http://www.inthesetimes.com/archives/tags/unions/ In These Times features award-winning investigative reporting about corporate malfeasance and government wrongdoing, insightful analysis of national and international affairs, and sharp cultural criticism about events and ideas that matter. en-us Expression Engine jessica@inthesetimes.com seamus@inthesetimes.com Tue, 13 May 2008 05:00:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3679/axle_of_evil/ For more than two months, 3,600 United Auto Workers (UAW) members have walked picket lines in Detroit, Three Rivers, Mich., and upstate New York. The strike at American Axle & Manufacturing (AAM), a major supplier of truck and sport-utility axles for General Motors (GM), is shaping up as a line-in-the-sand campaign for the embattled union. The strike began Feb. 26, when AAM demanded steep wage concessions, from $27 per hour to $14 per hour. In order to stay in business, AAM says, it must secure "competitive" labor costs. "AAM is simply asking for the same changes the UAW has already agreed to with our U.S. competitors," reads the company website, referring to recent UAW deals with companies like Delphi --… corporations wage cuts unions Susan J. Douglas Tue, 09 Sep 2008 05:00:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3895/making_goliath_walk/ "This is a David-and-Goliath confrontation, but we believe we'll have enough stones in the sling to knock this out." That is a recent statement from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce when asked whether business lobbyists will defeat the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) -- a labor-backed bill that cribs from Canadian law and makes joining a union a tiny bit easier. In the imminent confrontation over this almost embarrassingly modest proposal, corporations are actually billing themselves as the underdog -- the poor, overmatched peasant David against the Philistine monster Goliath. To the propaganda-numbed ear, it sounds plausible. History books and Washington press releases have seared a corporate hagiography into the public discourse -- one mythologizing business as the brave little… labor unions Big Business Susan J. Douglas Mon, 10 Nov 2008 05:00:00 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/4035/obama_and_the_union_vote/ One persistent question ran throughout stories on the presidential campaign, especially after Hillary Clinton won primaries with strong support from working-class white voters: If Barack Obama was the nominee, could he win their support? While Election Day polls don't provide a definitive answer, the short answer seems to be that Obama did moderately well among working-class white voters, especially if they were union members. But he did receive far fewer votes from white workers than he would have if they voted their economic interests. That is especially clear in light of Princeton University political scientist Larry Bartels' evidence that there has been stronger economic growth and less inequality under post-World War II Democratic administrations than under Republicans. Exit polling does… election 2008 unions labor Susan J. Douglas Tue, 11 Nov 2008 05:00:00 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/4037/origins_of_the_obama_machine/ During the United Farm Workers' critical decade of growth, from 1966 to 1976, farmworker activists became experts in conducting voter registration among low-income and minority voters, and operating get out the vote (GOTV) drives to boost turnout in traditionally low-voting, working-class neighborhoods. The UFW responded to political attacks from growers by adopting innovative approaches for almost every type of electoral campaign. These strategies brought the union victories in statewide initiative contests, legislative fights and races for public office--and continue to set the course for today's progressive election campaigns. In 1966, the farmworkers movement had no more experience with politicians and elections than it had with boycotts. Cesar Chavez's previous job as an organizer for the Community Services Organization had included… farmworkers Obama campaign unions California Susan J. Douglas