As we build movements, we must beware of wolves in our midst, organizations who call themselves movements yet have forgotten their history. We must have the to courage to demand more and support efforts to radicalize those institutions that claim to support us. “Today many American workers are cynical and collectively do have reduced expectations. They know all too well that their quality of life is under attack, and, for many of them, that unionism has not held up its end in the struggle….But that does not mean now…that the willingness to fight back, the urgency to resist injustice, and the desire for dignity have been driven from the consciousness of our sisters and brothers. They have it in them to engage in struggle when they perceive the struggle has immediacy in their lives, when the injustices are real, and when they know they will not be alone.” newrepublic/blog/alec-macgillis/111488/the-man-who-tried-save-organized-labor Unions say they must grow their numbers, support the right candidates, and turn people out to vote. Is that really the answer? You write that the biggest problem the labor movement faces is not declining numbers but declining power. But don’t numbers contribute to power? --The numbers are important, especially for workers who need organizations to be able to fight their battles [with employers]. But unions in the United States do not recognize that a militant minority can have a tremendous effect if it engages in direct action... You advocate a labor movement that is “post-political.” What do you mean by that? --Post-political means that the union movement may endorse candidates or run its own, but essentially does not rely on electoral politics and public officials—that is, the state—to fulfill its goals. Instead, unions should rely on their own resources, on their own members and on their own imaginations to create conditions to make their members’ lives better... inthesetimes/article/17250/a_post_political_labor_movement And while labor unions in the U.S. have a history rooted in being by and for white men, we do have the power to change that as evidenced by this fight for a change in leadership at SEIU Local 6. seaspot/easyblog/entry/chasing-history-amelia-vasser-sets-sights-on-becoming-1st-black-union-president-in-nw.html https://youtube/watch?v=xxD9nGL3NLY
Posted on: Thu, 30 Oct 2014 22:00:02 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015