Working Life

This is no great shakes, which I will point out in an upcoming post. But, ok, it’s better than nothing.

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   I recall walking the picket lines in the sleet and rain in 2007-2008 during the Writer Guild strike. And now it seems like we might be in for another round: Bitter disputes over health and pension payments to union members have created plenty of drama in states and cities this year. But do not [...]

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    What is with our city? We keep attracting the worse of the Tea Party, union-busting Republicans in the nation. First, Scott Walker was in town so two weeks ago to shake the Republican money tree–and we treated him to a Bronx cheer. Today, his Tea Party, low-life, colleague John Kasich came to town for [...]

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    The answer to this question would appear to be obvious. But, it needs constant reinforcing–as you will see from the debate (if you can call it that) last night between yours truly and Larry Kudlow and a stooge from the right wing. It’s almost laughable and entertaining–if the consequences weren’t so dire. The subject [...]

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   It really is no surprise, unfortunately, that the country is spinning out of control, the middle-class is dying and we are trapped in some of the dumbest debates imaginable–chief among them the entirely phony argument over a non-existent debt and deficit "crisis". Not surprising because many of these debates have political leaders essentially taking [...]

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   Interesting to see different takes on the deal reached in Los Angeles for city workers’ contracts. First, the LATimes: Unions representing 6,300 L.A. workers reject Villaraigosa’s labor deal Four out of 18 labor groups at Los Angeles City Hall have rejected Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s proposal for reducing the city’s budget shortfall by scaling back [...]

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   The cowardice that courses through the American political system is on display every day. Cowards who won’t stand up to the rich and the powerful who are just voraciously stripping every dime and dollar they can find from the hides of the people.    Andrew Cuomo is right up front.Andrew Cuomo will be now [...]

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   We’re back to a familiar problem–and that’s partly a result of the lack of leadership in the country on the issue of jobs. The jobs crisis is so acute and people feel that political leaders aren’t responding so we get this: The Obama administration’s environmental agenda, long a target of American business, is beginning [...]

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   It’s official. The president’s stroll to the Chamber of Commerce marks the handing over of the keys to the future of the middle class to the business world (not to mention the complete airbrushing out of the entire economic picture anyone considered poor). And it really has happened with not much struggle.   For [...]

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   For what they paid to elect their poodle, the elite got what they wanted: The new governor mentioned the word “tax” or “taxes” 21 times, mostly to denounce them and promise to lower them. “What made New York the Empire State was a not a large government complex,” he said. “It was a vibrant [...]

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There isn’t any other way of putting it: last night was a disaster for the labor movement and for its members and all working people. When the working class "hero" John Boehner choked up in recounting his humble roots, I said aloud, "will you remember that when you unleash Big Business to press its boot [...]

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   I always thought this approach would be worth trying: Ballots cast throughout New Jersey on Tuesday will list hundreds of candidates, their parties and the offices they seek. But for 53 candidates, the ballots will not say one of the most important things they have in common: union-approved. These people running for town councilman, [...]

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   When I first read the story today about Andrew Cuomo, it seemed fairly in line with previous things he has said about his plan to attack the labor movement if he wins the election: Andrew M. Cuomo will mount a presidential-style permanent political campaign to counter the well-financed labor unions he believes have bullied [...]

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   This is very good news: In a city of secret economies, few are as vital to the life of New York as the business of nannies, the legions of women who emancipate high-powered professionals and less glamorous working parents from the duties of daily child care so they might get to work. Those nannies, [...]

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   Over to Copenhagen (A lovely city to visit): how exactly do we adjust the global economy to save the planet from catastrophic changes AND do so in a way that is fair to workers. The process is called "Just Transition". The international labor movement–there is a delegation in Copenhagen drawing from labor around the [...]

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   An interesting report came into my email box this morning from the good folks at the International Labor Organization. The World of Work Report is an annual study by the ILO Institute, which provides an assessment of the current state of labour markets. Among its findings:   Based on the latest IMF growth estimates, [...]

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