Forum Post: Why Unions Matter
Posted 10 years ago on Sept. 2, 2013, 4:02 p.m. EST by shoozTroll
(17632)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
Videos and charts, for the logically challenged, that seem to feel unions aren't needed these days.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/09/02/2548341/labor-day-2-2/
The sad reality this Labor Day is that many American workers aren’t enjoying the basic tenets of the American dream: a livable wage and benefits to match. Income inequality is skyrocketing, while worker wages stagnate and more and more people leave unemployment for low-wage, part time jobs.
There’s no coincidence here. As this video from the Economic Policy Institute outlines, the trend of declining unionization and rising income inequality mimic each other :
Yep. This is exactly why unions matter and for all the lil' naysayers and the liars this still holds true today as much as it did before.
And so goes the 1% Class War most 99%ers are oblivious to.
And so go the False Flag detractors: "give up, resistance is futile, surrender."
Make More NOISE!
Wake the sleeping Giant!
Some last words on Labor Day.
"More fundamentally, the debate over what the NLRB should do touches on a question that has been—and should be again—at the heart of American politics: is a real political democracy possible if citizens do not have substantial control over their work lives?"
http://inthesetimes.com/article/15546/americas_200_year_long_battle_for_workplace_democracy/
To most employers, the outside world that is not a dictatorship like the work place, is tragic (if not criminal) chaos!
Back to the future, post Labor Day.
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/09/02/2560101/labor-day-2050-global-warming-labor-productivity/
In compliment: a clear reason why Unions matter.
Join us in demanding that OSHA (the Occupational Safety and Health Administration) inspect the five chemical plants in Texas that kicked out state fire inspectors who were trying to prevent another West, Texas tragedy. Click here to sign our petition.
Back in April, a fertilizer plant exploded in the small town of West, Texas—killing 14 people and injuring 200. The plant stored explosive ammonium nitrate—but had no alarms, no automatic shutoff system, no firewall and no sprinkler system. And it was across the street from a school.
When Texas fire inspectors stepped up their enforcement after this tragedy, five chemical plants flat-out denied them entry. And there’s nothing under Texas law that mandates such inspections. The state has no fire code, and only scheduled inspections are required.
If Texas can’t protect its residents, the federal government must. Sign our petition to OSHA (the Occupational Safety and Health Administration) demanding that they inspect the five chemical plants who have denied access to the Texas fire inspectors.
Keep fighting, Laura Clawson, Daily Kos
I'll sign that.
It's like we were supposed to forget what happened in West.
Or not care - because it happened to someone else.
You mean like they don't care what's happened to Detroit?
I'm not like that.
So, for what it's worth, I signed it.
Me Too.
Or anywhere else for that matter.
"Or anywhere else for that matter."
yep
The whole world a sacrifice zone - the insane assholes!
Death and misery are meaningless to them, when there's profit to be made, and a vig to be paid to WallStreet.
Even though they poison and kill themselves right along with everyone else. Insane Greedy Bastards.
They don't live near there.
When they install the first climate control dome over a gated "community", will anyone notice?
I think that might be one of their mantras. But if they live on earth - then they are living with-in reach of the pollution they create.
Perhaps they actually believe the lies they pay researchers to tell us?
LOL - nah
Sure - it will be in the Better Gated Communities and Garden Magazine.
Those Who Want To Take Away Our Safety Nets Don't Want You To See This
UNION THUG!!!
Too bad he's 100%correct......................:)
We might want to keep an eye on what happens with this bill.
http://www.labornotes.org/2013/10/stealth-bill-would-allow-cuts-current-pensions
SOSDD - If the pensions had been fully ( as in the correct amount being placed into the account on a regular payroll process ) funded from day 1 there would be no problem with the pensions - OH and as long as the funds were never subject to being gambled away in the stock market.
Life would be so much better if we could get one subject at a time legislation going. Along with removing personhood from corp(se)oRATions and removing their money from government.
Is there really a fully funded pension plan anywhere, anymore?
Not that I am aware of. Like I said - I "DO" believe that pensions were offered as a sop to the work force with the intention of never paying out - paying out only to some until the time came to pilfer it for a bankruptcy reorganization and re-emergence under a new set-up minus a pension burden.
Yep.
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In compliment a related item: A small town in Texas will never be the same after fifteen people lost their lives when a fertilizer plant exploded back in April.
The explosion was so big it registered as a 2.1 magnitude earthquake and destroyed a 37-block area of West, Texas. The most tragic part of it all is that the explosion along with the death and destruction that followed didn’t have to happen.
There are safe, affordable alternatives to the dangerous chemicals like the ones used in the Texas fertilizer plant available right now. But instead of making the switch, the chemical industry has chosen to spend its money lobbying Congress so that it can keep putting millions needlessly at risk. And up until now, that strategy was working.
Things are changing though. President Obama recently issued a directive to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop plans for new safety measure at chemical plants by November. What happens next is up to us. It’s your voice versus the chemical industry.
Send a message to President Obama and the EPA right now and urge them to adopt safety standards that prevent chemical disasters.
You're likely close enough to a facility that stores or uses deadly chemicals, like chlorine gas, to be at risk if something unexpected were to happen. Most people in the U.S. are.
Chemical safety isn’t just an environmental issue -- it impacts communities everywhere. That’s why we’ve been working closely with a diverse coalition of groups including labor and environmental justice groups to send a clear message to the administration: the time to act is now.
President Obama has been outspoken on this issue in the past. In fact, back when he was a Senator from Illinois he had this to say,: "We cannot allow chemical industry lobbyists to dictate the terms of this debate. We cannot allow our security to be hijacked by corporate interests."
Take action and tell President Obama and the EPA that now’s the time to put those words into action and prevent another disaster like the one in West, Texas.
A decade ago the EPA proposed using the Clean Air Act to enforce commons sense rules for chemical plants like the one in West, Texas. For a decade Congress and two Presidents have been dragging their feet.
Legislation that would address this problem has completely stalled in Congress and is going nowhere thanks to the deep pockets of the chemical lobby. It's up to the President to do the right thing and he needs our support to make it happen.
If the BP disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, the nuclear disaster in Fukushima and the West, Texas explosion have taught us anything in the last couple of years, it's that disasters happen. There's no sense for millions of Americans to remain needlessly at risk from dangerous chemicals when safer alternatives exist.
Tell President Obama you support him using his authority to do what Congress won't, and put the safety and health of American citizens ahead of corporate interests.
Sincerely,
Rick Hind Greenpeace Legislative Director
Facebook
Twitter
Click here to forward this message.
Greenpeace 702 H Street, NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20001 | 1-800-722-6995
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There goes the neighborhood!
aAHHAHahahahaha Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) HEEEEHEEHehehehe put a cork in it corker.
It just looked so fun.
Good thing it wasn't Boner - they would of had to break-out the life jackets to save people from drowning as he cried.
I know, right? Damn that man is worthless.
Please don't encourage me - as another worthless piece of shit also comes to mind = Bitch McConnell and OH SO MANY OTHERS.
Here in Detroit, it was a pretty big deal.
I posted this a couple of days ago, in the VW thread, but the union haters drove it down pretty quickly.
http://www.freep.com/article/20130905/BUSINESS01/309050184/Volkswagen-letter-to-Tennessee-workers-confirms-talks-with-UAW
I think that is a damn good sign.
Of course they drove it down.
Well, that's because they are a bunch of fucking morons.
Any form of union inroads are important, but particularly so in the South.
I'm curious to see the RW reaction.
The sputtering rage? Ya.
It will be interesting to see Germany's reaction to the sputtering rage. Especially at this moment in time when they are not real happy with the US as it is.
You know I'll be keeping an eye out.
Good deal. Because I'm just now catching up on the last four days.
If a work council is approved, do you think the UAW should have a seat in it, or should it be strictly the workers?
You should ask that question again when you have gained a modicum of knowledge about unions, and no longer hate them.
You spend far too much time accentuating the negative, but only against certain entities, to be trusted on the subject.
So whats your opinion on the question there local union expert?
Let me guess, you dont have one.
How about you actually add to a discussion for once.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYKcxnjFRAE
Or you could just threaten to break both of my legs like your animal friend ZD did last night.
It's a fools question that demonstrates a complete lack of understanding about unions, that I won't grace with an answer.
You have adequately demonstrated your HATE for unions numerous times, in numerous postings.
I reject your baiting for what is..........baiting.
And besides, you have yet to answer questions asked of you, crying like a baby that you were so much as asked.
Whatever you have going on between you and ZD, is between you and ZD, so don't try and drag me into it.
Personally? I think you and every one of YOUR buddies that formed the soap opera of the banned, should be punished for your reprehensible behaviors.
What would you deem to be appropriate?
Well at least this is keeping your thread up so you wont whine about it anymore.
Lets try this for the sixth time:
""a works council can only be established in the United States through an established trade union, according to the letter."
Whats your thoughts on that? Do you think they should pursue it with the UAW, or should they try to do their own thing?
If it wasnt made mandatory in this letter, same question.
Thoughts?
Did you follow the money in N. Carolina yet??
Did you answer questions about your involvement in the soap opera of the banned yet?
Did you answer questions about how many nameplates and puppets you've employed yet?
Did you honestly address your postings of links from the John Birch Society and Brietbart yet?
Did you apologize for the many insults you've thrown at fellow posters yet?
There's more questions I've asked you that you've shirked, but answering these will at least be a start down the road to honesty for you, so have at them.
Shirker.
Besides, if you had actually read this thread, you would know that I already answered your question. So I won't be engaging your baiting BS.
Union hater! What are you even doing here?
So nothing. God you are a waste of time. I really doubt you have a shred of union experience, and if you do you certainly werent involved, because the amount of good hardcore comments you give is quite lacking.
So for one last time, do you, shooz, have one lonely thought in that near empty head of yours on the work council and the letter, with demands that UAW be involved?
Anything? Holy fuck, something? Or just more hot air directed at a computer screen?
Start answering the questions asked of you.
I told you I will address this question when you so much as begin to address mine.
You have shirked 100% of the time, and now you attempt to insult me??
Stop with your insults.
Screw your ultimatums.
Start with the answers, instead of your childish insults.
I'm sure that there are other forums better suited to your lying, baiting, insulting commentary.
I'm pro UAW. Is that answer enough for you?
Will you insult me again?
I know you won't find the honesty to answer any of the questions asked of you.
You do realize that that IS in the teabagge(R) forum disruption video?
So please stop wondering why some people accuse you of being one of those. It's in your every comment of this sort. It's in your constant shirking of those honest questions of you.
Hot air??
Really?
It's all you've given to any of those questions. You have personified hot air!!
Unless of course, you will now begin to address them.
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"I'm pro UAW"
So you want them in on the work council, ok I guess thats the answer.
You know what, dont even reply to this. Its a waste of time.
Answer the questions.
Shirker.
Shirk them again, and I will call you an out and out liar.
Which would be more accurate anyway.
It is YOU who considers the 99% asses, is it not?
Why yes.
It is.
You are part of the soap opera of the banned, are you not?
Yes.
You are. So please don't try and play the horizontal hierarchy game.
Under the circumstances of your continued lying and shirking, you have given a strong endorsement of that which you claim to be against.
Plus of course, if you were really behind this unionization, you would have given your opinion, instead of baiting me for mine.
Is that in the teabagge(R) forum disruption video too?
'Shirk' was your calendar's word of the day, wasn't it?
Sorry, zilla, but that's what you use and you're not very good at it..
Are you familiar with the word troll?
More lies from someone who refuses to discuss union details or anything of substance.
" if you had actually read this thread, you would know that I already answered your question"
Another lie from the forums biggest troll.
No real thoughts on the VW plant from you? Just more rah rah this, attack attack that? Shocking.
when a predator threatens a herd
they circle
haha
Lies??
Another accusation?
From a prominent liar such as yourself??
As I said before, I'll attempt to answer, after you start answering some yourself.
Until then?
Stop your fucked up lying accusations.
Answer some of the questions that have already been asked of you.
I thought you wanted to discuss the VW plant?
Not with a union hating liar like yourself.
I've already offered to start answering your questions, when you start answering mine.
You shirked.
You lied.
You shilled
You did everything but answer so much as one of them.
My temptation at this point is to tell you to go fuck your lying self.
But you'd just lie about that too, so I won't.
I will, however ask you to start answer those myriad questions now, you are after all, getting a bit behind.
Great conversation!! Holy crap....
Shirking again??
Holy shit!!! You sure are.
Why don't you just admit that you HATE unions and be done with it.
Why lie, pretend and shirk?
You know we've had this conversation in many forms before, under at least 2 of your other nameplates, and that was always the conclusion.
You HATE unions.
Now would you be so kind as to address the questions asked of you, as that would be a plus towards future communication.
As it is?
There's no talking to you on anything that so much as vaguely resembles an honest conversation.
Honesty is a virtue.
Try and foster a little of it within yourself.
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I'm pro organizing and pro union.
The fact you dont recognize that, and the fact that you claim to have all of this experience and dont go into any details whatseover, is a bit fishy at best.
So with that in mind, any thoughts on the work council and UAW involvement with that letter?
You're a shirker.
That's all you are.
Care to answer the questions asked of you?
You've already proven your confusion on "right to work" legislation, so you are in no way pro union. and I'm not getting into anything with you until you start answering questions already asked..
Shirker.
I know it's hard for you, but.....
Try a little honesty.
So no answer? Shocking.
What questions have you answered??
Why should I answer your fools question?
Wadda hack you really are.
Did you follow that money in N. Carolina yet??
Nope! Not a chance a hack like you would do that, or even acknowledge that the question was asked.
How about your gang buddies in soap opera of the banned??
Another question asked of you, gone unanswered.
Let me know when you can present a valid question, sometime after you answer a few of those questions asked of your lame ass.
You've been the sites #1 shirker for how many nameplates now?
The only thing shocking, is that you can type at all.
"If a work council is approved, do you think the UAW should have a seat in it, or should it be strictly the workers?"
Seems like a decent question for you, with your resume and all. Especially after whining that no one wanted to speak on it.
Here's your shot.
"The discussion with the UAW is necessary because a works council can only be established in the United States through an established trade union, according to the letter."
It's not a valid question. It only demonstrates your ignorance.
So please rephrase it as a valid question.
Now about those questions asked of you?
Answer some of them. Shirker.
"a works council can only be established in the United States through an established trade union, according to the letter."
Whats your thoughts on that? Do you think they should pursue it with the UAW, or should they try to do their own thing?
If it wasnt made mandatory in this letter, same question.
The question was answered in the first statement.
You really are a baiting shill, aren't you!!
You're just waiting for the opportunity to express your HATE of unions.
You don't have too. I already know.
Will you answer any of the questions asked of you now??
Or will continue to ignore and shirk them?
Will you apologize on behalf of the soap opera of the banned?
Or are you proud of what they've done?
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Thanks for that, so many articles have been skipping over the Reagan atrocities, it makes me wonder.
How could they ignore what he did?
It's like the articles on Michigan that skip over what Engler did.
Could the memory hole have grown that large?
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Check out the links on Raygun (Tear Down This Myth) above.
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Lec Walesa knew what really brought down the USSR.
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And the Korean and Vietnam War, along with the Iraq war and then the overall takeover of the entire globe...after NUKING two cities.....
Who do you attribute that to?
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Talk about not saying much, what was all of that? Corks in the ass? eh?
"I've always assumed that a large part of the economic problems that grew in both Poland and the rest of the Soviet Union were the result of their role during the cold war, their focus on militarization beyond the capacity of the economy to support it."
Figure it out there Poe. Its not difficult to see the relationship.
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Your confidence is Obama is bewildering. US is not going to Syria to save children from chemicals. If you believe that, then we're back to square one. Don't be so naive. US only intervenes in International matters when there's profit to be made. US doesn't care about problems children are having in other countries.
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You are right. One brings the attention back to the people here that need it, the other keeps creating chaos to expand the empire.
Much difference indeed.
Stop falling for the same tricks. Were you all gungho about Vietnam back in the day too? Hows that lie made you feel? Johnson was a hell of salesman, thats for sure. Right up there with Bush.
But, I'm suuuuuuure that would never happen again, right? Naaaaaah
I know I'm not the only one who has railed constantly against Raygun and the Shock Doctrine his henchmen unleashed since his evil election fraud ~ October Surprise ~ in 1980! But I had a head start, I also had to endure him ~ and Edwin Meese ~ as CA Governor.
How the media created the legend of Ronald Reagan, from "Tear Down This Myth" by Will Bunch: http://mediamatters.org/blog/2011/02/04/book-excerpt-how-the-media-created-the-legend-o/175969
Tear Down This Myth
Wednesday, 28 January 2009 06:57 By Will Bunch, t r u t h o u t | President Ronald Reagan. (Photo: Jeff Taylor / AP)
http://www.truth-out.org/archive/item/82231:tear-down-this-myth
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bdknhW-aBQ
A real gem from the past ~ The Meese Doctrine ~ like deja vus all over again: http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1310&dat=19851022&id=xOZVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=c-EDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4521,5442856
But we've saved SO much money on our phone and cable bills, with all that "competition"..........
And FLAKESnews and Limbaugh!~~~
Isn't capitalism amazing?
And Reagan brought it all home to roost.
Reaganomics????
If you can read this without tossing your cookies, you will learn of the teabagge(R)s and the JBS.
They love that stuff.
http://www.jbs.org/commentary/how-reagan-created-reaganomics
Free-market Calvinist Capitalism! Chicago School, Norquist, Shock Doctrine! Raygun ~ the oblivious figurehead ~ thought he was shooting a Documentary!
Thanx for reminding me about this apparent uninterrupted clandestine conspiracy of the JBS, Koch, and Federalist Society: http://occupywallst.org/forum/remember-the-john-birch-society-theyre-back-in-bla/
Libe(R)topia.
It's very real.
As Thom Hartmann always says, Libertarians are just RepubliCons who want to smoke pot and get laid. Their preferred government would be feudalism.
I like Thom. He understands how much damage the libe(R)tarian incursions into our systems have done.
Yes, Thom Hartmann http://www.thomhartmann.com/ AND: Randi Rhodes http://www.randirhodes.com/main.html ; Norman Goldman http://normangoldman.com/listen/ ; Ring of Fire (Bobby Kennedy Jr, Mike Papantonio, Sam Seder) http://www.ringoffireradio.com/ ; Mike Malloy http://www.mikemalloy.com/ ; Bill Press http://www.billpressshow.com/ ; and more Progressive Broadcasters all understand and explain daily the importance of Unions, democracy, facts, and refute the lies & divulge the damage done by the 1% via their RepubliCon Cult in all its camouflage labels. Despite the 1%-Big Media campaign to stub them out!!
What I don't understand is why 99 people are being enslaved by 1 person, even if that 1 person is very well armed and 'controls' everything. We should be able to do better than that I would hope to shout!
I fail to see how your reference has anything to do with the information.
What are you referring to?
I am referencing percentages. If we are the unhappy 99% and they are the 1% elite that own & control the world (it's been said that only about 200 families, & their corporations control the whole world) then it's like one guy calling the shots for 99 people. That's insane! A form of economic slavery has been enacted by the global oil-bankster-governmental cartel ruling elite. We outnumber them! Yet the game is rigged with the whole election fiasco fronted on us. Bush stole the election from Gore, who won the popular vote, by declaring 'hanging chads' in Florida, a state having his brother for a Governor.
Bush senior used to be President and before that the head of the C.I.A. Don't you think he has some connections? Certainly enough to get little Georgy in the White House some how. When Bush ran against Gore someone said "Who do you want telling you what to do? Big Pharma or Big Oil?" Bush got elected (Repubs) and we got the Iraq war (Oil). With Obama in there now (Dems) we got Obama-Care, or more correctly Big Pharma. In the current system we're screwed.
There are not two major parties. That's just an illusion to hide the fact that really they are one and the same as you get to the very top and now it's Global.
Wait until they start pushing Hillary, comparing her with Thatcher, just because she's female, a propagandists dream. And it doesn't matter. When she gets in it'll just be another 1%er in charge and we'll still be the 99 % further in debt, dying slowly.
I get that and all, but what does any of that have to do with the fact that as unions went into decline, along with a rise in "right to work" legislation, so did effective wages and the middle class in general?
Indeed, you could have made an argument that the unionization decline, could have helped create the circumstances you describe, but you didn't do that either.
So what does your comment have to so with unions?
The 1 % attempt to snuff out the unions so they make more money. I have been a union member in construction. The only union work around here now in the California Central Valley is building schools or other large government funded projects. There are publications at Home Depot only printed in spanish. The 1% only want cheap labor and 'consumers' (not citizens, people, souls, or living beings deserving respect), consumers to buy their over advertised crap.
Unions are Labor fighting for rights against management that is only concerned with profit. The dying out of unions, fostered by the 1% parallels the decline in standard of living for the American worker.
The OWS movement should coalesce all american workers as one union and stage a strike on all corporate employers. Except the ruling elite knows that we have to return to work pretty soon to make money to pay our bills.
So what if no one paid their bills? What are they going to do? They can't evict everybody. They can't turn off everybodies phone, electricity, internet, cable connection etc. all at once. Or can they???? Would they do that? I don't think so. Then we would all take to the streets for sure. Remember what the profit Cyrus said in the beginning of the movie The Warriors, "We got the streets suckers, caaaan you dig it?"
Remember what was said in the movie Trading Places. "It's tough to get around that old minimum wage Randolf". If they could, they would.
Repeal "right to work" and all anti-collective bargaining legislation.
That's a necessary first step, though we would still be a long way away from a unification of all unions.
Impediments to that are varied and numerous.