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Here’s the ‘Word on the Street’ from Working America |
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For a snapshot of what’s on the minds of working families this election year, take a look at Working America’s “Word on the Street” blog.
That’s where the 450 canvassers in 11 states write about the people they meet and their experiences going door to door each night, talking with people about what matters most to them and how they can grow their voice through Working America.
Launched in 2003, the community affiliate of the AFL-CIO already includes more than 2 million members. The organization gives workers who don’t have a union a voice on issues from health care to jobs to education and local ballot initiatives and more.
Michael Dice in Colorado says one of the new Working America members he signed up has firsthand knowledge about the need for real health care reform, not a McCain “bandage solution.”
I signed up a new member for Working America who is passionate about health care reform in this country. She was diagnosed several years ago with a serious autoimmune disease. She was forced to take medical retirement from a good job in California and to move to Colorado to be near family members to assist her with her physical needs. Her latest hospital bill was $95,000, and she may have to file bankruptcy as a result. She had a very compelling story and wants to help out!
In Lakewood, Ohio, near Cleveland, canvasser Octavio Armendariz writes about a frustrating night of door-knocking trying to talk to people about health care reform and asking them to sign Working America’s “No Bandage Solution” health care petition.
I had been having a rough night because I kept running into very negative people. However, I went up to a door and knocked, and this really nice lady answered the door. I gave her my rap, and she seemed very interested. What amazed me most was her three kids who all signed the bandage petition.
But what really got me was their involvement. As I asked what issues mattered most to them, her daughter—who must have only been 13 if that—started to comment on how important good jobs were. The other two younger kids also gave their input on the economy and health care. I thought to myself: “Maybe there is hope for the younger generation!”
So many workers in these times of a faltering economy and growing joblessness are ripe for exploitation by their employers, as Becky Angelo found out one night in Akron.
I talked to a woman in the Akron area, who is retired from a company who has sold out to another company who is outsourcing. The way they are doing it is that if a current employee refuses to train people from India they are bringing in, they will be fired, no questions asked. They are also getting rid of employees a few at a time instead of all at once. This isn’t all. All former employees that are retired are losing their health care insurance starting in January ‘09.
In Pennsylvania, canvasser Jay Rosen says meeting and signing up five new Working America members really lifted his spirits and reinforced the importance of his nightly door-knocking.
Today, I had the distinct pleasure of meeting a wonderful couple. He works in construction and his wife is a hair stylist. Their passion for our cause is so profound and we talked for at least 10 minutes. They are struggling, as are many people that I have come across in this line of work. They asked me to sit with them, gave me some bottled water and paid their dues as well. It was a fruitful endeavor, as I also signed up three other people that were visiting them. Meeting people like these helped make our mission worthwhile and meaningful.
Click here to read more blogs from Working America’s in-the-trenches, door-to-door canvassers.
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One would hope, after getting all these insights from the massive destruction to working people, there there is something profoundly wrong in the economy of this country. But the labor movement continues into this November election doing exactly the same things it has done for many years! Uncritical support of Obama and the Democrats will do NOTHING to actually CHANGE anything in the lives of workig people.
The U.S. capitalist economy has been the decline for 30 years. This is especially apparent to working people needing “living wage” jobs who can no longer find such jobs. To continue to make money, the economy has been transformed by capitalists to minimize the ways in which they make money.
The goal is always to minimize the “human resources” needed to make profit.
The new ways for capitalists to make money in every way impacts upon the living standards of working people. Here are two recent stories:
US government survey: Most corporations pay no taxes
By Tom Eley
15 August 2008
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/aug2008/ctax-a15.shtml
“A study released Tuesday by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reveals that the majority of corporations pay no federal taxes on profits accrued through business conducted within the US.”
…
“The GAO report demonstrates that the tax system provides no means of redistributing social wealth from the corporate oligarchy to the great majority of the population. Just the opposite is the case.”
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
California budget compromise takes from the poor, gives to the rich
By Rafael Azul
16 August 2008
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/aug2008/cali-a16.shtml
“…Coupled with a reduction in state services, the new budget threatens to impose a massive reduction in the living standards of the working class, particularly its poorest layers, while further enriching the living standards of wealthy Californians.”
What we have … foever… is unending CLASS WAR against all working people to maximize the wealth of the ruling elite. It has been so long and continuous, it is always promoted by corporate owned mass media, and supported by the Democratic Party, that it is almost considered a normal state of humanity. The destruction of working people is now considered normal and essential to maintain the status quo comfortable living for the ruling elite.
Some specific steps needed to end this disasterous status quo needed to bring about change:
1. The reality of existing conditions to working people must be made become the awareness of all working people. The conditions we are experiencing are not “personal problems”. When millions of people are experiencing the same disasterous conditions these are SOCIAL PROBLEMS caused by ECONOMIC CONDITIONS created by corporate class rule of the ruling elite.
2. The labor movement must create a new mass media to inform and educate working people as to the ECONOMIC and POLITICAL causes of these problems. New radio/tv/print media the corporate mass media “spin” on reality must be challenged.
3. Organize! Armed with a new understanding of not only what is happening, why we are being destroyed, a forms of organizing the unorganized must be created. In addition to union organizing, we need to create and organize for a new political party! NOT just a labor union party, but a national people’s party that represents and fights for the economic needs of all working people.
This new party would run candidates for office at every level of federal, state and local government who support the platform of the new party.
4. Without the massive effort that unites working people, seniors, people with health insurance, students need free qualitypublic education, we will not make change. No single individual (Obama, Nader, McKinney, etc.) able singlehandly make any change.
5. We must end the war(s) for profit and oil of the Bush/Cheney gang (basically supported by Obama and the Democrats) and cut back the “military-industrial complex” budget to free up the funds needed to sustain the social programs absolutely essential for survival of working people.
6. Simple trade unionism can no longer provide any benefits to union members. Corporate capitalism is taking away all benefits, cutting wages by one half, to maximize profit. Under globalization the organized labor movement has no “leverage” any longer to improve wages and working conditions.
When will organized labor “wake up” to the new realities of work under a capitalism in declien?
Hey Jerry,
Do you have Jobs with Justice where you live? If so, join up. if not, join the national group at http://jwj.org and find people who want to build a coalition where you live. Even though JwJ is not a political party and they do not endorse or support candidates, they are building the very movement you are talking about through grassroots organizing for worker, economic and environmental justice.
One would hope, after getting all these insights from the massive destruction to working people, there there is something profoundly wrong in the economy of this country. But the labor movement continues into this November election doing exactly the same things it has done for many years! Uncritical support of Obama and the Democrats will do NOTHING to actually CHANGE anything in the lives of workig people.
The U.S. capitalist economy has been in decline for 30 years. This is especially apparent to working people needing “living wage” jobs who can no longer find such jobs. To continue to make money, the economy has been transformed by capitalists to transform the ways in which they make money. These new ways of maximizing wealth and profit nearly always involves minimizing “human resources” (jobs) needed to make profit.
The new ways for capitalists to accumulate wealth in every way negatively impacts upon the living standards of working people. Here are two recent stories:
US government survey: Most corporations pay no taxes
By Tom Eley
15 August 2008
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/aug2008/ctax-a15.shtml
“A study released Tuesday by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reveals that the majority of corporations pay no federal taxes on profits accrued through business conducted within the US.”
…
“The GAO report demonstrates that the tax system provides no means of redistributing social wealth from the corporate oligarchy to the great majority of the population. Just the opposite is the case.”
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
California budget compromise takes from the poor, gives to the rich
By Rafael Azul
16 August 2008
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/aug2008/cali-a16.shtml
“…Coupled with a reduction in state services, the new budget threatens to impose a massive reduction in the living standards of the working class, particularly its poorest layers, while further enriching the living standards of wealthy Californians.”
What we have … foever… is unending CLASS WAR against all working people to maximize the wealth of the ruling elite. It has been so long and continuous, it is always promoted by corporate owned mass media, and supported by the Democratic Party, that it is almost considered a normal state of humanity. The destruction of working people is now considered normal and essential to maintain the status quo comfortable living for the ruling elite.
Some specific steps needed to end this disasterous status quo needed to bring about change:
1. The reality of existing conditions to working people must be made become the awareness of all working people. The conditions we are experiencing are not “personal problems”. When millions of people are experiencing the same disasterous conditions these are SOCIAL PROBLEMS caused by ECONOMIC CONDITIONS created by corporate class rule of the ruling elite.
2. The labor movement must create a new mass media to inform and educate working people as to the ECONOMIC and POLITICAL causes of these problems. New radio/tv/print media the corporate mass media “spin” on reality must be challenged.
3. Organize! Armed with a new understanding of not only what is happening, why we are being destroyed, new forms of organizing the unorganized must be created. In addition to union organizing, we need to create and organize for a new political party! NOT just a labor union party, but a national people’s party that represents and fights for the economic needs of all working people.
This new party would run candidates for office at every level of federal, state and local government who support the platform of the new party.
4. Without the massive effort that unites millions of working people, seniors, people with health insurance, students need free qualitypublic education, etc. we will not make change. No single individual (Obama, Nader, McKinney, etc.) is capable of singlehandly (or a few followers) make any change.
5. We must end the war(s) for profit and oil of the Bush/Cheney gang (basically supported by Obama and the Democrats) and cut back the “military-industrial complex” budget to free up the billions needed to sustain the social programs absolutely essential for survival of working people.
6. Simple trade unionism can no longer provide any benefits to union members. Corporate capitalism is taking away all benefits, cutting wages by one half, to maximize profit. Under globalization the organized labor movement has no “leverage” any longer to improve wages and working conditions.
When will organized labor “wake up” to the new realities of work under a capitalism in decline?
(I am sorry for double post. The second version correct some typo errors existing in the first version. Thanks. Jerry Wells)