Leo Gerard, president of the United Steelworkers, said there were smarter things to do than demonstrating against layoffs -- for instance, pushing Congress and the states to make sure the stimulus plan creates the maximum number of jobs in the United States.
"I actually believe that Americans believe in their political system more than workers do in other parts of the world," Mr. Gerard said. He said large labor demonstrations are often warranted in Canada and European countries to pressure parliamentary leaders. Demonstrations are less needed in the United States, he said, because often all that is needed is some expert lobbying in Washington to line up the support of a half-dozen senators. (Steven Greenhouse, "In America, Labor Has an Unusually Long Fuse," New York Times, 5 April 2009)
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Why Neoliberalism Is Alive and Kicking
Neoliberalism is alive and kicking -- kicking the asses of American workers, hard. And it's no wonder. Read the "Kick Me" sign slapped on the backs of all US workers:
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2 comments:
To my ears what convinces me of the political irrelevance of US organized labor is not the substance of Gerard's words -- god-awful though they may be -- but the fact that it was not until I came across this item that I recalled how chauvinistic and sub-mediocre are nearly all US union leaders. That is, I had practically forgot they existed...
To John:
It's so true, the unions in the US are synchronized with the capitalist system and act on behalf of the employers not the workers. It's completely co-opted!!
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