Labor needs a worldwide movement and now is the time for the world’s labor and the proletarians are ready. Labor needs to be unified, such as Germany, South Africa and Brazil. The U.S. unions need to have a better unified political agenda. The U.S.at this time is ranked at the bottom in workers’ rights by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).
We rank four out of five in ITUC’s categories, and the ones who are five have no rule of law, like Somalia and Ukraine. The fours also include countries like Iraq, Peru, and Mexico. This should be a reality check for the U.S. unions. This was started when the AFL and the CIO merged in 1955 and never could agree on a common strategy for the common good of labor, but maybe labor is starting to wake up to the reality that labor needs to bring everyone into its fold.
A good start is the $15 to $18 an hour minimum wage, which will probably be won by the people using Sycthanian tactics with significant structural reform in American politics and economic justice and the opportunity equality, such as free education, health care, and pensions.
World labor is winning, like the Turkish auto workers who are working at the Oyak-Renault factory in Bursa. They are kicking ass. They just won better wages, better working conditions and the right to choose a union. Also, last month the workers at Turk Metal won a 60 percent wage hike at Bosch Fren parts makers.
I hope that I am wrong, but what I see at this time is our unions are going to be in the fight of their existence. This is the most perilous time of our life. The life we had is threatened like never before. Unions are the largest organized group of people who can save our country if things keep going the way they are heading at this time. We need to all stand together for power, but we each must prepare and plan to take care of ourselves and our families. We can fight the big fight and not be distracted by worry about things that can and should already be taken care of. For instance, stashing at least one month’s pay and at least a month or even a year’s worth of food, whether the food is staples (pasta, rice, canned goods) and meat or chicken in the freezer. Keep your vehicles' tanks full and if possible a gas can full. It’s in your best interest to also save money for house or rent payments plus extra. This is not new thinking for us old trade workers who had to prepare when...
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