How was your week? I thought to review a few things that went on this week - and I am sure I won't get to it all, but it was a busy and gratifying week for Union Review. All of the stuff that I am going to write about here is on the site and the Myspace blog - if you missed anything or want to go back to it - it will be there for you!

Let's me start with a YouTube video and story of construction workers in California, participating in what appears to be a peaceful protest, when they are suddenly doused with water from a truck the company owns. It is all too reminiscent of the hosing we'd see in the Civil Rights movement - but this was late June, 2007. I first saw the YouTube from a friend on MYSPACE who was sending it out - and then reposted it in a bulletin - before getting it up on the site. Why? Because I believe people need to see this kind of action and reaction when it comes to trade unionism... and now more than ever.

Throughout the week Union Review received a number of notes (and please keep them coming!) about the Employee Free Choice Act. Most of the notes were with links to assist in gathering last minute support. A call-to-action in almost every note that was calling on folks to call on their Senators to do the right thing - and many did. Then there were a few notes from concerned people who spend time reading the "enemy" line. What does labor say about the enemy's statement that this legislation limits people's democracy? I answer that question, unfortunately, with a question: Whose democracy? They can't be speaking about the drenched construction workers in California, are they?

Maybe the "enemy" is thinking of the workers at Marquez Brothers. At that shop the workers organized to join LiUMA - and in typical - no cliché - response: The company fired one worker and forced the rest to watch anti-union propaganda. Wait; isn't that limiting one's democracy - to force them into watching a movie that categorically opposes their viewpoints? I think the Marquez Brothers should show OSHA videos, which they should be familiar with by now. The company has faced 23 serious safety violations and more than $100,000 in OSHA fines, I am doubtful anything will change there, but hopeful that the workers are getting their message across the Internet where they might get some added support.

The workers at Maquez are not the only Californians who are going to need some serious support. The consensus is that some 65,000 grocery workers will vote for to strike on Sunday - a disaster for a lot of people. One would think that after all the disturbance the last strike had a few years back, the companies would bargain fairly. Alas, it doesn't seem to be happening ... and the quote of the week was, "We do not have a compromise offer that we can take to workers for a vote ...," Michael Shimpock of a firm representing the union said.

With it all, there is always hope that good ol' union democracy can work when workers organize themselves - even if it is against their own union officers. That was the case this week at the Allied Pilots Association. The union, which represents American Airlines pilots, were simply pissed off and had about enough. They strongly agreed their top union officers were way too cozy with management, and with an election, ousted the whole lot. The first statement made by the new guard was that the union's proposal for 30.5 percent increase next year is not nearly enough. Now this will be one to watch for!

There was so much more that Union Review worked to get posted to the site this week, and there was even that much more that was missed. Eventually one day I will be able to do this more than in my free-time so that I can gather and deliver even more news and views. As the Union Review community grows more people are posting things as well, which is just awesome! - We need to remember that we are not getting the coverage that we need in mainstream media, and so we have to create the coverage.

As we spread news, views, opinions - and get people involved, we also need to remember to laugh when we can - because sometimes the other side is really very stupid, superbly ill-informed, or motivated by things that many of us will never have to deal with, thankfully. The biggest laugh of the week, at least for me, was the story that came out of Local 2061, IAM. The local created its first annual "Pinocchio Award" shortly after a United Space Alliance spokesperson said that all the replacement workers replacing the striking workers have previous experience. The replacement workers are engineers, managers, and others who have no clue how to safely handle the equipment the striking crane operators handle. I know it is dangerous, but the thought of a bunch of white shirts on a crane, sweating their asses off in the Florida heat ... well, it makes me laugh.

Finally, I could not get through this week without all of the amazing support, notes, the MYSPACE comments and letters ... every time I get a thank you note, or an email saying, "keep it up, man ... you're doing great," I get my motivation to keep doing what I am doing. Still, if anyone has suggestions to do things differently, please let me know because the site is about building a community - and you are the community.

 

-Richard