Organized Labor Hopes Attacks by Some States Help Nurture Comeback

[NeoConsSuck]

Source: NY Times

WASHINGTON — When Wisconsin’s governor, Scott Walker, began his crusade against collective bargaining by public employees, his state’s unions seemed woefully outmatched. But Wisconsin’s beleaguered labor movement woke up and mobilized, through e-mail blasts, phone trees and Facebook, getting tens of thousands of supporters to rally in Madison against the legislation and surprising itself that it could muster such a show of force so quickly.

For now, the two sides are at a stalemate, with protesters still swarming the Capitol and Democratic senators hiding in Illinois to deny the Republican majority the quorum needed to pass Mr. Walker’s bill. Meanwhile, governors in other states, most notably New Jersey and Ohio, have gone on the offensive against labor, deriding teachers’ unions, tenure and generous pensions.

Organized labor has been on a long decline, but the recent attacks against it in Wisconsin and elsewhere have had a surprising result — they have energized the nation’s unions. Instead of just playing defense to protect benefits and bargaining rights, labor leaders are plotting some offense, with several saying Mr. Walker may have unwittingly nurtured a comeback by unions.

As the Wisconsin showdown has unfolded, several recent national opinion polls have shown strong public backing for unions. And labor leaders say public awareness, especially among younger people, of what unions do has clearly increased.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/06/us/politics/06union.html?_r=1&hp

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I can only hope that this is the start of something bigger.

[ClarkUSA]

1. I believe it will at least cause some union households to start voting Democratic again.

A PPP WI poll recently showed that the difference that won Walker the governor's seat came from union households voting for him!

Now, it's reversed, so he'd lose, but what buyer's remorse these Walker voters must feel now.

[NeoConsSuck]

2. Excellent point !

[Iliyah]

3. What the fuck

were they thinking?

The right wing had vilified the Dems so much, these people believed anything. I'm from Cali, and I was talking with a few retired teachers about whats happening in Ohio and other places and they told me that they did not care. I ask why, their response, well hell they were dumb enough to vote for those assholes.

[No Elephants]

7. As if weakening labor in several states has no effect anywhere else.

Besides, not all union members voted for them.

[No Elephants]

9. Maybe it depends upon what ultimately happens in Wisconsin..

IMO, Dems lost a lot of "the rank and file" because government seems to have stopped working for working people.

If government to have stopped working for working people, working people will vote for what seems like the lower tax party.

[JDPriestly]

4. Union leaders need to rethink what they stand for and do.

The days of large manufacturing plants are passed. Unions need to organize in such a way that ordinary individuals who work in offices, small shops, etc. can join a union. Striking a whole plant is, for most working people, not a possibility.

The sales personnel at boutiques and department stores need to find a way to benefit from labor organizations as do office workers and sales personnel for other companies, personnel who used to be considered management, but now are treated very badly by large corporations.

In fact, lawyers and doctors who are not partners or independent practitioners, need representation.

The conditions under which some associates in law firms work are horrible -- long hours, stress, at-will employment. They would not want to strike, but they would benefit if the problems about their working conditions were known to the public. Doctors and lawyers will be the next people to find their paychecks seriously cut and demands on their time and qualifications increased. At the same time, medical and legal services for the poor and middle classes are far too expensive and scarce compared to the incomes of the poor and middle classes. Doctors and lawyers, however, cannot afford to pay for their educations, their professional fees, continuing education, etc. and work for wages that the poor and middle classes can afford. Lawyers and doctors need the representation of a union. The professional organizations are not doing a good job.

[Iliyah]

5. The corporations made sure

that a lot of manufacturing jobs went over seas. The corporations wanted to destroy those unions, and yes, there are just a few left. Thats why the gop aka tea brats were so against GM and other auto companies. These companies are surviving and slowly but surely re-grouping back into the American business system, of course total opposition from the right wing. Right now, our survival will comes from small business, and Unions who are mainly Gov., State, and local.

The gop and tea brats are trying to destroy whats left of the unions. We win, America wins, and maybe one day lawyers and doctors and staff will be unionized, but I doubt it. I have worked for lawyers for the past 30 years, and majority of them were fair.

[No Elephants]

8. +1

[JDPriestly]

6. Union leaders need to rethink what they stand for and do.

The days of large manufacturing plants are passed. Unions need to organize in such a way that ordinary individuals who work in offices, small shops, etc. can join a union. Striking a whole plant is, for most working people, not a possibility.

The sales personnel at boutiques and department stores need to find a way to benefit from labor organizations as do office workers and sales personnel for other companies, personnel who used to be considered management, but now are treated very badly by large corporations.

In fact, lawyers and doctors who are not partners or independent practitioners, need representation.

The conditions under which some associates in law firms work are horrible -- long hours, stress, at-will employment. They would not want to strike, but they would benefit if the problems about their working conditions were known to the public. Doctors and lawyers will be the next people to find their paychecks seriously cut and demands on their time and qualifications increased. At the same time, medical and legal services for the poor and middle classes are far too expensive and scarce compared to the incomes of the poor and middle classes. Doctors and lawyers, however, cannot afford to pay for their educations, their professional fees, continuing education, etc. and work for wages that the poor and middle classes can afford. Lawyers and doctors need the representation of a union. The professional organizations are not doing a good job.