Although I have always been a Socialist, I hadnt considered actually joining the Socialist Party until this past year when my 16 year-old son began attending Party meetings once a week in a local park. I attended a couple of meetings and two actions, and I realized I needed to help solve our problems rather than just getting angry at news outlets and political pundits, who attempt to tell us what to think. I feel socialism and its support for unions is very important now. I hate that the VW Manufacturing facility voted no to unionization, but I wasnt too surprised when the workers voted against it. Unfortunately, Lee Iococca masterfully manipulated public opinion when he convinced Americans that the UAW was responsible for the near fiscal collapse of Chrysler when, in fact, the main cause of the companys crisis was largely the fault of company senior executives whose lack of imagination kept them from seeing what the Japanese and German car manufacturers saw--that big gas guzzling cars werent sustainable as gas supplies dwindled and the price rose. Furthermore, the Chrysler executives didnt recognize that the Japanese and the Germans were systematically hastening that obsolescence by producing smaller, more gas conserving, well built cars that they aggressively marketed in the U.S. The Corporate Heads in Detroit, including Mr. Iococca, who ironically graced the cover of Time magazine as the man who miraculously saved Chrysler, had, in fact, all but ruined Americas Big Three. With the help of corrupt politicians, greedy television media corporations, and pusillanimous newspaper publishers, Big Lee rode into D.C. on a 375 horse powered, gas guzzling Chrysler, and then drove off, thanks to Reagan and the legislature, with millions of American workers tax dollars. Yes, as a result, of this corporate welfare, the Chrysler auto workers kept their jobs for a while, but because of the way the bailout was pitched by media, politicians and Chrysler executives, Chryslers near failure was placed at the feet of the UAW. The Chrysler crisis and Reagans firing of striking Air Traffic controllers set the stage for the weakening and near demonization of unions in the U.S If Iococca cast himself as a hero, rough but fair, who rode to Chryslers rescue, he cast the UAW as the heavy with its “greedy” members who dared to demanded fair wages and decent working conditions, and since then, unions and employees who seek to unionize are under attract by their employers and conservative politicians as in Wisconsin. Since high school, I have been trying to explain to people that the way to a better life and a more fair distribution of wealth is to unionize all workers, including those who are now working in third world sweat shops. We cant let the Corporations and the 1% pit us against one another. It isnt an easy proposition, but it is, I believe the best way to stop the decline of wages and benefits of workers here and around the world. I explain to people who will listen to a “socialist” that the 1%, despite their overwhelming wealth which they often use in attempts to buy political elections, cannot control 99% of Americans if the 99%, or at least the majority of them, stand together. The most effective way, and perhaps even superior to voting in political elections, is to unionize. If you doubt that unionization is the way to go, look back to the 50s, 60s, and 70s when strong unions won fair wages, paid vacations, sick leave and reasonable retirement benefits, for their members and most unionized companies, although they might have wanted to make more on their products, posted strong profits. Furthermore, the unions success in improving pay and work conditions for its members, also improved the work conditions of nonunion workers, because with near full employment, companies didnt want their employees to look for better paying jobs which were available elsewhere. The companies kept the working conditions, pay, and benefits in line with those of union shops. The Puritans and Calvinists who arrived in America in the 1600s seeking religious freedom and who believed that their wealth, however earned, proved that they were Gods elect. As Gods elect,their salvation was guaranteed. Americas 1% seem to share share this Calvinistic belief that their wealth is proof that they too are Gods “elect” and that employees who do the work that allows the 1%s wealth to grow are fulfilling Gods preordained plan in which employers have the right to dictate all conditions of employment for the workers, including pay, work hours, safety conditions, vacation, sick leave, and retirement plans. Furthermore, they seem to believe, as the elect would, that they do not owe anything to their workers who obviously are not among the elect since they are not rich. The wealthy 1%, however, are not Gods elect and despite their wealth, they can be forced to treat their workers, who make their wealth possible, fairly. But to succeed both white and blue collar workers have to believe that the strength to succeed comes from workers unity. Ninety-nine percent of workers and citizens united in their goals and cooperative actions can force the wealthy 1% and billion dollar corporations to change their miserly ways, and can be forced to provide workers a living wage, safe working conditions, paid vacation, sick time, and a reasonable pension. Yes, the 1% has millions, and even billions, that they can use to buy politicians, but if workers rally together, the 99% have the advantage of vastly out numbering the 1%. Strong nation-wide Unions whose members work together and refuse to be swayed by slick political ads that inevitably attempt to divide workers, especially by race, gender and religion, cannot be stopped. The wealthy 1% will also attempt to convince workers to vote against their own interests, a strategy that they have used very successfully in the past. Perhaps most importantly we, the workers, must not give in to the idea that because the 1% have an almost boundless war chest that they are more powerful than we. Unless we let them, they cannot buy our dreams for ourselves, our children and our country. They may buy the politicians, but we can decide who gets elected. We, after all will cast 99% of the votes to their 1%. Some workers may initially be afraid that they will lose what little they have if they cross their employers by unionizing or that their votes wont count, and I hope that we can convince them that with our collective strength and actions the 99% can prevail. After all, if only 60% of our 99% voted together, the 99% would force politicians and CEOs alike to reckon with us, take our concerns seriously, and to deal with us fairly, no matter how much they hated doing it. People just need to see that like the Emperor, in Grimms Fairy Tale, the 1%, indeed, have no clothes or we at least can be strip of them.
Posted on: Fri, 28 Mar 2014 18:15:10 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015