Working Life

   It was an overcast afternoon but people still turned out for a very spirited rally organized in a very short time by the New York City Central Labor Council. People came from a whole range of unions–Teamsters, Teachers, UAW, RWDSU, Laborers, AFSCME…John Sweeney was there. Gary Labarbera, the head of the CLC, lead off […]

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   The turmoil continues today, with investors continuing to flee to short-term Treasury bills (which promise virtually no profit so you can see how the panic continues) and continuing division on the Paulson bailout for bankers (Nancy Pelosi says bravely, "We are not taking ownership of this," meaning Republicans will have to vote for the […]

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   The New York City Central Labor Council is calling for a mobilization tomorrow in Wall Street to protest the bailout for bankers. Here is a piece of the statement which outlines the demands: In response to the growing concerns for worker’s needs, the Central Labor Council Executive Board today announced the following “Seven Conditions […]

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   I’ve just been given a letter that John Sweeney is sending today to every Senator. Here it it is.    It makes all the right points, with this being the key nut graf:    It proposes a grant of unlimited authority to the Bush Administration to spend $700 billion of the public’s money to […]

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   Since I posted yesterday’s appeal to labor to really dive into the financial crisis, I’ve gotten a number of calls or emails pointing to various statements made by labor leaders. As I said yesterday, I’m truly glad that John Sweeney, Andy Stern and others have made strong public statements.    BUT…statements are not enough. […]

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With the country facing the biggest financial crisis in 100 years, which threatens the homes, livelihoods and bank accounts of millions of working Americans, where is the labor movement? This moment fits the classic observation by community organizer Saul Alinksy that the Chinese character for "crisis" means both "danger" and "opportunity". The "danger" part is […]

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   Look, in the middle of this economic crisis and financial meltdown, you have to wonder: why is this election close? The answer is: race. All those negative answers to questions about whether Barack Obama has enough experience, or can be commander-in-chief or…whatever you want to choose, boil down to certain people won’t vote for […]

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   So, let’s see if we can sum this week’s drama:    Over the past weekend, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson says, basically, nothing to worry about, we’ve got this financial crisis under control now that we–the taxpayers–own Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.    Opppsss…then comes Monday. Paulson says, eh, don’t worry everything is okay even […]

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   That isn’t my rhetoric. That comes straight from the voice of Wall Street this morning, The Wall Street Journal: Worst Crisis Since ’30s, With No End Yet in Sight By JON HILSENRATH, SERENA NG and DAMIAN PALETT The financial crisis that began 13 months ago has entered a new, far more serious phase. Lingering […]

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   You might remember yesterday–oh, how long ago that seems as events move so quickly–that I suggested that you couldn’t trust the reassurances of either the president or the Treasury Secretary when they say things are under control and the financial system is sound. And so…look at today’s story: Fearing a financial crisis worldwide, the […]

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