It is hard to believe that labor is now in a fight for the right to strike. The people who will fight labor over the right to strike are the local law enforcement, and they will be trained at the new “Cop City” that is built in Atlanta, Georgia, that the labor busting people want built.
Chief among them is the Home Depot Foundation that is helping to fund the Atlanta Police Foundation’s Cop City; but a private entity fiercely opposes the plan to build the $90 million training center in the South River in the Weelaunee Forest.
Cop City will have a shooting range, driving course, a mock city to train law enforcement from across the country. Part of the training center will involve urban warfare, which could be used against people excising their right to protest and labor strikes, which could be reminiscent of the Matewan Massacre.
One of the leaders against Cop City is Vincent Quiles, who had worked at Home Depot and tried to unionize the workers before being fired. Home Depot used a vicious union busting campaign to beat the unionizing attempt. Quiles researched Home Depot’s tax returns and discovered it was supporting Cop City and after researching what the project was, began a protest campaign against the project. He has a case before the National Labor Relations Board regarding his firing.
Unions should get behind the fight against Cop City, which could very well be used against union labors. Remember cops are the first line of defense for business owners. Law enforcement was not created to protect and serve everyone or to stop crime by the Have Nots and working class, they were created to protect and serve the wealthy and capitalism ignoring the ancient Turkish proverb says, “A hungry man is an angry man.”
Police were established by the wealthy to impose order on the working class. They were especially needed during the turmoils that seemed to occur when workers became fed up: 1867, 1877, 1886, and 1894, and cops violently attacked the workers who only wanted better working conditions, better pay, better hours—same thing people are wanting today.
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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