Working Life

    Okay, so, the convention of the Service Employees International Union has kicked off. I’ll be posting now and again–when I’m not drinking rum–when there is something interesting to say (and that is always open to interpretation).     For the time being, here is the Justice For All document that frames the general theme of […]

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    Ah, internal labor strife all around…I’m on my way to Puerto Rico for the SEIU convention where, I’m sure you’ve heard, there will be quite the debate. Every time I think about writing something about the debate in and around SEIU, I get a headache–partly from reading the shallow and knee-jerk coverage emanating from […]

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    One of the under-reported stories in America is the way in which the corporate thugs in their executive suites come up with new ways to screw people out of their pensions. Normally, what we get when the press covers pensions is the sky-is-falling story, which translates into "workers’ pensions are too generous and should […]

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    I don’t normally have particular interest in corruption charges against members of Congress–not that they shouldn’t go to jail, and, better yet, be tarred and feathered–it’s just that there is only so much time in the day, But, I’ve always made an exception for William "Dollar Bill" Jefferson, and we’ve been following his travails […]

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    I just got this in my e-mail box: Chris Chafe will become the new executive director of Change To Win. I can say, without any hesitation, that Chris is a real–to use a technical term–mensch. He was most recently a senior advisor for the Edwards’ campaign; he took his whole family from New York […]

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    A few months ago, I wrote about a worker dying in the construction industry in New York. Then, I said:     How do you stop this from happening? I’m sorry to say it won’t be by hiring more inspectors or gathering more data. It will stop when contractors start going to jail when people […]

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I’ve published this before. But, it always seems appropriate: Recognizing who served: Democrats * Richard Gephardt: Air National Guard, 1965-71. Tom Daschle: 1st Lt., Air Force SAC 1969-72. Al Gore: enlisted Aug. 1969; sent to Vietnam Jan. 1971 as an army journalist in 20th Engineer Brigade. Daniel Inouye: Army 1943-’47; Medal of Honor, WWII. John […]

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    My UAW sisters and brothers approved a four-year contract that ends a long strike at American Axle. When I first wrote about the strike, it seemed obvious that the company wanted to destroy the basic standard of living that made it possible for people to have a decent life. And, indeed, that is what […]

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    A pet peeve of mine has been the way in which government statistics mislead us–and that is even without actual lying by politicians and their operatives. Take the Gross Domestic Product–it only tells you that stuff is being made, not whether the average person can pay their bills. Even when the GDP goes up, […]

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    Most of what I write about so-called "free trade" has focused on the horrendous hits that workers take from globalization that is all about one major thing: seeking out the lowest wages. But, there is another piece to this: so-called "free trade" is destroying the planet. Oh, yes, I’m sure the advocates of so-called […]

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