Obama's clear move to bring back labor

[RGacky3]

Anyone who's been following it knows that labor is finally leaving the democrats, lead by the AFL-CIO, many unions are saying they won't contribute to democrats anymore, and they'll make their own PACs to fight for their interests.

Obama has'nt done ANYTHING for organized labor the whole time he was in office, now they turn his back on him and now on labor day it looks like he's making a plea (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/05/obama-labor-day-speech_n_949536.html), the sad thing is that I can imagen someone telling him that labor won't support him and he says "I see, they don't think I'm with them, I know, I'll make a speech," instead of maybe for once standing up for progressive values.

[RGacky3]

Also, anyone notice the guy changes his accent everywhere he goes?

[Jimmie Higgins]

Also, anyone notice the guy changes his accent everywhere he goes?That's pretty normal in the US. Check out video of the 2008 primary where Clinton went to Rust Belt areas or black churches.

IMO labor will bark but not bite once the primaries are over. They'll say, Obama has problems and we will really press him after the election, but we can't afford a President Romney who will pal around with the Tea Partiers and Scott Walker!

I think the Wisconsin protests show that at this time of crisis, the labor leaders will take some action - if only to save their own skin - but will not break from the Democrats or organize the rank and file in a meaningful way. If there was rank and file organizing and militancy independent of the leadership, there would be a social force potentially able to either corner the leadership and expose some of these contradictions in their strategies or push them aside.

[RGacky3]

IMO labor will bark but not bite once the primaries are over. They'll say, Obama has problems and we will really press him after the election, but we can't afford a President Romney who will pal around with the Tea Partiers and Scott Walker!


I don't think so, the AFL-CIO has already teamed up with other to start a non-democrat coalition, totally seperate from the democrats, you might be right, but I hope not, we'll have to wait and see.

The fact is organized labor lost their investment in the democrats, wall street won their investment.


If there was rank and file organizing and militancy independent of the leadership, there would be a social force potentially able to either corner the leadership and expose some of these contradictions in their strategies or push them aside.

That has happened somewhat, infact Wisconsin protests were started by the rank and file.

[Jimmie Higgins]

That has happened somewhat, infact Wisconsin protests were started by the rank and file.Exactly. And if we were more organized, then militant workers or radical workers could have tried to push more militant ways forward. Instead the post-occupation strategy became a union and Democrat backed recall campaign which didn't achieve much other than probably confusing and demoralizing workers.

A couple of weeks of militancy did more for Wisco workers and unions across the US than the last 6 months of recall organizing by the unions.

Edit: A couple of weeks of militancy did more for Wisco workers and unions across the US than the last 35 years of business-unionism.

[RGacky3]

then militant workers or radical workers could have tried to push more militant ways forward. Instead the post-occupation strategy became a union and Democrat backed recall campaign which didn't achieve much other than probably confusing and demoralizing workers.


I don't think so, the IWW and socialists were big in those protests, they had a huge presence, if you look at the news of coarse they won't focus on that, but Wisconsin left a real mark.


A couple of weeks of militancy did more for Wisco workers and unions across the US than the last 6 months of recall organizing by the unions.

Edit: A couple of weeks of militancy did more for Wisco workers and unions across the US than the last 35 years of business-unionism.

Absolutely.

[ComradeMan]

The trouble with all of these protests and strikes, there's a general transportation strike here today by the CGIL- is that in my opinion it makes no difference. The economic system is collapsing- there's no money to go round and what little there is is becoming increasingly valueless. One side spending money it hasn't got and then punishing the small guys with higher taxes and threats to pensions and the other side claiming money that isn't there. It reminds me of Tweedledum and Tweedledee. :(

[RGacky3]

Oh there is plenty of money, its just in the Capitalist's hands who arn't spending it at all.

[Jimmie Higgins]

The trouble with all of these protests and strikes, there's a general transportation strike here today by the CGIL- is that in my opinion it makes no difference. The economic system is collapsing- there's no money to go round and what little there is is becoming increasingly valueless. One side spending money it hasn't got and then punishing the small guys with higher taxes and threats to pensions and the other side claiming money that isn't there. It reminds me of Tweedledum and Tweedledee. :(

There's money for the banks, for war, for increased CEO compensation. It's a question of priorities. There's a crisis for sure; capitalists are hurting, sure - but it's not the direct cause of these attacks.

Look at the Verizon situation for example. Verizon is NOT hurting, they are expanding and doing well:


The givebacks that Verizon is trying to squeeze out of the striking workers are staggering when one considers that the company raked in $10 billion in profits in 2010. In its most recent quarter alone, Verizon took in $3.2 billion in profits and its top five executives were paid a total of $258 million over the last four years in salaries and bonuses. The telecommunications giant is also a notorious corporate tax-dodger that hasn’t paid a dime in federal income taxes for the last two years, yet it received a $1.3 billion federal tax rebate this year.

Besides in Wisconsin, and at Verizon, many of the attacks have NOTHING to do with profits, but about unionization itself. As the Verizon's website says:


To do so, the company is seeking changes to select union work rules that would allow expanded routing of calls and flexibility for call center representatives to handle certain types of calls without transferring customers to other centers. Currently, if a customer calls in with a question about a bill, the call goes to a rep who handles billing issues. While on the phone, if the customer asks the rep to check on a set-top box issue, under current rules, that customer has to be transferred to a tech-support representative - generally in another center. As part of our quest to increase flexibility, we're seeking the ability to have the billing rep check the box and potentially resolve the issue from their workstation. It's about simplifying the process. In the end, it eliminates a call transfer, cuts down on repair time and leads to a far better customer experience.

Does anyone really buy the idea that a Phone company does ANYTHING because they care about customer service or keeping you waiting on the phone? Bullsheeeeeit!

So a lot of these attacks are not about money but about power - corporate power over worker power. They aren't doing it because they are evil, they are doing it because their solution to the economic crisis is to push back wages (or increase workloads while firing other workers) and living standards of the entire workforce.

[ComradeMan]

There's money for the banks, for war, for increased CEO compensation. It's a question of priorities. There's a crisis for sure; capitalists are hurting, sure - but it's not the direct cause of these attacks..

Yeah, and that's why I think people are angry on the ground. But looking at the bigger picture I think the problem is too with the amount of "IOU" money floating around and all the "scams" going on too. ;)

I basically think the whole system is collapsing around their ears, and people also make money out of that too ;), but as usual the small guy suffers. I just don't think the unions are beyond reproach either at times and I don't think they help the situation.

[RGacky3]

But looking at the bigger picture I think the problem is too with the amount of "IOU" money floating around and all the "scams" going on too. http://www.revleft.com/vb/obamas-clear-move-t160809/revleft/smilies/wink.gif


The IOU money floatin around is a direct result of higher capitaist profit and copensation, they capitalists want lower taxes, which they make up through credit, and they want to lower wage costs, when they lower wage costs they make up the demand through cridit.

http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/unionincome.jpg

Unions, when they are doing the right thing, are the strongest opposition to corporate power, there is nothing else really that comes close.