Working Life

   You probably have heard that a deal was reach between the UAW and Chrysler. Like last week, though, it’s really had to tell from reading the traditional media what exactly the deal will be–other than workers are going to get the shaft. The Wall Street Journal doesn’t say much about enhanced pension protection (meaning, […]

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   I’m only about peace and love these days when it comes to the labor movement–there is plenty to write about in the AIG-side of the world that makes you want to cry. So, it was nice to read the email in my box announcing an agreement between SEIU and the California Nurses Association to […]

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   Today, The White House is hosting a gathering of people who want to take part in shaping the future health care system. A lot of the participants simply want to keep the same basic system going: for-profit leeching from the pockets of the American people. Here’s a story they should listen to:   This […]

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   Here is a classic example about how poorly the debate is often framed in our political discourse. The president has appointed Nancy-Ann DeParle to be the director of the White House Office of Health Reform. Some people are getting worked up into a lather about her need to sever her ties to the health […]

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  Yesterday, Tom Daschle testified in his confirmation hearing for secretary of health and human services. He promised "bi-partisanship", pledging "I really want to work in a collaborative way. It’s the only way we’re going to get this done." Which made me think: if that is the path we take, millions of Americans will be […]

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  When the history of our current economic crisis is written, there will need to be a full chapter devoted to the willful ignorance or stupidity of the traditional media. Right before our eyes stands the solution to a huge chunk of our fiscal nightmare and a lifeline for the auto industry: single-payer health care. […]

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   I had grand ambitions about posting today an in-depth thing and may still rally to do that but, you know, I’m under the gun on so much stuff that I’m taking the easy way out but not necessarily by not giving up something important. Check this out, from The Wall Street Journal this morning: […]

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   Sounds like one of those spam emails you get, huh? Well, it feels like the members of Congress operate that way. People keep talking about stimulus as a way of stemming the financial global meltdown (um, it might be rough again today–foreign markets all plunged deeply and the Dow futures is showing a huge […]

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Health care is in the air–and there are somewhat dueling camps here in Denver, which reflect what’s happening day-to-day in labor. Last night, I attended a lively reception hosted by a variety of groups–the California Nurses Association and Progressive Democrats of America–who support HR676, the bill that would enact essentially a single-payer system. The bill’s […]

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   I’m working on Denver time now and, after being out drinking a lot of wine, I’m strapped back into the saddle. Now, this is really good news and a lot of kudos go out to the leadership of the New York State AFL-CIO: at its most recent statewide convention this past week, the State […]

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