Showing posts with label labor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label labor. Show all posts
Monday, November 28, 2011
Labor Showdown in Ohio
LABOR
How Progressives Won the Labor Rights Showdown in Ohio (By Amy B. Dean, United Steelworkers) “In Wisconsin the only means available to us [for opposing Gov. Scott Walker] were partisan elections,” Booth said. “In recall elections, you have to overcome the bias against recalling sitting officials. And because of the constitutional framework in Wisconsin, we could only run recalls in districts that had been won by the Republicans in 2008, not the swing districts they seized in 2010. So it was a heavier lift. In Wisconsin, a very high percentage of the people who voted for Walker voted against the recall of their state senators.” Ohio, Booth noted, presented a different situation: “Doing a ballot measure is a non-partisan exercise. So 30 percent of the people who voted for Kasich in 2010 voted ‘no’ on the referendum. While we split the independent voters in the Wisconsin recall elections, we got a solid majority of them against Senate Bill 5 [in Ohio].”
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Roubini: Marx Was Right - Capitalism Can Destroy Itself
LAST WORD
Mainstream Economist: Marx Was Right. Capitalism May Be Destroying Itself (AlterNet) Wall Street Journal interview with Nouriel Roubini is a mainstream economist who teaches at New York University and may be best known as one of the early predictors of the '08 crash. "Karl Marx had it right. At some point, Capitalism can destroy itself. You cannot keep on shifting income from labor to Capital without having an excess capacity and a lack of aggregate demand. That's what has happened."
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Resuscitating Labor: Putting an Independent on the NLRB
Resuscitating Labor: Putting an Independent on the NLRB
By Aaron Welt
Even by historic standards, the past year has been a bad one for the American labor movement. High-profile political defeats in numerous state capitals, and organized labor’s failure to strongly influence the party that supposedly guards its interests (the Democrats) have illustrated that workers cannot rely on partisan political jockeying to achieve revitalization. A rare exception to labor’s woes came when the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) initiated legal action against the Boeing Corporation for allegedly punishing its local engineer and aerospace employee union by threatening to move production to right-to-work state South Carolina. The issue will be worked out in the courts over the coming months, but the case paints a clear picture of how partisan interest have usurped federal agencies and severely hampered their ability to properly enforce our laws.
Worker unions are protected from certain managerial actions under the National Labor Relations Act of 1934, including punitive decisions by employers designed to expunge employee representation at the workplace. The agency created to oversee New Deal worker protections, the NLRB has, like almost every other executive body, been stymied by the partisan interest during subsequent Democrat and Republican administrations. When the hyper-partisan Bush administration was at the helm, the NLRB consisted of three Republicans and two Democrats, consequently issuing a number of pro-business decisions, a strange trend for an agency designed to enforce laws protecting worker’s rights. The Obama administration has turned the tide back, with Democratic appointees. The legitimacy of this Board’s decision will be worked out in the courts, but it is clear that this back and forth between preceding Democrat and Republican administrations has tarnished the agency’s credibility as a fair arbiter in the crucial debates over labor policy. The stakes for the labor movement in reinvigorating the NLRB could not be higher, as it becomes increasingly obvious that the Democrats will give token gifts back to established labor leaders while taking the labor vote for granted, and will face a harsh backlash against the next Republican Administration, which will surely and callously have an ax to grind against unions once it is “their turn.”
Like so many federal agencies, the path to restored credibility will come when independents finally get a seat at the table. Only independents enjoy the freedom to make decisions free of political obligations and with judicial rationality, a necessity for any law-deciding body to maintain legitimacy in the eyes of voters. Therefore, for labor decisions to deserve good standing among the body politic, an independent must be appointed to the NLRB for their rulings to possess assured merit. Without independents on the Board, labor proceedings can only be a banal dance in which the major parties dole back gifts to the interests that put them into power. And as is the case in so many of the political dead ends and stalled reforms that make Washington a laughing stock for the rest of the country, it is independents that can push the political tide beyond partisan politics as usual.
By Aaron Welt
Even by historic standards, the past year has been a bad one for the American labor movement. High-profile political defeats in numerous state capitals, and organized labor’s failure to strongly influence the party that supposedly guards its interests (the Democrats) have illustrated that workers cannot rely on partisan political jockeying to achieve revitalization. A rare exception to labor’s woes came when the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) initiated legal action against the Boeing Corporation for allegedly punishing its local engineer and aerospace employee union by threatening to move production to right-to-work state South Carolina. The issue will be worked out in the courts over the coming months, but the case paints a clear picture of how partisan interest have usurped federal agencies and severely hampered their ability to properly enforce our laws.
Worker unions are protected from certain managerial actions under the National Labor Relations Act of 1934, including punitive decisions by employers designed to expunge employee representation at the workplace. The agency created to oversee New Deal worker protections, the NLRB has, like almost every other executive body, been stymied by the partisan interest during subsequent Democrat and Republican administrations. When the hyper-partisan Bush administration was at the helm, the NLRB consisted of three Republicans and two Democrats, consequently issuing a number of pro-business decisions, a strange trend for an agency designed to enforce laws protecting worker’s rights. The Obama administration has turned the tide back, with Democratic appointees. The legitimacy of this Board’s decision will be worked out in the courts, but it is clear that this back and forth between preceding Democrat and Republican administrations has tarnished the agency’s credibility as a fair arbiter in the crucial debates over labor policy. The stakes for the labor movement in reinvigorating the NLRB could not be higher, as it becomes increasingly obvious that the Democrats will give token gifts back to established labor leaders while taking the labor vote for granted, and will face a harsh backlash against the next Republican Administration, which will surely and callously have an ax to grind against unions once it is “their turn.”
Like so many federal agencies, the path to restored credibility will come when independents finally get a seat at the table. Only independents enjoy the freedom to make decisions free of political obligations and with judicial rationality, a necessity for any law-deciding body to maintain legitimacy in the eyes of voters. Therefore, for labor decisions to deserve good standing among the body politic, an independent must be appointed to the NLRB for their rulings to possess assured merit. Without independents on the Board, labor proceedings can only be a banal dance in which the major parties dole back gifts to the interests that put them into power. And as is the case in so many of the political dead ends and stalled reforms that make Washington a laughing stock for the rest of the country, it is independents that can push the political tide beyond partisan politics as usual.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Obama's Health Care Problem: Which Side Are You On Boys?
SEIU prez Andrew Stern is threatening to "go independent" on local races to oppose Dems who oppose Prez Obama's healthcare reform bill. New York is a fusion voting state, which has empowered third parties like the New York Independence Party, Conservative Party and Working Families Party. Meanwhile, former Dem La Plata County Colorado Commissioner Joelle Riddle didn't threaten -- she went independent for real.
HEALTH CARE, OBAMA AND LABOR
HEALTH CARE, OBAMA AND LABOR
- Health Care, The Final Act (Talk Talk with Fred Newman and Jackie Salit)
- Union Chief Warns He’ll Back Independent Candidates Against Democrats Opposed to Health Care (By STEVEN GREENHOUSE, NY Times/The Caucus)
- Liberals warn Dems on health care (By: Ben Smith and Gabriel Beltrone, Politico)
- SI rep under pressure on health care reform (Richmond County Elections 2010 Examiner, John Signoriello)
- Caucuses picking delegates today (by Garrett Andrews, Durango Herald) And though the herd of Democrats running to replace Joelle Riddle as La Plata County's District 1 Commissioner won't be thinned today, the party might get a better idea of how the candidates will fare at the County Assembly, Walter said. Riddle - who cut ties with the Democratic Party in August 2009 and is suing to have her name listed as an Independent on the November ballot - is slated to appear as a write-in in November. She currently faces a field of four Democrats: Dryside water lawyer Bruce Baizel, south Durango resident Chris Dolphin, former Durango City Councilor Scott Graham and cattleman author Jeff Mannix.
- Paladino heads for crucial meeting, Hopes to win over Conservative leaders (By Robert J. McCarthy, BUFFALO NEWS POLITICAL REPORTER) The Independence Party, expected to eventually back Democratic Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo for governor, now occupies the critical third line on the ballot — behind the Democrats and Republicans. Occupying the third line is considered extremely beneficial as the state’s “major minor party.”
- Fusion Voting in New York, the Working Families Party & Close Elections (by: DavidNYC, Swing State Project) There are fewer small parties today than in the past, and only three of them matter: the Conservative Party, the Independence Party, and the Working Families Party.
- Panel to revise New York City Charter to host first public meeting this week (By Tom Wrobleski, SI Advance)
- Long's Dilemma (BY ELIZABETH BENJAMIN, Daily News/Daily Politics) The Working Families Party, usually allied with the Democrats, still has the US attorney's probe hanging over its head. Ditto for the state Independence Party, which endorsed Eliot Spitzer for governor in 2006 after its founder and patron, Tom Golisano, decided against a fourth statewide wide.
- No More Politics as Usual! Get Political News and Views for Independent Voters at PoliticalCentrist.com (Press Release, PoliticalCentrist.com) "Reasonable ideas from reasonable people"
- Exploring The Mood Gap (Hotline)
Friday, February 27, 2009
Joe Hill was always on the line
Hankstertube continues to get lots of hits and positive comments on Brian Mullin's rendention of Joe Hill. Please enjoy... see also Joan Baez tribute to Obama . Or here's Phil Ochs rendition...(the traditional renditional....) ...the union was the only friend he had!
btw -- Brian Mullin will be directing the next play at Castillo Theater in Manhattan -- This is one of the few plays written by the late Aimé Césaire, one of the great surrealist poets of the 20th century and a founder of the Negritude Movement. First produced at Castillo in 1995, the new production will feature a core group of performers from Youth Onstage! and will be directed by Brian Mullin, Program Manager of the Youth Onstage! Community Performance School.
Joe Hill was always on the line. Carry it on! Or go yonder...
-NH
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Ohio Votes
Mayors in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, Youngstown and other Ohio cities have endorsed Obama -- from African American (Black) Opinion
From New York Newsday's Spin Cycle:
Clinton is expected to do well in southeast Ohio -- which commentators have take to calling the state's "Appalachia" -- economically down, culturally conservative, with ties to West Virginia, and a growing pocket of evangelical strength. But Obama could get a boost from Ohio University, in CD18.
Obama's strongholds are the cities, where most of Ohio's 12-percent African-American population reside -- including Cleveland's 11th CD and its close-in eastern suburbs, Columbus (the city's African-American Mayor Michael Coleman backs him) and Cincinnati. The cities also feature large student populations.
Polls from The New Republic:
Rassmussen: (2/28) Clinton 47; Obama 45
SurveyUSA poll: (2/25) Clinton 50; Obama 44
Ohio Poll: (2/24) Clinton 47; Obama 39
From Ohio Daily Blog: Here is a Get Out The Vote appeal airing in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, Toledo, and Youngstown. It is produced and paid for by the United Food and Commerical Workers International Union, which endorsed Barack Obama about two weeks ago.
From New York Newsday's Spin Cycle:
Clinton is expected to do well in southeast Ohio -- which commentators have take to calling the state's "Appalachia" -- economically down, culturally conservative, with ties to West Virginia, and a growing pocket of evangelical strength. But Obama could get a boost from Ohio University, in CD18.
Obama's strongholds are the cities, where most of Ohio's 12-percent African-American population reside -- including Cleveland's 11th CD and its close-in eastern suburbs, Columbus (the city's African-American Mayor Michael Coleman backs him) and Cincinnati. The cities also feature large student populations.
Polls from The New Republic:
Rassmussen: (2/28) Clinton 47; Obama 45
SurveyUSA poll: (2/25) Clinton 50; Obama 44
Ohio Poll: (2/24) Clinton 47; Obama 39
From Ohio Daily Blog: Here is a Get Out The Vote appeal airing in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, Toledo, and Youngstown. It is produced and paid for by the United Food and Commerical Workers International Union, which endorsed Barack Obama about two weeks ago.
Monday, March 03, 2008
Independents can vote in the Ohio primary on March 4
Yes, it's true -- and organized labor seems to be coming out for Obama:
Obama's support in the Buckeye State seems to be increasing, though Clinton appears to be holding a lead, however tenuous. Two Ohio labor unions, with a combined membership of about a 100,000, switched their backing from former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards to Obama. The Illinois senator also has received the national backing of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents more than 1 million truck drivers and warehouse workers. (NPR)
Seven national unions, including the United Food and Commercial Workers, Unite HERE and the five-million member Change To Win coalition of unions — which includes the powerful Service Employees International and Teamsters unions — have all thrown their support behind Obama. (Time)
Obama's support in the Buckeye State seems to be increasing, though Clinton appears to be holding a lead, however tenuous. Two Ohio labor unions, with a combined membership of about a 100,000, switched their backing from former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards to Obama. The Illinois senator also has received the national backing of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents more than 1 million truck drivers and warehouse workers. (NPR)
Seven national unions, including the United Food and Commercial Workers, Unite HERE and the five-million member Change To Win coalition of unions — which includes the powerful Service Employees International and Teamsters unions — have all thrown their support behind Obama. (Time)
Friday, August 31, 2007
Conversations on Organized Labor
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers endorsed Hillary Clinton (and Mike Huckabee) at their conference this week in Miami. That's a problem.
Matt Stoller on Open Left points to a consistent problem: This is why labor can't get traction. It doesn't matter to their leaders that Clinton employs a union-buster as her chief strategist, they want a winner.
I've long understood the problem of the "labor movement" to be its undying loyalty to a dying Democratic Party. (See Organized Labor Stares Down Own Mortality in The Evening Bulletin from PA) Unions barely even organize the unorganized anymore -- their "growth" strategy in a post-industrial economy rife with NAFTAs, WTOs, CAFTAs, etc., is to re-organize the already organized by raiding other unionized workers and holding elections to switch their bank accounts over... Union membership since the effective days of Reagan, the original union-buster, has dropped from 20% to around 12%.
If organized labor would take a page from independents, whose ranks have grown during the same time period from 8% to 43%*, they might decide to become less "organized" and more independent. That would do for a start.
* According to a September 3, 2006 Washington Post article, A Nation of Free Agents, by Marc Ambinder: "Independent voters comprise about 10 percent of the electorate, but the percentage of persuadable independents has shot up to about 30 percent. In the 27 states that register voters by party, self-declared independents grew from 8 percent of the registered electorate in 1987 to 24 percent in 2004, according to political analyst Rhodes Cook. Consistently, about 30 percent of U.S. voters tell pollsters they don't belong to a party."
* And the most recent USA Today/Gallup poll puts self-identified independents at 43% of the electorate.
Matt Stoller on Open Left points to a consistent problem: This is why labor can't get traction. It doesn't matter to their leaders that Clinton employs a union-buster as her chief strategist, they want a winner.
I've long understood the problem of the "labor movement" to be its undying loyalty to a dying Democratic Party. (See Organized Labor Stares Down Own Mortality in The Evening Bulletin from PA) Unions barely even organize the unorganized anymore -- their "growth" strategy in a post-industrial economy rife with NAFTAs, WTOs, CAFTAs, etc., is to re-organize the already organized by raiding other unionized workers and holding elections to switch their bank accounts over... Union membership since the effective days of Reagan, the original union-buster, has dropped from 20% to around 12%.
If organized labor would take a page from independents, whose ranks have grown during the same time period from 8% to 43%*, they might decide to become less "organized" and more independent. That would do for a start.
* According to a September 3, 2006 Washington Post article, A Nation of Free Agents, by Marc Ambinder: "Independent voters comprise about 10 percent of the electorate, but the percentage of persuadable independents has shot up to about 30 percent. In the 27 states that register voters by party, self-declared independents grew from 8 percent of the registered electorate in 1987 to 24 percent in 2004, according to political analyst Rhodes Cook. Consistently, about 30 percent of U.S. voters tell pollsters they don't belong to a party."
* And the most recent USA Today/Gallup poll puts self-identified independents at 43% of the electorate.
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Obama and Labor
Click here for the video.
Obama's remarks at the AFL-CIO sponsored Dem debate in Chicago's Soldier Field: "We're debating the most important foreign policy issues that we face, and the American people have the right to know. It is not just Washington insiders that are part of the debate that has to take place with respect to howwe're going to shift our foreign policy...." You can read a partial transcript here at Meng Bomin blog... and d-day considers "a realignment in the Democratic Presidential primary with a Washington insider/Washington outsider split."
Black Star News says: "For America to have a good cream of leadership, an Obama-Edwards campaign team would the best choice for this country. A Hillary Clinton choice is a no change policy and will in fact take America back to the bad old days of the 1990s. America wants to move forward and should go with the candidates that will help the country move forward...."
An Ordinary Person and Politics in America has a Question for Labor...
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