Inland Empire Progressive

Everyone agrees that Unions in the 21st Century are faltering, the question is what do we on the Left do to help unions adapt to this new reality. The majority of Labor is now concentrated in government services and is helping to fuel conservative hostility against it.  A cognitive dissonance in the ranks of some labor unions (police, fire, corrections, and some construction trades) tend to be more conservative and vote against their own economic interests. In addition, these factors also come into play as I see them in my work place: Pensions tied to Wall Street. A double edged sword. Shareholder activism can be used to drum up reforms on Wall Street because our pensions (PERS, STRS, etc.) are tied to Wall Street. However, performance suffers and preparations must be made if this route is chosen. Health Care Mismanagement. I see this a lot in my union, the Teamsters. Management pays off the Business Agent, who is also a trustee in the management of rank and file medical benefi...

When it comes to Union Labor in United States history, I would have to say there has been kind of a love/hate relationship. Unions were despised in early 19th Century as a threat to Big Business, saying that they were threats to interstate commerce because of collective bargaining. These were a weary bunch, always at risk of death. In the mid- 20th Century, Union Labor was the backbone of the American Economy and paved the way for a vibrant middle class. This was the era of Camelot. Late 20th Century saw a turn against Union Labor because of its worst excesses. The modern labor union is a ghost of its former self and still clinging to element of 20th Century thought. They are top-down and very reluctant to relinquish power to the younger generation.  The saddest part is that they are lacking in maintaining member interest in Union affairs. If we are to build a 21st Century Labor Union, those are the two areas that should be addressed immediately. 

Schwarzenegger's budget plan puts unions in the cross-hairs - latimes.com Posted using ShareThis