The anarchy of unintended consequences

[SoCalifer]

I would like to relate to my friends here on the DU that my union's next contract will be a very important one; not just for ILWU longshoremen, but really for every working man. Allow my news paper's (The DISPATCHER) editor Steve Stallone to explain.

People and social movements can never really predict what other things will happen as a result of their concerted efforts for causes they wish to further. Events escalate, spin out of control, backfire and turn into their opposites.

When Richard Nixon's henchmen bungled the Watergate burglary, they never thought they were bringing down a U.S. Presidency. Certainly no one in the current Bush administration ever figured toppling Saddam Hussein would lead to an ethnic civil war, spiraling death and destruction and a black hole for the American economy.

Likewise, the architects and advocates of global free trade never intended to lose control of the world economy. But like the fabled Dr. Frankenstein, their experiments have created a monster they can't stop from terrorizing their global village.

That monster is China. And the irony here is that in a free market world, China is the winner because of its central control of the national economy and because -so far- it has been able to contain its working class under repressive laws that all but eliminate unions and keep wages among the lowest in the world. Turns out all those Senators and Congressional representatives who voted to join the World Trade Organization (WTO) and to sign off on all those free trade agreements were actually working for China. Who knew? Most likely not them.

All the free trade agreements and the explosion of seaborne international trade has had another unintended effect. U.S. West Cost ports, already booming from being on the receiving end of the world's busiest trade route, are now experiencing their largest and most consistent increases ever. Ports are expanding and work opportunities are growing on docks up and down the Coast.

At the same time employers are posting record quarterly profits across the board. But what they've been forced to do, not just on the West Coast, but in ports around the world, is hire more dockworkers. More members, especially for the ILWU, means not only do more people get to share in the union's bounty, but more members bring more strength and resources to protect everybody's job, health care and pensions. The ever-increasing importance of international trade for the world economy also gives dockworkers more leverage, not just for their own gain, but for political, social and economic justice for workers everywhere. You can bet the farm the employers never meant to do that.

The point is the union must -with intent- take advantage of the unforeseen results of the free trade policies the ILWU has always opposed.

Our current contract will be up in July 2008 with Bush having 5 to 6 months left in office, providing his ass doesn't get impeached and removed. Besides, his well known aggression towards the working class and his interference with our last contract negotiations, as you can see, he'll only a few months left in office with no worries about his reelection.

So IMHO our next contract will be vitally important to not just us ILWU members, but to all the working men and women because of a keystone position circumstances places us in. So I would humbly request for all the energy you can spare to support us in that upcoming contract.


:dem:
Thank You.

[acmejack]

1. We are counting on you to hold the line!

You are correct this contract will be huge. I'll be following your effort closely and helping in what ways I can.
in solidarity,
allen

[Democrat 4 Ever]

2. I hate Tweety with a purple passion but he did make ONE good

point last night while interviewing Bill Moyers on Hardball. He said the unions have no strong labor leader to speak for them. Said working people needed a George Meany or someone who really stands up for the working people. Where are the labor leader that stand up and fight toe to toe for American workers? Where are the hellfire and brimstone, take no prisoners, down and dirty, talk or we walk union leaders for the American workers? The car workers, and the builders, the nurses and the teachers, longshore, warehouse loaders, truck drivers and all of the other voices that have been pushed out of our government need to get their sh*t together and work for one goal.

And if anyone wants to talk trash about unions remind them that even though they may have never spent a day as a union member some one fought so everyone could enjoy an eight-hour work day, 40-hour work week, decent pay to support a family, health care, life insurance, retirement, disability, etc. Like all other periods of history the workers outnumber the elite, why are we letting them take our power?

It is time to band together again and use our strength to turn this country around. We have a flux of CEOs talking to Congress, we have billionaires, Saudi Sheiks, and white bread elites who have never dirtied their hands in their life but seems we are coming up short in the balls department for real Americans.

Is there anyone?

[kenny blankenship]

3. this is what happens.

My favorite meditation on the havoc of unintended consequences.
Those Cohen brothers really had a point about that whole Iraq mess, Sad-dam, and about dwelling in the past and the unintended consequences of long-harbored rage. That was going on seven years ago too, and it turns out their work was more prophecy than epilogue. Too bad folks wouldn't listen to 'em.
Waal, somedays you eat the bar...

GLobalized capitalism is rapidly sewing the seeds of its violent destruction. Just when it thinks it has achieved perpetual security and limitless wealth, the abyss will open under its feet. By destroying national sovereignty capitalism had hoped to free itself of pesky labor and safety laws once and for all. In the long run however, it will have only displaced its battles onto a larger international scale, forcing labor movements everywhere around the world to unite and it will have deprived itself of any refuge when the "home" nations of capital finally decide they're no longer enjoying advantages from being at the center of the Empire.