It is less than month to Labor Day, and just over
25 years since Reagan's firing of the PATCO union, which many herald as the beginning of the death of American unions.
<keep on reading please>
Today, unions are unable to organize even decent protests of the latest assault on the right to organize. A recent march on the Washington office of the National Labor Relations Board ended with a
civil disobedience of almost a dozen activists linking arms to block the entrance. Police were ordered to ignore them until they dispersed a half-hour later.
On Kos, I post Labor diaries most every day which quickly fade into the noise. I focus on a very unpopular subject which most of America seems to feel is irrelevant to electoral politics. The Democratic candidates and DLC don't list Labor issues such as the bipartisan Employee Free Choice Act (stuck in committee), or the Kentucky River decision that the NLRB is poised to implement this summer which will eliminate the right to organize from 8 million employees by giving them an unwanted "promotion" to being considered supervisors. The Colbert Report's The Word:Solidarity is worth watching for your info on this one (you should have a laugh).
I have my theories on why most Americans take our working conditions for granted and don't support the right to organize. For existing union members, the right to organize is not necessary at a personal level, it only allows the unions to expand into new companies. For unorganized employees, either unions aren't important to them at the moment, or they are entirely unaware of the issue. I can't understand why Democratic Candidates ignore the issue, except for the cynical reason that they don't want to upset potential corporate donors and they feel that since they are a good alternative to anti-union Republicans, they will get the union vote by saying nothing to the rest of the nation that benefits (or once benefited) from the right to organize.
But rather than focus on what I think, I would like to know how you will celebrate Labor Day next month. What has the Labor movement done for you (lately or historically)? Are labor issues still relevant to electoral politics? And if not, is that good for Democrats or Republicans? Have you ever striked or honored a picket line? Have you spoken out on behalf of the current Labor issues that will affect all of us and our children? Or is Labor Day just a day to unwind? Please post a diary in honor of labor before the holiday so you can enjoy the day in earnest.
Please support the bipartisan Employee Free Choice Act!
Protest Kentucky River decision at NLRB