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Union Members Know What’s at Stake When They Vote |
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Welcome to Shant Mesrobian, a new AFL-CIO political writer, in his debut post.
In an article for Salon.com titled “So Long, White Boy,” political scientist Tom Schaller notes the decreasing influence of blue-collar, white male voters—as Schaller calls them, “Bubba” voters—within Democratic politics. Schaller, who makes a similar argument in his book, Whistling Past Dixie: How Democrats Can Win Without the South, advises Democrats that the solidly Republican voting pattern of white males coupled with their ever-decreasing share of the electorate makes them unattractive targets for Democratic appeals.
Schaller does, however, make one exception, and that’s for current or retired union members. Our own AFL-CIO deputy political director, Mike Podhorzer, sets the record straight, as Schaller writes:
“The 2004 CNN exit poll data shows that [John] Kerry lost white males by 31 points if they weren’t in a union, but won them by seven points if they were—a 38-point difference,” says Mike Podhorzer, deputy political director of the AFL-CIO. “It’s no accident—union members understand that their votes make a difference, for their wages, their health care and their pensions. If, as they say, ‘there’s something the matter with Kansas,’ there’s nothing the matter with union members.”
What’s more, a Christian Science Monitor article on the increasing influence of labor in the 2008 election notes that 24 percent of voters in the 2004 election were from union households, up from 19 percent in 1992.
So, while we can’t really say whether Democrats should be abandoning any one group of voters, we can safely say this: Union membership matters. With such a strong correlation between union participation and informed economic voting, and with such a high share of the electorate, politicians whistle past the labor movement at their own peril.
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It is an ongoing tragedy that union “leaders” continue to support the Democratic Party as always. The Democrats are controlled by corporate money and agendas. Clinton and Obama health plans maintain for-profit corporate interests, thus effectively negating any health care “reform” efforts.
Cynically analysizing working people along racial lines, and from this developing essentially RASCIST political strategies, must be opposed by the organized labor movement. It must be opposed because it divides working people on a “divide and conquer” basis that is always the tactic of the class war waged by corporate interests. The Bush gang refuse to help the Katrina victims because they are mainly IMPOVERISHED African-Americans…. there is no profit in helping poor people and especially poor people of color.
The commonlities that unite ALL working people and increasingly “middle class” and organized working people, is the increasingly desperate and impossible economic situation that we all face. The corporate profiteering from the wars in the Middle East, the massive debt, are exacerbating the continual decline in the standard of living for all working people. (I won’t itemize the long list of things
as you should know them by now!)
I read in this article the AFL-CIO is now giving the Democrats $200 million dollars for the 2008 election! WHAT A TOTAL WASTE! The Democrats won the election in 2006 and what have they done for working people? Or about the war ? Or vitally important: they refuse to impeach Bush/Cheney gangsters!
What must labor movement, AFL-CIO, do with their precious resources?
1. Fund and create a new national radio network to educate all working people about the reasons WHY they are being destroyed. The national mass media (newspapers, FOX news, PBS) keep people in ignorance forever. The corporate national newspapers forever have “business sections” for the wealthy. But NEVER any news or information from the perspective of working people.
2. From this understanding the labor movement needs to consider forming a new political party to “dump” the Democrats. Not merely to express the political will of the marginalized labor movement. But to bring together through educational programming the common interests of all working people. Who are these people: the 45 million without health insurance, the millions up to their ears in credit card debt, people concerned about attacks on Social Security, parents concerned about the public educational system that is being destroyed, global warming and environment destruction …. that working people have to live in every day, the massive loss of “living wage” jobs that is driving us all into “wage slavery” - rarely able to have the time or money for vacations, pay all the bills, spend time with family etc.
These are conditions all working people are facing. Not just “non-white” people. College graduation no longer automatically means an easy life, as college graduates are being imported from China and India to undercut salaries by one third!
It is represensible that the AFL-CIO urge members and working people to support Democrats who continue to ignore the vital interests of America, continue to fund corporate wars for oil, privatize the federal government, etc.
to the neglect of Americas working people.
Check out this article:
“AFL-CIO leaders pledge $200 million to Democratic Party campaigns”
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2007/sep2007/afl-s27_prn.shtml
I did read the article that you highlighted. While you may have some points, you also have to know that the AFL-CIO has to play the hand it is dealt. Wouldn’t we all like to be able to change the entire national system to make it fairer for our union members. No matter how eloquently you state your case, most of those things are not going to happen in our lifetime. Therefore, we have to do what we can to see that our workers and retired workers receive consideration by ALL our elected officials. At the present time, the Republicans are not interested in helping workers get ahead, so that leaves us with the Democrats, and while some of them aggravate all of us, they are the only game in town for our workers. We have been very fortunate, that with the help of the AFL-CIO, we have been able to hang in there as best we can while George Bush and the Republicans have been running this country. This is called “reality”. Everyone should have a dose occasionally.
“…we have been able to hang in there as best we can while George Bush and the Republicans have been running this country. This is called “reality”.
1. The on-going decline of the labor movement has been going on for 30 years… under both Republican and Democratic presidents. The labor “leaders” have chosed to be “business partners” with their corporate bosses, even as these corporations are destroying the labor movement.
2. There is a greater “reality” that your conservative defeatist perspective does not consider. U.S. corporate capitalism for the last 30 years has been in decline. Manufacturing has moved to China. The labor intensive industries are disappearing. READ TODAY’S HEADLINES ABOUT THE DESTRUCTION OF THE UAW WORKERS! What does this mean? What is labor doing about this reality? Effectively NOTHING.
3. Economic conditions for working people are becoming impossible. Working people cannot wait until corporate capitalism can once again decide to start hiring people at “living wage” jobs as long as there are 130 MILLION UNEMPLOYED IN CHINA that we have to “compete” against.
4. There is no going back to “the good old days” or the “golden age of U.S. capitalism” (after WWII to about 1970) when housing was cheap, jobs plentiful, and millions went to college on the G.I. Bill. These days are over forever for U.S. capitalism.
5. But the human needs of the vast majority of working people remain as always: food, clothing, shelter,health care, education. etc. Such needs cannot be fulfilled by minimal wage jobs by a profiteering economy that is on the verge of collapse.
6. If the existing organized labor movement does not recognize this “reality” then any suggestion to start a national radio network to educate working people would be a complete waste of time. Forget trying to use such a network to organize to increase labor union membership. Forget trying to create a new political party that is organized to promote the economic interests of working people.
An ignorant labor movement is a politically bankrupt labor movement as it literally does not know what to do about the new “reality” that is destroying all working people in this country. The organized labor movement may continue to “hang on” in a few special circumstances but over all it will continue it’s historic decline.
6
Poker isn’t reality. Throw away a few of those 2s and 3s, and replace them with As and Ks.
You don’t know me, but let me assure you that I am far from conservative. I believe strongly that our workers are aware of the jobs that have been outsourced to other countries. They were the ones affected! I am sorry that you think you are the only person who knows what is going on. When you come up with a plan that in “reality” will work, I will be happy to listen. Don’t forget, we are on the same side (at least, I think we are). I have spent my lifetime trying to assist working families in this country; having lived in three states and working long hours with no pay. I am talking thirty years! So, don’t talk to me like I am some imbecile. I faced “reality” a long time ago, but it hasn’t stopped me from continuing to try.
“I have spent my lifetime trying to assist working families in this country; having lived in three states and working long hours with no pay. I am talking thirty years! So, don’t talk to me like I am some imbecile. I faced “reality” a long time ago, but it hasn’t stopped me from continuing to try.”
There is no intention of a personal attack and I appologize if it should appear that way. What I am suggesting is that current economic and political realities requires a new strategy and new tactics of the labor movement. Instead, the AFL-CIO is spending 200 million dollars (due money from working people!) to support corporate funded and controlled Democratic Party candidates who are hostile to the interests of working people.
The basic reality is that both Democratic and Republican parties support the unregulated, untaxed, gangster capitalism that is destroying this country and the planet. The existing labor movement leadership has become the “business partner” to this catastrophe rather than trying to oppose it. This is a historic tragedy.
I suggest we elect Cecil Roberts of the UMW, for president of the U.S. I have heard this man talk. He seems to be the real deal. By the way, I belong to the USW union. Not that it matters because no matter what union affilliation you belong to, we are all fighting the same battle.
It would seem that everyone knows what the problem is, but no one has taken the steps needed to fix it i.e. get someone in labor to run for president. You would think that all union honchos could get together and come up with something. I think they would have the backing of the work force. We have already been losing for the past 30 years. We need the change soon or we will all be living in poverty and be under foreign rule.
SOLIDARITY!