Working Life

There is a drip, drip of stories and evidence that shows how the entire traditional pension system is close to collapse. Back in August, I wrote about Retirement in Peril as evidenced by the struggle facing workers at United Airlines and the deep shit that the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation is in. Now, comes a […]

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Tonight, PBS’ Frontline is going to take a close look at Wal-Mart and how it is shaping our economy. The broadcast, entitled “Is Wal-Mart Good For America?,” includes this scene: “It’s 6 a.m. at a basketball arena in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and the faithful are gathering. Inside, Thomas Schoewe, Wal-Mart’s chief financial officer, works the crowd. […]

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Since the first report I posted, I’ve learned a bit more about Jose Gilberto Soto. Also, the National Labor Committee has posted additional information about his murder (http://www.nlcnet.org/campaigns/soto/) This info comes from an official biography released by the Teamsters: Jose Gilberto Soto was born on November 6, 1954 in Usulutan, El Salvador. Gilberto leaves his […]

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Was a U.S. company involved in the murder of a union organizer? No one yet knows the full details that lead to the murder of Jose Gilberto Soto–but it sure smells like a contract murder. Soto was visiting his mother’s home in El Salvador when he received a call on his cell phone. He stepped […]

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Today, the AFL-CIO Executive Council convenes for a special one-day meeting to talk about the election results and the future of the Democratic party. But, what is about to burst into the open is a much more important debate: will organized labor die? And the answer is a firm yes—unless organized labor takes drastic steps […]

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Beginning today, I’ll devote a lot of time, space and energy to help spur the debate over how the labor movement survives. We’re in deep trouble–and it’s not just about a Bush second term. You can start by reading “The Edifice Complex,” which, though a decade old, still raises issues that we need to grapple […]

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Back from the trenches in Pennsylvania. Will write soon about our future. For now, a link to my report from the Lehigh Valley: http://www.thenation.com/blogs/groundwar?pid=1965

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So, here is my own prognostication for the election, dispatched from the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania, where I’ve come to help run a staging location for get-out-the-vote operations in this swing region (as the saying goes here, “as Lehigh Valley goes so goes Pennsylvania”). Kerry will win and, being the contrarian I am (and going […]

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Once this election is over, I’ll get back to our Working Life. But, can’t help but reprint here something that was a keeper. Look here at this list to figure out who the Chicken Hawks are among politicans (a la Dick Cheney “I had other priorities” than serving in the Vietnam War) and media pundits, […]

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Worth checking out these two short films: one from a filmmaker named Stephanie Daniels (stephanie@oh7films.com) and the other from Eminem. Different beats and passion but strong on both counts. For Daniels’ film, check out: www.oh7films.com Eminem is at: http://www.gnn.tv/content/eminem_mosh.html

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