In the near term, the desire of most working Americans is to rebuild the middle class, which has witnessed spectacular reversals in the past eight years. Actually, this incremental demise has been creeping among us for decades. One of the primary legislative components of the elimination of the middle class is the Taft-Hartley Act. This allows states to make closed union shops illegal.I remember when this came up for a vote in Oklahoma. Proponents said all states around us were "right-to-work" states and if we did not join them then businesses would not locate here.This is the pitch used to sell our middle class out. We must give massive corporate welfare, subjugate our workforce to a sub-par wage or starve.This has been the centerpiece of the American automotive loan denial. The Senators of the lower wage slave labor states, also known as "right-to-work" states and foreign manufacturers opposed the aide package the states who pay hard fought union wages for American manufactured autos.I applaud all of the effort to enact the Employee Free Choice act, but understand in the big picture it is not a stitch to bind us together. It is merely a tool to generate a lopsided strength. It is a salve to aide but not a cure for the ailment.I do not pretend to know how to suggest the repeal of a law. This is the beauty of the internet and the activists that people them. If it is the desire of the progressive movement to rebuild the middle class, then I ask them to push for the repeal of the Taft-Hartley Act as well as endorsing Employee Free Choice.Do progressives agree and how do we do this?
Employee Free Choice V. Right To WorkBy: Oilfieldguy Thursday December 18, 2008 8:57 pm |
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Thanks for your post and questions. I wholeheartedly agree that we need to repeal Taft-Hartley. And I also think we need to do a much better job of de-bunking the right-wing spin on just what the EFC is about. They are blatting that it takes away the workers right to a secret ballot. It does not. It just levels the playing field between an intimidation campaign run by management against unions. But that message is not getting heard.
I guess the first steps would be to find out how our respective Congresscritters feel on both issues and maybe after a report from the Lake community here, we could figure out how to approach this.
A starting point may be going to some of those Obama house-party-meetings that are happening now around policy issues.
Just some ideas. Anyone else?
We agree but yes how do we do this? I suggest keeping the pressure on with Diaries. But how do we get the MSM involved?
“How do we get the MSM involved?”
I’d be ecstatic to get the MSM un-involved.
Don’t you think they’ve done enough?
All those lies don’t spread themselves you know.
Maybe we can have a live-blog here at the Lake with someone from SEIU or wherever to talk about the facts on EFCA. And then maybe one of our front-pagers could put a little bug in someone’s ear (KO or Rachel) to have that person come do the same talk on their shows. I know it’s not going to reach everyone – but it has to start somewhere.
All of us should post on every other blog we can on the topic after we have all the facts to debunk the right-wing spin.
Just an idea…
Digg! everyone. Comment on Digg! Then thumbs-up rate other comments on Digg! each action counts as another Digg. Help out FDL!
How does it not take away a secret ballot? Signing a card in the presence of others is not a secret ballot. And I have been through several union campaigns and the unions and their advocates apply as much intimidation as the company does.
To Oilfieldguy – are you trying to claim that a ‘right-to-work’ state equals ’slave labor’? If so, that is just preposterous and extremist language that will only resonate with the left fringe.
I have worked in both and in my experience employees could come and go as they chose to do so. I don’t recall anyone being ‘enslaved’. In fact, in the non “right-to-work’ states many employees complained that they were forced to pay union dues. Doesn’t that smack in the face of employee free choice?
I don’t recall anyone being forced to belong to a union. In my experience employees could come and go as they chose to do so.
Census figures show that “red” states have the nations highest poverty
levels.
Southern voters need to ask themselves a question next time they go to the
polls. Is it coincidence that traditionally red/Southern states are poorer
than blue states?
Here is a map from http://www.census.gov that color codes poverty level
percentages by state.
a map of red/blue states that shows a “summary of results of the
1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008 presidential elections”
I am not suggesting that only Republicans are to blame, but the maps show
a definite correlation between poverty levels and Republican leadership.
“Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit
of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed.
Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher
consideration.” Lincoln’s First Annual Message to Congress, December 3,
1861.
why didn’t my links show up? I used the link button??
It works. I am looking at it right now.
http://www.census.gov
there was 4 links when i wrote it lol. im going to try again :D
i am such a newb
http://www.census.gov/hhes/www…..index.html
poverty level percentages by state.
http://www.census.gov/hhes/www…..or2007.pdf
map of red/blue states that shows a “summary of results of the
1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008 presidential elections”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R…..lue_states
Did fine that time. It takes practice.