Union Perspectives

How will the GOP try to stop the new teachers’ movement? The recent strikes are emboldening other states and city workers. Arizona teachers just voted to strike statewide, they were emboldened by Virginia, Oklahoma and Kentucky teachers. When considering going out on strike, organizations must have a plan, research their history and that of their opponent. In 1934, anti-union forces used Roy Zachary, a goon, who was the leader of the Silver Shirts, the U.S.’ equivalent to the German Brown Shirts, to try and break Minneapolis Teamster Rebellion, as portrayed in a book of the same name by Farrell Dobbs and a participant in the rebellion. The lessons learned from the Teamster Rebellion are as important today as they were then. The lessons included the “importance of rank-and-file control of the struggle, the benefits of socialist influence in the labor movement, and the necessity of militantly opposing the bosses--and, if need be, the government--in order to win.” The strike started...

The time is right for unions to organize and rebuild unions that will take the fight to the GOP anti-union/anti-worker machines. We should just look at how the West Virginia teachers won their fight for a wage increase. The teachers were organized, they planned every detail of their walkout in advanced to ensure the success of the walkout. The organizers worked with students’ parents and local businesses to ensure the walkout would not harm those in need. Daycare centers and meals were organized in advanced so the students who were dependent on the school lunches would not go without. This walkout was not just a single school, but the entire state. Had the organizer organized one school, the board of trustees would have beat the school employees back, but organizing the entire state, the sheer number of employees standing together against a single state entity, allowed the employees to win. If union workers follow the example of the West Virginia workers’ wildcat strike or what the o...

In all wars the one thing that always happens is the dehumanizing of the opponent—usually one side will lie and make up names and other propaganda to make the enemy look bad and the other side to look good, and usually each side is on the side of some god. The opponents will just throw crap on the walls to see what sticks or resonate and this type of war tactics has a long history. It is done because most humans have some compassion for each other, but in order to get the opponents to fight or even kill each other, the enemy must be seen as not worthy of living. Usually, this is done to the people lowest on the economic ladder and can be by race, religion or location. There were times in this country when the Irish, Chinese, Indians (both American and East), Italians, blacks, Philippines, or Japanese, were looked upon with disdain. Then there were the religious hate toward Jews, Catholics, Mormons, Muslims and Seventh-day Adventists. Then there is where people live, Ukraine comes to mi...