Memorial Day has been a hard day for me since Iraq. While everyone is busy enjoying an extra day off, I just keep remembering those who didn’t make it home.
So, in a break with the normal procedure, I’m asking that for a moment you all press play and rise for Taps.
Thanks. Now onto the LDR.
As you know, the Labor Diary Rescue is done every Monday and Thursday evening barring a bad internet connection, my insane work schedule, or Acts of God. To have your diary rescued, you must have a pro-union diary with less than 100 comments that has not been on any other rescue or recommended list. It must have the words "union" or "labor" in the tag section.
I’ve been taking some suggestions to make the rescue more enjoyable to read, similar to the Overnight News Roundup. Let me know what you guys think.
Here’s the diaries:
Vetforobama discusses the need for higher wages to sustain the economy in Mark Twain Was an Economist Too.
It is what your earnings can buy that serves as a real measure of your wages or salary; and lately, our wages and salaries have not enabled us to purchase very much. Today’s diminished, middle class- and working class-buying power and the impact of that lost purchasing power are examined on the other side of the jump.
Tula Connel asks us to Take The Pledge: Buy America.
Calls to buy American-made products are not throwbacks to 19th century U.S. xenophobia. Nor are they red flags for launching trade wars. The fact is, European nations have significant legal trade barriors that are called everything but what they are, protectionist. And far from isolationists, U.S. unions work closely with our union brothers and sisters around the world, championing the rights of workers wherever they are abused.
In fact, those who most stridently oppose Buy America are the very self-styled cheerleaders of the ol' red, white and blue: the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Business Roundtable, opponents of all things progressive.
Elana Levin gives us an update on the Hartmarx suit factory in 43 Members of Congress Ask Geithner to Weigh in w. Wells Fargo on Behalf of Hartmarx Workers.
"Given the fact that American taxpayers have provided Wells Fargo/Wachovia with $25 billion, we find it incomprehensible that it would continue to push for the loss of jobs in a viable company," the letter reads. "This is not the reason why we supported emergency measures to capitalize the banks with taxpayer dollars. The case of HartMarx must not become an unfortunate example of financial institutions failing to provide the credit envisioned by Congress to help maintain corporate operations and preserve jobs in this trying economic climate."
Rjones2818 shows big business doing what it does in Using the courts to undercut union power.
It's interesting that, in a period of economic collapse, the bosses who helped force that collapse still want to keep the workers at bay. A national work stoppage, IE a national one-day strike by all workers, might shake things up enough that the judges, politicos and bosses would start paying attention to workers and giving said workers their due. It certainly would give the Obama administration pause.
He also uses meta as his example of why we need the EFCA passed in Right back where we started
I tell you some of my work history because I'm subject to restructuring and rationalization, just as many of you are. Each of the three job I've listed are non-union (librarians have the ALA, which is a professional association, which has proven to be useless as far as improving wages, etc.). I have gotten to be buffeted by the winds of the markets over and over again. I probably will get to again once library consolidation goes through.
RDemocrat also writes about the need for EFCA in Unions May Turn the Tables With Capitalism.
You see, it appears as if the labor unions have one thing that Wall St. constantly covets. Their pension funds. Now it appears as if union workers are tired of making Wall St. investors who fight against their interests rich. They are beginning to question the practices of companies who invest their money, yet fight against the Employee Free Choice Act:
Love her or hate her, dkmich will always tell you what she REALLY thinks. Her latest work, Unemployed? Get used to it. is proof of that.
First, the autos can't even go to the bathroom without WH approval, so I don't know what he means by "them" making the right decisions. Second, leaner and meaner means less made in America and more jobs for China, Mexico and Korea. So even if and when a rebound occurs, the jobs will not be here. His answer to that?
Enjoy the diaries and treat the comments as on open thread.