Conghaileach
26th February 2003, 16:18
The Progressive (http://www.progressive.com)
February 2003
Brazen Bosses
by Anne-Marie Cusac
The most basic labor right--the right to organize a union--does not exist in actual fact in many workplaces across the country. During industrialization, some labor activists gave their lives so workers could join unions and get better pay and safer working conditions.
But today the Wagner Act of 1935, which guaranteed this right, might just as well not exist. Employers have turned the clock way back. An astonishing number of them blatantly fire union organizers and otherwise illegally intimidate the work force. The power of the government to police such brazenness is limited, and many employers believe the benefits of breaking the labor laws far outweigh the risks. As a result, millions of workers remain unrepresented and at the mercy of their employers. These conditions are likely to get worse as the Bush Administration stacks the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
One company that fired unionists said it would not obey the labor law unless a judge put a gun to its head.
Full Story (http://www.progressive.org/feb03/cusac0203.html)
February 2003
Brazen Bosses
by Anne-Marie Cusac
The most basic labor right--the right to organize a union--does not exist in actual fact in many workplaces across the country. During industrialization, some labor activists gave their lives so workers could join unions and get better pay and safer working conditions.
But today the Wagner Act of 1935, which guaranteed this right, might just as well not exist. Employers have turned the clock way back. An astonishing number of them blatantly fire union organizers and otherwise illegally intimidate the work force. The power of the government to police such brazenness is limited, and many employers believe the benefits of breaking the labor laws far outweigh the risks. As a result, millions of workers remain unrepresented and at the mercy of their employers. These conditions are likely to get worse as the Bush Administration stacks the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
One company that fired unionists said it would not obey the labor law unless a judge put a gun to its head.
Full Story (http://www.progressive.org/feb03/cusac0203.html)