Working Life

The buzz is, obviously, about the immigration rallies and walk-outs today. The focus should be on making sure that enough power is shown in the streets to push back any legislation that smells of the anti-immigrant House bill. But, there is a debate about the best tactics: demonstrations versus (or, in addition to) walking off […]

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It’s been an interesting development to watch: John Edwards has decided that his potential path to the White House can be paved by embracing the notion that workers deserve and need unions–unlike most of the other possible contenders out there who look at union organizing as almost a permanent affliction that needs to be tolerated […]

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I did a stretch of seven years in Los Angeles so I keep my ear to the ground on whatever is happening there in the house of labor. The last couple of weeks, I keep hearing from friends who are holding their breathe, hoping that Antonio Villaraigosa beats incumbent Mayor Jim Hahn in the election […]

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So, first thoughts as I chug some hot liquid after a brutal late night at the tables. Today, there is an early morning meeting of Working America , a membership organization for non-union workers and retirees (the project has its supporters and detractors but is worth considered discussion—I’ll do that down the road). We’ll see […]

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It could be over already—at least as far as this meeting is concerned. Anyone looking for a radical change in the way the AFL-CIO operates is in for some disappointment. As of 3 p.m. Tuesday, it appears that the “rebels” (Teamsters, SEIU, UNITE-HERE, Laborers and UFCW) do not have the votes to push through the […]

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A breakfast conversation with the ubiquitous “senior labor official.”: We have pursued a political electoral strategy to address our organizing deficiencies. We were digging a hole with a shovel and now we’re pursuing a course of let’s get a bigger shovel. In 1995, we had a window, people weren’t against union so we spent a […]

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The sun has just risen here in Vegas as the first official day of the AFL-CIO meeting begins. But, there has already been a massive amount of behind-the-scenes meetings. All day yesterday, there were a series of official meetings but what was far more interesting were the unofficial meetings. If you remember, the New Unity […]

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