Open Thread WE 30 JUN 21 ~ Protest and Unions

Submitted by QMS on Wed, 06/30/2021 - 4:00am

chief-marshall-portia-willis-and-other-participants-of-women-s-peace-parade-shortly-after-start-of-world-war-i-fifth-avenue-new-york-city-august-29-1914.jpg

"New Labor’s over-reliance on corporate campaigns has resulted in a war waged between labor professionals and business elites. Works are no longer essential to their own liberation.”

Jane F. McAlevey, No Shortcuts: Organizing for Power in the New Gilded Age

The inspiration for this essay comes from WERU, community radio in Orland, Maine. Hat tip to
member bygorry in showcasing this. The station features a monthly Democracy Forum hosted
by Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine. Two recent episodes focused on Protests
and Unions. Some resources:

https://archives.weru.org/category/democracy-forum/
“What Anti-Protest Bills Reveal About The State Of U.S. Democracy,” OnPoint, WBUR, April, 2021
“The Myth of the Silent Majority: Americans have learned the wrong lessons about the political consequences of protest,” Daniel Gillian, The Atlantic, September, 2020.
“Why protests matter in American democracy,” Daniel Gillion, Princeton University Press, June, 2020

also

https://archives.weru.org/democracy-forum/2021/05/democracy-forum-5-21-2...
"Re-Union: How Bold Labor Reforms Can Repair, Revitalize, and Reunite the United States", David Madland, May, 2021
"Democracy Dies When Labor Unions Do", Eric Levitz in New York, September, 2019
"Democracy Needs Unions", Christine Owens at Other Words, August 28, 2019

as examples.

Many interesting points are brought up, shining a light on the potential benefits of organizing
together for a better future.

There’s a poem in this place—
a poem in America
a poet in every American
who rewrites this nation, who tells
a story worthy of being told on this minnow of an earth
to breathe hope into a palimpsest of time—
a poet in every American
who sees that our poem penned
doesn’t mean our poem’s end.

There’s a place where this poem dwells—
it is here, it is now, in the yellow song of dawn’s bell
where we write an American lyric
we are just beginning to tell.

From "In this Place" by Amanda Gorman

We talk about whether protests are a legitimate, if not necessary, form of civic participation.
Are protests good citizenship or are they civil disorder?
Is protesting effective in changing public policy?
Are nonviolent actions more effective than those that involve violence?
When do protest movements succeed?

and

We talk about the historical and contemporary link between labor organizing and expanding political rights like voting.
-Is union organizing an important, if not essential, tool in building a vibrant democracy?
-Has the diminution of labor unions contributed to the politics of resentment?
-Has it provided fertile ground for the current moment of populist anger and stridently divided politics?
-What led to the demise of unions over the last half century?
-How could they come back?

Credits:

Women's peace parade shortly after start of world war 1
fifth avenue NYC August-29-1914

The Molly Maguires were a secret Irish-American organization, affiliated with the Ancient Order of Hibernians. 1870’s, coal miners in Pennsylvania.

Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, image of fire aftermath March 26, 1911, two years after 20,000
in NYC striking for better working conditions.

This being an open thread, post whatever is percolating in the cerebellum.

Tags:

Open Thread

Protests

unions

Vote

Comments

Submitted by QMS on Wed, 06/30/2021 - 10:13am

Morning folks

A couple of related headlines today..

Teamsters Take On Amazon
https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/24/tech/amazon-teamsters-union-resolution/in...

and

The Handbook of Handbooks for Decentralised Organising
http://richdecibels.com

enjoy the day, make change
organize, protest and strike!

edited to fix second link sorta

Submitted by Lookout on Wed, 06/30/2021 - 9:30am

Good morning...

Back to the future?

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C13JFv4JfH8]

Talking Union

by Millard Lampell, Lee Hays and Pete Seeger, 1941

The Almanac Singers, Woodie Guthrie, Lee Hays, Millard Lampell and Pete Seeger

Now, if you want higher wages let me tell you what to do

You got to talk to the workers in the shop with you.

You got to build you a union, got to make it strong,

But if you all stick together, boys, it won't be long.

You get shorter hours, better working conditions,

Vacations with pay. Take your kids to the seashore.

It ain't quite this simple, so I better explain

Just why you got to ride on the union train.

'Cause if you wait for the boss to raise your pay,

We'll all be a-waitin' 'til Judgment Day.

We'll all be buried, gone to heaven,

St. Peter'll be the straw boss then.

Now you know you're underpaid but the boss says you ain't;

He speeds up the work 'til you're 'bout to faint.

You may be down and out, but you ain't beaten,

You can pass out a leaflet and call a meetin'.

Talk it over, speak your mind,

Decide to do somethin' about it.

Course, the boss may persuade some poor damn fool

To go to your meetin' and act like a stool.

But you can always tell a stool, though, that's a fact,

He's got a yaller streak a-runnin' down his back.

He doesn't have to stool, he'll always get along

On what he takes out of blind men's cups.

You got a union now, and you're sittin' pretty,

Put some of the boys on the steering committee.

The boss won't listen when one guy squawks,

But he's got to listen when the union talks.

He'd better, be mighty lonely

Everybody decide to walk out on him.

Suppose they're working you so hard it's just outrageous

And they're paying you all starvation wages.

You go to the boss and the boss would yell,

"Before I raise your pay I'd see you all in hell."

Well, he's puffing a big seegar, feeling mighty slick

'Cause he thinks he's got your union licked.

Well, he looks out the window and what does he see

But a thousand pickets, and they all agree:

He's a bastard, unfair, slavedriver,

Bet he beats his wife!

Now, boys, you've come to the hardest time.

The boss will try to bust your picket line.

He'll call out the police, the National Guard,

They'll tell you it's a crime to have a union card.

They'll raid your meetin', they'll hit you on the head,

They'll call every one of you a goddam red,

Unpatriotic, Japanese spies, sabotaging national defense!

But out at Ford, here's what they found,

And out at Vultee, here's what they found,

And out at Allis-Chalmers, here's what they found,

And down at Bethlehem, here's what they found:

That if you don't let red-baiting break you up,

And if you don't let stoolpigeons break you up,

And if you don't let vigilantes break you up,

And if you don't let race hatred break you up,

You'll win. What I mean, take it easy, but take it!

—

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Submitted by QMS on Wed, 06/30/2021 - 10:26am

powerful words

@Lookout

Mr. Seeger had a way of putting things in perspective.

thanks LO

solidarity

Back to the future? [video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C13JFv4JfH8] Talking Union by Millard Lampell, Lee Hays and Pete Seeger, 1941 The Almanac Singers, Woodie Guthrie, Lee Hays, Millard Lampell and Pete Seeger Now, if you want higher wages let me tell you what to do You got to talk to the workers in the shop with you. You got to build you a union, got to make it strong, But if you all stick together, boys, it won't be long. You get shorter hours, better working conditions, Vacations with pay. Take your kids to the seashore. It ain't quite this simple, so I better explain Just why you got to ride on the union train. 'Cause if you wait for the boss to raise your pay, We'll all be a-waitin' 'til Judgment Day. We'll all be buried, gone to heaven, St. Peter'll be the straw boss then. Now you know you're underpaid but the boss says you ain't; He speeds up the work 'til you're 'bout to faint. You may be down and out, but you ain't beaten, You can pass out a leaflet and call a meetin'. Talk it over, speak your mind, Decide to do somethin' about it. Course, the boss may persuade some poor damn fool To go to your meetin' and act like a stool. But you can always tell a stool, though, that's a fact, He's got a yaller streak a-runnin' down his back. He doesn't have to stool, he'll always get along On what he takes out of blind men's cups. You got a union now, and you're sittin' pretty, Put some of the boys on the steering committee. The boss won't listen when one guy squawks, But he's got to listen when the union talks. He'd better, be mighty lonely Everybody decide to walk out on him. Suppose they're working you so hard it's just outrageous And they're paying you all starvation wages. You go to the boss and the boss would yell, "Before I raise your pay I'd see you all in hell." Well, he's puffing a big seegar, feeling mighty slick 'Cause he thinks he's got your union licked. Well, he looks out the window and what does he see But a thousand pickets, and they all agree: He's a bastard, unfair, slavedriver, Bet he beats his wife! Now, boys, you've come to the hardest time. The boss will try to bust your picket line. He'll call out the police, the National Guard, They'll tell you it's a crime to have a union card. They'll raid your meetin', they'll hit you on the head, They'll call every one of you a goddam red, Unpatriotic, Japanese spies, sabotaging national defense! But out at Ford, here's what they found, And out at Vultee, here's what they found, And out at Allis-Chalmers, here's what they found, And down at Bethlehem, here's what they found: That if you don't let red-baiting break you up, And if you don't let stoolpigeons break you up, And if you don't let vigilantes break you up, And if you don't let race hatred break you up, You'll win. What I mean, take it easy, but take it!

Submitted by enhydra lutris on Wed, 06/30/2021 - 9:42am

Good morning QMS. Thanks for the column. The unions

have been in decline because the government has fought to decimae and dismember them and the rights to unionize for decades now. They also suffered from some internecine warfare which, to some degree, still continues and the fact that some have become captured or quasi captured by certain industries, companies or political parties. The US' constant was on anything and everything "communist" or "socialist", or "influenced", "supported" or "backed" by same hasn't helped either.

In other news, it is National Organization for Women Day, or NOW day, a most excellent organization that I joined ages and have supported ever since. If every male of conscience joined and supported them, I suspect that their power and effectiveness, as well as the status and rights of women would be greatly enjhanced, with the added side benefit of chopping a tentacle off of the identity politics tentacle beast.

Or, should you prefer something more fatuous, disgusting, and faintly sinister, it is about day 17 of "Honor America Days" a pointless 21 day bit of cultural browbeating invented and founded by the kind of fatuous fascism, William Corporate Jefferson Reagan Thatcher Clinton (prospectively) in 1998. Presumably we need to honor it because it has no honor of its own, which he, of all people, should know full well, likewise lacking any of his own as well. Growl.

be well and have a good one

—

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

Submitted by QMS on Wed, 06/30/2021 - 10:32am