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Earlier today I read a piece on Talking Points Memo that grabbed my attention. The title of the piece is "Do Blogs Take Labor Issues Seriously?" The writer of the piece points out that a lot of the blogs out there did not mention some important information on recent Supreme Court Rulings. His statements are accurate; it was the comments that caught me off guard.
There was a clear mix of pro-labor people working day in and day out to help labor move forward and others that didn't know that labor was still alive - those smacked me the hardest.
It is difficult, at best, to know that we are working as hard and fast as possible to spread the word of labor in the United States, and no matter our efforts, we have a long way to go. It seems, at times, that we are making a dent when we review the traffic of this site and other labor blogs, or when I know how many emails I am getting from the site and at the MYSPACE counterpart from both union and nonunion workers seeking information; but that dent is what it is ... a dent.
So, what do we do from here? I don't know the specific answers, but I do know that we need to get more people involved online and off line in spreading the word. We need to share stories of our victories, why we strike when we do and why we vote the way that we do.
I think it is imperative that we all talk about the Employee Free Choice Act and why that legislation is so important to us personally and professionally. We need to discuss the American Dream and how it apparently is a dream for only a few nowadays and a foreclosure nightmare for many more around the United States.
As for the naysayer-types, those that think labor died with Ronald Regan - we need to talk about our fierce power and how - as a movement we are making changes.
With the Teamsters I am endlessly writing about the School Bus and Transit Workers, about FedEx Mechanics, Waste Management Workers, and so many other campaigns. I am also involved with getting people schooled up on Colombian Free Trade Agreements and how that is just a bad deal for both American workers and our Colombian sisters and brothers. (If you are not aware, a Colombian union leader is shot at on an average of one per week!)
I never so passionately felt the need for help on my mission. I call on anyone who is reading this to help me spread the word of the union movement - even if it is just cutting and pasting articles, commenting more frequently or forwarding the articles you read on Union Review to your friends and family. There is a general public of nonunion uneducated people with very strong opinions of us; it is up to us to change that opinion with real life facts and stories of what we contend with on a daily basis.
Are you in?
Do Bloggers Care About Labor?
Are we sleeping
Richard and readers,
Are we the bloggers sleeping, on the most part I believe it is true, it is not really taken seriously. Half truths, rumors, and lies by anti-union people seem to spoil the truth. The way today's American public,it seems that rumors and gossip is more interesting than truth. That's how the current administration in Washington got elected, and was able to run rough shot on our right to prosper. fuel and energy prices keep rising, and many people keep believing that management has there best interests at hand.
They have been blinded to believe that Unions are not the answer, and that independent monitors can resolve issues better that the labor board. Yet, corporations don't listen to the independent monitors either, they use them more as a front to fight off Unions.
Blogging could be a great tool, but we need to post absolute proven truth, that cannot be disputed, and can be proven time and time again.
Hi School Bus
Thanks for taking the time to come to the site and comment. Please feel free to come here more often and share your thoughts about unions in general, or ...specifically the campaign you allude to in your post.
I agree with you. The greater majority of American people would rather have celebrity gossip than news about the Employee Free Choice Act or organizing a union. Most people don't give a rat's ass about an underpaid, overworked and voiceless school bus driver -- until they see something is up with their kid and point fingers; we know this all too well.
What I think we need to do is help educate people. We need to do this by getting out on different blogs that are labor friendly, left leaning or whatever ... and talk about what we are experiencing. We need to also go to the naysayers and the folks that appear closed minded to labor -- and instead of having a pissing match with them, educate them as well ... it is a tall order, but people like you can do this. (I know this because I know who you are and what you are about ... though I am not about to reveal your identity here if that is not what you want to do).
In regard to the monitor ... it is a move that the company made that didn't make a lot of sense at first. Is it working now? Are we getting closer? I don't know for sure, but I do know that the company has a lot it needs to be held accountable for; and the union is doing that -- you can trust me on that since I am personally on the campaign; I see it, live it and breathe it everyday.
Brother, thanks again for coming to the site. I am honored you made it here and posted. Keep up the great work.
-Richard
Part of the solution
Part of the solution lies in the way we disseminate our info, our message. Blogs & the internet are great mediums, but it is all part of a whole we must literally take over. The other part lies with existing media outlets, i.e., mainstream newspapers & current TV/cable news programs. This is the part where we have virtually no presence, which decisively needs to change.
Just look at the NY Times. You have a Business section - why not a Labor section? Steve Greenhouse does not count. The Business section of any major newspaper covers issues only relevant to a select, privileged few. A Labor section would cover the issues relevant to entire workforces, which make up the majority of society. No Labor section means that there is an entire population without their own medium, their own voice. It's a reflection of the imbalance of corporate power & resulting control of who gets to talk & who doesn't. We need to be able to voice our message on all fronts.
A song the choir knows well