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Union Makes Us Strong

By Joel Bleifuss

With this issue “Can Labor Lead Again?” In These Times celebrates its 27th anniversary by examining America’s unions and the role they play in leading a progressive movement. With more than a century of success at bettering the lot of working people, labor provides progressives with a vital lesson. At its heart, the union movement is an exercise in democracy—people… return to article

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    It has been proven you cannot trust corporations. If they can’t get cheap labor here they move to where they can. Web need strong Unions for all races and gender. We must vote Bush and friends out.

    United States Posted by Linda on Jan 19, 2004 at 7:03 PM

    I have one perspective on the union movement and that is that it needs to focus on undeveloped countries.  As business seeks its cheapest sources of labor, we stand to lose jobs.  By organizing the workers in undeveloped countries, unions will be able to provide liveable wages for all of the world’s workers. 

    United States Posted by Jo Warren on Jan 20, 2004 at 9:39 AM

    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
    which is why we need global regulation of corporations, otherwise it’s a race to the bottom.

    The current situation of democratic nation-states blackmailed within global corporate anarchism will not only disenfranchise labor, but continue to externalise costs to the living system we call the earth.

    Australia Posted by Matt Quinn on Jan 23, 2004 at 12:19 AM

    I am a General Chairman representing railroad members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.  Our National Railroad Agreement (contract) expired December 31, 1999, we have been in negotiations since.  The Carriers Conference wants us to pay, retroactively, for a portion of our health care coverage.  In the past we have taken smaller or no general wage increases in order for the Carriers to continue providing our coverage.  RAilroad machinists rejected the Carrier’s last best final offer in November, 2003 by a vote of 97%.  I have seen nothing outside our internal publications about the way we are being treated by companies that are making billions on hauling freight and coal accross our nation.
    Thanks for keeping Labor in general in your stories.

    United States Posted by Mark Russ on Jan 23, 2004 at 2:20 AM

    I am unconvinced that the unions can do anything about the problems of workers - or that they would really want to. They don’t dare challenge immigration, which allows the US to import cheap labor and disinvest in its own population, for fear of being criticized as xenophobic or racist or some other such crap. So with imported cheap labor undermining wages and conditions - which is why we are now looking at a situation where many Americans won’t even get paid for overtime - what can the unions do? Sweet FA.

    Australia Posted by James Paterson on Jan 26, 2004 at 12:02 AM

    I am unconvinced that the unions can do anything about the problems of workers - or that they would really want to. They don’t dare challenge immigration, which allows the US to import cheap labor and disinvest in its own population, for fear of being criticized as xenophobic or racist or some other such crap. So with imported cheap labor undermining wages and conditions - which is why we are now looking at a situation where many Americans won’t even get paid for overtime - what can the unions do? Sweet FA.

    Australia Posted by James Paterson on Jan 26, 2004 at 12:02 AM
    Page 1 of 1 pages

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