against wage inequality of the non-union low wage slaves. Families and retirees are a valuable resource not being utilized by the unions. For example, my wife was shopping in a large retail store and, in retaliation for raising the minimum wage in California; the store had only a few checkout lanes open. The excuse was that the store “had” to lay-off employees due to the increase. As customers became irritated and began to voice their dissatisfaction, some began to blame the miniscule wage hike, but my wife spoke up, informing people that had wages kept up with inflation, minimum wage would be much higher than $9 or $10 and asked the pe...

The fight for $15 to $18 and the inequality has caught the corporations by surprised. The corporate heads had control of their people for so long with low wages and their in-house anti-union propaganda that the corporations underestimated the wage slaves’ resolve to climb out of poverty and demand their civil rights for a good livable wage, healthcare and a pension. With public opinion supporting the workers and public opinion against fast food and box stores corporations, the corporate heads are starting to throw crumbs to the workers trying to lead the workers into complacency, but it is not working as workers are seeing through these sad tactics. Understand that the only reason for the crumbs is the bad press the corporations are getting and that is having a direct impact on their profits. This is another example of the power of networking on social media. There is no reason for wage slaves to slow down their protests or their fight. When the enemy is in retreat and the workers are ...

The slow walking of the $15 to $18 an hour minimum wage and the free state college up to the bachelor’s level (as what Starbucks wants its new hires to have), but at least corporations in the U.S. is walking very slowly, which just goes to show that it is possible to win higher wages and free higher education. But we need to accelerate the pace before the money people turn public opinion against the movement by giving inch by inch until they see that the momentum is turning toward them. So when we get a little relief in wages the wage slaves should not think of it as a win, but look at it as a stalling tactic to slow down the fight for $15 to $18. Remember anything less than $15 is a loser for most low wage stand along workers for $8 through $12, probably will reduce or disqualify you from any kind of government assistance, such as food stamps or healthcare. The minimum to help in the inequality has to be at least $15 to $18. Now, for college tuition, look at where the ever increasin...

The inequality of wage slaves around the world should know that this blog has been read by people from 90 different countries. You are not alone in your struggles, our brother and sisters are fighting in their countries right now, like the coal miners in the region of Baluchistan, Pakistan; adjunct instructors in U.S. colleges; workers in Ireland, railroad workers in Canada; railroad workers in the U.S.; Ukraine workers trying to defend their jobs and wages; Kurdish women fighters fighting for a better life, for example young women Cicek Derek, 17 years, and Torin Khairegi, 20 years, gave their lives for this fight; garment workers are still fighting in Bangladesh; and workers in the UK still fighting for their rights. The dream of the old International Workers of the World is becoming real and if the dots are ever connected together, the workers of the world will be victors. The corporations of the world are making it easier by moving from one country to another which is bringing wor...

The fight for $15 is not just a fight for money or even the equality of life. In all wars there are scrimmages and in these scrimmages is where momentum is won, which usually puts the opponent on the defense and is hard to overcome. The fight for $15 is now worldwide and gaining ground. Labor is on the move and with each win they are and will get stronger. Also, labor is winning strikes across the U.S. and the world. But we are fighting an uphill battle with a long road to go and labor needs all wage slaves and unions to stand together just like all those hard hat union construction workers did for the fast food workers not too long ago. We need to understand that the fight against labor started long ago, and also who we are up against. The “Art of War” says that you must know yourself (your history) and your enemy to have a chance for victory. Labor’s enemies are the Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers and the Koch brothers’ American Legislative Exchange Co...

April 15 is the big one! This rally will be worldwide for the fight for $15 an hour minimum wage. This fight is for not only fast food workers, but for all low-wage workers, such as adjunct professors at colleges, who are now part-time and non-tenured with no pensions, home healthcare workers, airport workers, childcare workers, Walmart-Target-Kmart-Home Depot, workers, car wash workers, auto lube workers and the list goes on. Corporations have decimated the pay of workers by demeaning the jobs as only unskilled or uneducated or student work jobs as if that had anything to do with the work being done. There will be actions on 170 college campuses, as well as cities around the U.S. and abroad. There will be around 2,000 groups, including Jobs with Justice and the Center for Popular Democracy will show their support, as well. This will be the largest mobilization America has ever seen in decades. This push is being headed and supported by the Service Employees International Union. This ...

In the1920s, the corporations representing capital (money) mobilized for war of the extermination on all labor organizations in the United States, and they never stopped. They have just changed tactics and leaders overtime. Today, the one who is leading this charge is back by the Koch brothers is Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, who recently signed the right to work legislation into law. This means workers in a union do not have to pay union dues, but still get the same union benefits as dues paying workers. How the hell does this work? When they take away union funds it is like tying one hand behind your back, and then trying to fight a two-handed bully. The anti-union money people have never given up on breaking unions or breaking up the New Deal. The other tactic union busters use is the old divide and conquer—pitting working people against working people so they will tear down their neighbors, who are lucky enough to have union jobs—and this seems to be working. Labor was warned ...