Union Perspectives

Are retired union workers living under a rock? I have often wondered why union retirees, with a union pension, move to Shasta County and become a GOP nut job and vote for people who oppose unions and the working class. These same people collect all sorts of government sponsored programs, such as Medicare, social security and possibly veteran services. Do they just want to belong? Are they conformists? Are they ashamed to have their GOP neighbors know they are Democrats or retired union workers? Or are they coldhearted, bloodsucking gnats who got theirs so to hell with everyone else? I just don’t understand. I, for one, am proud of my union pension, my medical coverage, and my social security. I worked very hard for all three and I will fight hard to keep them. If other retired union members, social security and Medicare recipients don’t think the GOP are trying to take these benefits away, you’ve had to have been living under a rock. I think all of us with these union and governm...

We must be on guard against the GOP and corporate backers of the plutocracy way of government. Plutocracy is the governing by the ultra rich and corporations. For they have a very effective strategy for how to divide and conquer, as defined in the book “Art of War.” One way they are accomplishing this is to put Obama and the Democrats in a position where they will have to do something that will anger our base. Another way, for whatever reason, is to attack unions and the working class by going after our rights. Case in point, is when California Governor Jerry Brown, a Democrat, veto the card check (Employment Free Choice Act) for the farm workers. The Democratic party at the local, state and federal levels have not done one thing for the unions or the working class for a long time. In order for unions or workers to hit the street in support of the Democratic party and donate money we will need to have something to show that the Democrats are supporting us. Without our support the r...

I was representing the 5 County Labor Council at a Work Force Development meeting recently in San Jose. The meeting was held in a union-organized Hilton hotel and there were hundreds of union people from all over the United States. I was shocked to learn the supposed Democratic mayor of San Jose was pushing a measure to gut workers right. I was waiting for the conference organizers to make a plan for us to hit the streets in outrage; or at least go to city hall. We did nothing that I know of. I also wondered if when the San Jose people voted for Chuck Reed for mayor did they know he would throw them under the bus. Again, when politicians have no respect for us, they will do whatever they want. I remember hearing a mob boss say in an interview that he couldn’t allow anyone to disrespect him because if they did he would lose power. Ladies and gentlemen, this is what has happened to us, we’ve allowed people/corporations to disrespect us. We have lost the power to negotiate, and with no ...

Plutocracy is a form of government that is ruled by the very rich and the corporations. Those with money have the power. They can finance the election of politicians they want in office and the president they want, who in turn can appoint the judges from the federal level all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Once the rich and corporations get this in place, then we have a plutocracy. How close are we, the United States, now? Once plutocracy is in place, how can we change this back to a true democracy? When the tea party followers say they want to take their government back, just who do they want to take the country back from? For the courts and the GOP are running our government as a plutocracy and our democracy government is becoming less and less. The state governments are being bought and paid for by the Koch brothers, Carl Rove’s group and the chamber of commerce’s money from China and who knows what other countries. All of these entities buy our elections. Other local money ...

We, workers and average citizens, receive no respect from corporations. Lack of respect leads to low morale, desperation and fear. When we are in a class war, as we are now, we receive no respect and corporations bully employees. When employees complain about losing workers’ rights, health care, pensions and jobs eliminated when workers attempt unionizing; however, nothing is done because the corporations don’t care about their workers. Corporations have unlimited funding and court power, the workers are at the corporations’ mercy. No matter how many people we put in the streets, we’ll still get no respect. It will just cost our treasury and wear out our people. In European countries, such as England and France, they, the workers, can just shut down the countries and the workers receive respect. We, in the U.S., would find this hard to do because our country is so large and spread out. There is a way to get respect, a little at a time, such as shutting down the transportation of a...

If we depend on courts and lawyers we will lose the battle on union rights. Wisconsin Supreme Court recently handed Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker a sledgehammer to further destroy union rights. I was told a long time ago by a union organizer that when we left the streets and picket lines and turned over our fight to the lawyers and court system is when we started to losing the battle against the GOP. Long strikes won’t work nowadays for most working families because they do not have the resources to withstand a long battle and the unions don’t have the resources to back our people. What will work is timing our moves like hit and run, old gorilla tactics. One or two days at a time pick targets where we can get the most support, most media and be able to drive our point home on what we want. Timing, planning, good communication and being well-organized is done through people all supporting each other. Even if it does not at the time affect you, but if we work together, we will bui...

Just not in the U.S.A. Big box stores are told by governments that if they want to operate in their countries the stores have to allow unions to exists or form in their stores. For example, Wal*Mart had to allow its stores in South Africa, China, Brazil, Argentina, and even the England to form unions --- everywhere it seems except in the United States. Why is Wal*Mart spending millions of dollars fighting pro-union legislation, when it could be spending that money on its American workers. Why are other countries taking care of their workers, but our country isn’t? What the hell? It looks like these governments are helping their people. Are their workers more appreciated than our people? Like I’ve said before, the corporations can ship our jobs out of country, but they will then ship their goods back to this country to sell. This is when we need to organize. This is our opportunity to organize the big box stores. Our government could help us by passing the Employee Free Choice Act (...