Working Life

So, here’s my take on the vote yesterday on CAFTA–beyond the obvious, it’s a great sign why the Democrats will continue to be in the minority for some time. First, the vote was not a straight partisan vote: 10 Democrats voted YES, while 12 Republicans voted NO. Here are the pathetic Democrats who voted YES–and […]

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I don’t know–maybe James Lynn, a former executive for the Beast of Bentonville, was having some after-hours interaction with a female who worked for him. But, that ‘s a completely different issue than the tale he is now telling: that The Beast’s goods were being produced in Central America by workers who were being abused. […]

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Sigh. I keep reading this letter sent to me and I wonder, “is this guy for real? Was this just sent to get his rocks off? Did he have anyone read the letter before he sent it?” The “guy” is R. Thomas Buffenbarger, president of the International Association of Machinists (IAM). Throughout the debate over […]

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Here’s some meat on the rhetorical bones: the Change To Win coalition is about to officially release a package of amendments and resolutions that will be presented at the AFL-CIO’s convention in Chicago at the end of July (tip-off is actually July 25th). Remember now, the coalition is going to have a hard time passing […]

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So, there’s been a document floating around Capitol Hill that just dropped into my little paws. It was described as a “draft” by the person who passed it on…and it makes for interesting reading on a topic that is really what this whole debate in labor is about: organizing. With a very sexy and inspiring […]

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Yesterday, the AFL-CIO Executive Council held its last meeting before the July convention in Chicago. If there was going to be any *public* compromise or thawing, it could have happened yesterday. But, nope, things are pretty much headed the same direction. According to one person from the Change To Win coalition, “the meeting was another […]

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Here’s the official announcement on the Carpenters joining the Change To Win coalition…but you already knew this was happening. CARPENTERS UNION JOINS CHANGE TO WIN COALITIONSix Million Union Members United in Growth Alliance WASHINGTON, D.C. — The United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America announced today that it is joining the Change to Win […]

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Back in the wild and crazy world of the Beast of Bentonville, today’s Financial Times has a front-page story about Wal-Mart’s plans to expand into central and eastern Europe. And its also licking its chops at the prospect of moving into more countries in “Latin America, in addition to Mexico, Brazil and Argentina, where it […]

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Okay, it’s going to be official tomorrow (Monday) but you heard it here first: the United Brotherhood of Carpenters is going to join the Change To Win Coalition (The UBC’s executive board meeting starts Monday, coincidentally on the same day as a meeting of the AFL-CIO’s Executive Council). That puts another union with half-a-million plus […]

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This is really just a heads-up to something I’ll post after 6 p.m…I promised to wait. And, anyway, it’s Sunday, you should be out playing…or sweltering as the case may be for most of the East Coast. Me, I’m headed to the gym nice and early to get that over with. But, if you’ve got […]

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