At 77 I think back to the days I spent on Sabbatical in France and Germany and going to real workers celebrations on Labor day. Doing this as a University Professor is not as strange as it might seem to Americans. My colleagues in France were Union members and actually the professors were in unions for the most part. When the workers called a general strike the Universities were part of it.
When I was teaching in Poland my colleagues were part of "Solidarity" and often leaders.
May First was a very big day and I enjoyed the massive demonstration of solidarity. We have allowed the plutocrats to basically enslave labor in this country. You have the graphs and charts in other diaries today to demonstrate this. The term "wage slavery" is an old one from another time but it fits very well today. Read on below. We need to think about this.
It is time to do some things without asking the poor excuse for a government we have to do it for us. It is not to early to begin planning for next May 1. A well planned national showing of solidarity could be a very strong beginning to the ongoing building of a unified front against the many forces that have torn us apart.
This September substitute was also very effective. It helped the plutocracy divide and conquer. Again the charts and graphs shown here today show plainly how far they have dragged us down.
The stakes now are higher than they ever have been, yet it seems that the people have given up. Oh yes, we still have some unions left and folks are trying to organize more.
Have you ever wondered about the President's use of "middle class" over and over again? I don't think there would be a middle class if it were not for the struggle carried on by labor over the years.
The class war gets won by divide and conquer. The less tendency for anyone to feel one with someone with a different occupation the more they win. We are all in this together, teachers, janitors, artisans, laborers, doctors, nurses, orderlies, truck drivers....and the list goes on and on.
I believe one thing very strongly. Life will become very difficult for everyone for a while if we band together. But it will be worth it. I boils down to "which side are you on". If you are not with labor you are with the plutocrats who oppress them.