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Shopping Around for An Effective Worker Collective Vehicle
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| CUPE_Reformer |
Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2006 11:37 am
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Joined: 04 Feb 2006 Posts: 241 Location: Real Solidarity |
Pearson wrote: While we may embarrass these greedy bastards with the net, they know we either will burn out and go away, or never reach critical mass. Pearson: I have been thinking a lot about what you wrote. As long as there is a possibility that I can help some workers to make informed decisions about joining or leaving CUPE, I will continue my union reform activism. Workers deserve more factual information about unions. _________________ Real Solidarity |
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| Pearson |
Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2006 1:01 pm
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Joined: 03 Feb 2006 Posts: 1417 Location: Sun City AZ |
Quote: As long as there is a possibility that I can help some workers to make informed decisions about joining or leaving CUPE, I will continue my union reform activism. Workers deserve more factual information about unions.
There are days C_R i rue the day i found computers. The one true salvation is i know there are days those in power hate the fact i found them even more. The things we do on line have to be selfless acts. That is always challenging because most think it is about shameless self-promotion. Laughable, because the pay to do this is pretty low (lol), the exposure sometimes negative and nowhere to go from an opportunity standpoint. In our society everyone tends to think there is an alterior motive. Ours is pretty pure...stop the biz union model and try and help create one that works for workers. The UFCW around the US and Canada is on the verge of a whole new cycle of bargaining to begin. As this unfolds and as they promise a new and improved strategy and outcome i can't help but remember the horrors of the Southern CA strike. The mistakes have been written about and documented so revisiting them is pointless. What is such a violation on workers rights is how badly the leadership ran it and then had the gaul to award Dority a half a million dollars on top of his massive fucking pension. Absolute bullshit. Here is where it is so insidious. Everyone of the 50 plus members of the executive committee knew it was coming. None stood and said this is wrong. In Northern CA Jack Loveall retired as members were taking concessionary contracts, and as he walked away, it appears from the LM2's he will be getting similar or even bigger payoffs. This crap is inexcusable. I suppose we could just ignore it and let the greedy bastards have their way, but i personally couldn't sleep well knowing we have the power to try and change it. It's this simple...workers deserve better. Yup, i rue the day, but i also thank God we have the tools and the ability to do what we are doing. Keep on keeping on brothers/sisters, its the right thing to do. _________________ If we don't do it, who will? |
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| rogead |
Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2006 3:55 pm
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Joined: 11 Feb 2006 Posts: 412 |
I would strongly urge everyone who believes in rank and file worker democracy to consider joining the IWW. A long as you don’t have the authority to hire and fire workers, you can maintain membership in both the Wobblies and another union. The dues are reasonable and structured according to income. While the IWW has several sectors based upon one’s field of work, it maintains a philosophy of being “A Union for All Workers”. I think nothing has hurt the labor movement more than our separation into several units which are in constant competition which each other. This current structure is the perfect prescription for anti-solidarity amongst workers. In fact the only real solidarity we generally see is that between the company and the (traditional business) union. Until we can engender a respect for and solidarity with ALL of our fellow workers, we won’t be able to build the power base we need to force change—that’s what the Wobblies are about!
As for the dreaded “S” word, the IWW is socialist and proud. For those who have bought into the anti-socialist propaganda that is woven into the fabric of American politics, that will present a distinct challenge. I’ll save my hard-core advocacy of socialism for another forum, but I would suggest to those who are unsure that they research the relationship between labor and socialism. The two are inextricably linked both in social philosophy and in history. In fact; virtually all of the rights we take for granted as workers—the forty hour week, child labor laws, workplace safety, the right to strike, etc; can be traced to the activism of socialists and other truly progressive advocates. |
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| SharynS |
Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2006 11:40 pm
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Joined: 28 Jan 2006 Posts: 2939 Location: the 'puter |
Quote: I would strongly urge everyone who believes in rank and file worker democracy to consider joining the IWW. As it turned out, they were actually talking about "quitting" ufcw and joining another union and not just outright decertification or dumping union altogether - though who could blame them. As far as I know the store I'm in is it's own bargaining unit. There was some 1518 talk of merging bargaining units, something to do with tranferability ease, job security, bigger is better yadda yadda. I do remember thinking that if (when) it came to pass, we were so screwed but had little doubt 1518 could sell it and that it was just a matter of time. There's been no further "updates" either way, and it's fallen off member's radar. Yes, people would have to vote on it. But that's the other thing, it's possible that 1518 members may have already done and not really known. ufcw 1518 is kind of famous for multi-tasked ballots. There's no question that at least one bargaining unit would like to talk about switching, one question remains - is it still a single unit. brooke's desk must be heaped with to-dos - perhaps I'll wait until the local gets around to the other two concerns I submitted last week - tick-tock tick-tock. Let's talk. 
_________________ Free speech is the whole thing, the whole ball game. Free speech is life itself. - Salman Rushdie |
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| Laboryes |
Posted: Sat Aug 12, 2006 4:18 am
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Joined: 29 Jan 2006 Posts: 1967 |
Quote: the conversation among a few 1518 members centered around "why can't we just decertify?". Damn! Siggy I heard this very thing yesterday while at work. After the story of last Tue's local 8 biz meeting is going through stores like wild fire members are coming to me with that very same question..... How do we decertify the ufcw and get another union? I agree with Rogead 100% about the IWW _________________ "When people refuse to obey, then democracy comes alive." Howard Zinn |
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| unionnow |
Posted: Sat Aug 12, 2006 4:40 am
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Joined: 05 Feb 2006 Posts: 695 Location: Gettin the Hell out of retail |
I know a little about the IWW and I like what I have learned.
I need to learn more about them. I guess I'll have to do some reading. Its seems to be a good model and a rank and file run union. _________________ “The burden against Damascus. ‘Behold, Damascus will cease from being a city, and it will be a ruinous heap. (Isaiah 17:1-2) |
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