The dream of Eugene Debs and the rest of the old union warriors fighting for unions are back. The working people have awoken to the Have Nots and Have Littles and are willing to take on the big boys and win by just staying together and using the existing labor laws to their benefit, knowing the old union organizers bleed in their fight to achieve these protections.
Six Starbucks stores in New York signed cards to unionize in the last two days and employees at the Amazon warehouse in Staten Island, New York put the first crack in giant’s shield by becoming the first warehouse to unionize.
The working people, which some call the working poor, have seen that they can win and who does not want to be on the winning team?
All unions need to be supporting each other for a win for one union is a win for all unions. This opportunity results in a life time of changes for the Have Nots and Have Littles. It did for me.
Our union leaders at the AFL/CIO should not lose this momentum that we have at this time. Let’s take another shot at Walmart and all the other big nonunion businesses. Remember, when the snow ball begins to roll down hill, it gathers snow with it and gets bigger and bigger and faster as it rolls. If the push to unionize stops, it momentum will melt like the snow ball, and we can’t have that. It will be too hard to get it going again.
Unions cannot sit on a victory, it has to keep rolling. Remember, the greatest fear that the big corporations have is a class war. They know the people have the true power in their numbers and can destroy their pampered way of life.
What do we need and want? Healthcare with no out of pocket expenses, good pensions to live on, a good living wage beginning at a minimum of $24 an hour and free education to at least a bachelor’s degree because the more educated our workers, the better the work results. When people criticize the $24 an hour, ask them why the people who do the work shouldn’t be able to afford nice things, when the employees' supervisors or owners of the business can afford whatever they want? The “ants" are doing the heavy lifting and should be compensated as such.
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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