Unionize. Unite. (on solidarity)

[BelgianMadCow]

It is really simple. Capitalism is a global game. The large manufacturers all play the low-wage-card.
Countries are played out against each other. Even here in the "unified" Europe, this happens.
As a consequence the fat cats all over the world are reaping even bigger benefits than before. Globalization really only benefits them.

The multinational corporations are obviously globally organized, and they are a force to be reckoned with, with turnovers that rival the GDP of countries. They wield enormous power.
Against them stands the worker, all over the world. We are all in the same boat - be it the western worker whose purchasing power continually declines with wages under pressure from low-wage countries or the workers in those countries, working in sub-par conditions health- and safety wise, replaced in milliseconds when not performing to their masters' wishes.

I contend that the workers are played out against each other, using the good old divide and conquer scheme. In the face of delocalisation, people tend to have a nationalistic reflex. But the pressure from the low-wage countries is there - you can think "I'm buying Mattel dolls", a US brand but...I recently checked, their and practically ALL toys are made in the PRC.

The only chance we workers stand is if we are unionized, and if the UNIONS GLOBALIZE TOO. There really IS no difference between the rights of a worker in the US, Belgium, Congo or the PRC. Such a union should be fighting to:
- make sure the established systems / rights / health and safety regulations in the west aren't eroded any further
- promote these same systems / etc elsewhere.
Automatically, the low-wage leverage will decline and production will stay "close to home" where possible.

It is NOT a fight between the US worker and the PRC/XXX worker - it is a fight between workers all over and our overlords. They do NOT want us to realize we are in the same boat.

We in the west have to fight for the wage of the PRC worker, and the conditions he has to work in/under.
They have to fight to keep our system alive, so that our "good example" lifts them, instead of the overlords'game keeping them down and eroding our rights.

Unionize. Unite.

BMC

[spoony]

1. k & r

really nice summing up of the situation.