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Unions Texting for Jobs and Political Action
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The next text message a Painter and Allied Trades (IUPAT) member might receive could be a job lead from the union. Members of the Transport Workers (TWU) and Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) get text messages about the latest actions in the unions’ Save Our Ride campaign.
This past April, during the AFL-CIO’s massive rally and march on Wall Street, hundreds of participants joined a text messaging action and called Goldman Sachs, telling the Wall Street giant to stop opposing meaningful financial reform.
Let us know if your union using is using text messaging to communicate or mobilize its members. And don’t forget, you can join the AFL-CIO Good Jobs Now team: Text JOBS to 225568.
The just-launched IUPAT jobs text message network allows union members to text the first letter of their specific craft—for example, P for painters, G for glaziers, etc—to the jobs text number. They will then get instructions on how to finalize their registration.
When local IUPAT leaders hear about the need for workers in any of those crafts, the union will send out a job alert to those registered with contact information in the message. Because many times there is only a 24 hour to 48 hour window to staff the job, the text message alerts will better ensure a more timely response. For more information click here.
Save Our Ride is a nationwide coalition in support of public transit, with backing from civil rights, community and environmental organizations, as well as transit management in many cities. Earlier this year, the groups staged rallies in several major cities to build support for transit funding and they allow greater local control of federal transit funds. The text network allowed supporters receive to action alerts and updates on the campaign for public transit funding.
When Congress returns from its August recess, more transit action is planned. Text OURRIDE to 69866 for updates.
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3 Comments
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I totally support public transportation and here in the Nation’s Capital that support is needed now more than ever. We suffer at the hands of a dysfunctional metro system in the Washington Metro Area Transit Authority. We have broken escalators, broken trains, broken tracks, broken transistors, broken cars with no AC and a broken ridership whose demands are not being listened to. I for one feel that WMATA needs to be federalized.
The following “Comment” was also posted on the California’s Peace and Freedom Party Blog home page here. (further edited here.)
http://peaceandfreedom.org/blog/?p=3489#more-3489
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The Crisis of Failed Strategies of the AFL-CIO, “Progressives”
(The following comment, edited here, was made on the AFL-CIO NOW blog article entitled: One Nation Formed to Bring Back the American Dream by James Parks, Aug 5, 2010. – Jerry Wells)
“If you care about defending our country against the apostles of hate, you need to be part of the fight to rebuild a sustainable, high wage economy built on good jobs—the kind of economy that can only exist when working men and women have a real voice on the job.”
Beautiful words. But no understanding evident here about the most fundamental questions to be asked. “Progressives” (and President Trumka) are forever spinning beautiful words about what “should be” but not a word of WHY the impoverishment of working people is taking place. Without understanding WHY, there can be no understanding of WHAT TO DO, or WHAT STRATEGY must working people adopt to bring about the essential changes in the economy.
Failed strategies of simple trade unionism, that go back 100 years, remain unchanged today. The labor movement has no new strategy to meet the many crises facing working people today.
What kind of economy must we “rebuild”?
Why is the present economy not “sustainable”?
Will having a “real voice on the job” actually make enough difference in a capitalist economy?
No mention that the U.S. “economy” is a Capitalist economy,
No mention that a Capitalist economy is intrinsically unstable, unsustainable, and incapable of providing for the majority of working people “sustainable, high wage economy built on good jobs.”
No understanding that there must be a transition from Capitalism to a Socialist economy dedicated to filling the economic needs of the vast majority of people, of society, of humanity… the working class.
Without this global transition to a global socialist economy, the many crises, intrinsic with Capitalism will continue unabated:
* Wars for profit will continue.
* Global Warming will continue as profitable polluters are protected.
* “Health Care Reform” becomes a scheme for profit maximization, not universal health care for all.
* Public education, public services, are impoverished and destroyed as the treasury is looted by Wall Street gangsters, corrupt corporations, the military-industrial complex.
* Jobs that provide “living wages” for unemployed millions, publicly tax-funded jobs to meet the vital needs of society, are not created because they do not generate profit to capitalists.
The corporations control every mass media to indoctrinate their world-view upon the people 24/7. No mention in any mass media, no regular programs allow to discuss the economic needs of working people and what must be done to change society.
The crisis today is the AFL-CIO and it’s President (and perhaps the Executive Council) are incapable of meeting the crises now destroying working people. By continuing to support President Obama and the Democratic Party, without calling for the establishment of a new anti-capitalist, socialist political party, electing leaders at every level of government, to bring about the changes in government essential to meet the economic needs of working people, no change will happen to create jobs, end war, end globabal warming or end the impoverishment and death of tens of millions of working people.
Michael Moore hit the nail on the head with his last film; Capitalism, A Love Story. Moore was gutsy in exposing the real basis for corporate greed andthe reason why our nation is undergoing such a horrible economic crisis.
One need not be a Marxist or even a socialist to comprehend the fact that corporate bosses love money and lot’s of it. The Good Book teaches us that the love of money is the root of all evil.
Need I say more?