Working Life

   At least, for the foreseeable future. So says an article in yesterday’s New York Times: In recent months, nearly 100 newspapers in the United States have endorsed the Colombia trade agreement. So have many top Democrats, including Mayor Richard M. Daley of Chicago. And Mr. Uribe, who was already popular in Congress, was widely […]

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  There seems to be an emerging consensus that so-called "free trade" is dead. Even the business press is beginning to accept the inevitable. So, maybe we can now begin a rationale debate about trade, without meaningless marketing phrases like "free trade".   Yesterday, Bloomberg ran this piece: The liberalization of global trade has come […]

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   I have this on my mind for two reasons today. First, a little factoid I read courtesy of the Sierra Club. As you all may know, compact flourescent lightbulbs are more efficient. But: Despite the fact that the compact fluorescent bulb generates the same amount of light withone quarter of the electricity,the WTO considers […]

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   My first reaction looking at the grim news all around–say, that American is going to cut 7,000 jobs by the end of the year–was to write about the litany of awful crap coming down on workers around the country. But, it being the day before Independence Day (and, as a result, yours truly gets […]

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  Yesterday, the Supreme Court ruled against unions in an important case. In the decision, the Court made clear that it wants to encourage more tension in the workplace rather than promote workplaces that are harmonious and productive. It’s a case that should make even more clear what the stakes are come November.   The […]

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   I meant the "breaking" as a snark, in case it wasn’t obvious. For everyone but the pro- so-called "free trade" crowd (economists, elites and too many Democrats), it’s been crystal-clear that the driving force behind trade is wages, not efficiency, a better product, lower prices for consumers and all the other nonsense you read. […]

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   There is a pretty interesting poll out today in The New York Times about our billionaire mayor. The teflon mayor is still pretty popular–something I’ve never understood. But, people are paying attention to one of his failings–choosing development over the lives of workers. I’ve been watching the fatalities and injuries pile up for a […]

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Look no further for evidence that Congressional Republicans will be buried in 2008 then the vote yesterday to extend unemployment benefits. Republicans are threatening to block the bill in the Senate and/or President 28 Percent is promising to veto the bill. Please do–and stand back to usher in a filibuster-proof Democratic Senate and a huge […]

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I’ve always believed, and have said in the past, that until we start locking up executives who let workers die and be maimed on the job because of unsafe working conditions, the toll will continue to climb. That is why this is good news, just posted on the Times website: Contractor Charged With Manslaughter By […]

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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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