The Demise Of The Union Movement:

MikeK

Gold Member
Jun 11, 2010
15,930
2,495
290
Brick, New Jersey
How Green Was My Valley
The Grapes Of Wrath
Native Land
On The Waterfront
The Pajama Game
Harlan County USA
The Organizer
Norma Rae
Matewan
The Molly Maguires
Hoffa


Each of the excellent movies listed above presents an animated but accurate portrayal of some important element in the rise of the union movement, which in turn gave rise to the American Middle Class.

Until very recently it had been a virtual tradition for those movies to be broadcast on any number of public and cable television channels on or immediately before Labor Day. But I have just finished scanning the listings and not one of these important and celebratory films are running on any channel. Not one.

I don't know whether the utter loss of interest in and concern for the history and importance of the union movement in America is more the result of the growth of corporate dominance of the broadcast industry or a simple matter of apathetic ignorance and complacency on the part of a contemptuously ungrateful working class, many of whom seem to think the 40-hour work week, the paid vacation, the pensions, their worker protections and other benefits are products of their employers' generosity or the benevolence of some thoughtful legislator. But on this Labor Day, 9/2/2013, I wish to remind those who have forgotten, or who simply don't care, that whether or not they are union members their lives would be very different were it not for the blood, sweat, tears, miseries, and pain endured by those whose stories are told in those movies, which, for some contemptuously disrespectful and obviously deliberate reason, are not shown to remind us anymore.

On this Labor Day the absence of those important reminders, along with accompanying indicators, occur as a quiet warning of what our descendants have to look forward to. Which is what our forebears had before the union movement enabled the dignity and Middle Class comforts most of us enjoy today.
 
How Green Was My Valley
The Grapes Of Wrath
Native Land
On The Waterfront
The Pajama Game
Harlan County USA
The Organizer
Norma Rae
Matewan
The Molly Maguires
Hoffa


Each of the excellent movies listed above presents an animated but accurate portrayal of some important element in the rise of the union movement, which in turn gave rise to the American Middle Class.

Until very recently it had been a virtual tradition for those movies to be broadcast on any number of public and cable television channels on or immediately before Labor Day. But I have just finished scanning the listings and not one of these important and celebratory films are running on any channel. Not one.

I don't know whether the utter loss of interest in and concern for the history and importance of the union movement in America is more the result of the growth of corporate dominance of the broadcast industry or a simple matter of apathetic ignorance and complacency on the part of a contemptuously ungrateful working class, many of whom seem to think the 40-hour work week, the paid vacation, the pensions, their worker protections and other benefits are products of their employers' generosity or the benevolence of some thoughtful legislator. But on this Labor Day, 9/2/2013, I wish to remind those who have forgotten, or who simply don't care, that whether or not they are union members their lives would be very different were it not for the blood, sweat, tears, miseries, and pain endured by those whose stories are told in those movies, which, for some contemptuously disrespectful and obviously deliberate reason, are not shown to remind us anymore.

On this Labor Day the absence of those important reminders, along with accompanying indicators, occur as a quiet warning of what our descendants have to look forward to. Which is what our forebears had before the union movement enabled the dignity and Middle Class comforts most of us enjoy today.

Unions have outlived their usefulness...and become de facto political parties...replete with the same graft, corruption, deceptiveness and fraud found in our major parties today. I relish their demise.
 
How Green Was My Valley
The Grapes Of Wrath
Native Land
On The Waterfront
The Pajama Game
Harlan County USA
The Organizer
Norma Rae
Matewan
The Molly Maguires
Hoffa


Each of the excellent movies listed above presents an animated but accurate portrayal of some important element in the rise of the union movement, which in turn gave rise to the American Middle Class.

Until very recently it had been a virtual tradition for those movies to be broadcast on any number of public and cable television channels on or immediately before Labor Day. But I have just finished scanning the listings and not one of these important and celebratory films are running on any channel. Not one.

I don't know whether the utter loss of interest in and concern for the history and importance of the union movement in America is more the result of the growth of corporate dominance of the broadcast industry or a simple matter of apathetic ignorance and complacency on the part of a contemptuously ungrateful working class, many of whom seem to think the 40-hour work week, the paid vacation, the pensions, their worker protections and other benefits are products of their employers' generosity or the benevolence of some thoughtful legislator. But on this Labor Day, 9/2/2013, I wish to remind those who have forgotten, or who simply don't care, that whether or not they are union members their lives would be very different were it not for the blood, sweat, tears, miseries, and pain endured by those whose stories are told in those movies, which, for some contemptuously disrespectful and obviously deliberate reason, are not shown to remind us anymore.

On this Labor Day the absence of those important reminders, along with accompanying indicators, occur as a quiet warning of what our descendants have to look forward to. Which is what our forebears had before the union movement enabled the dignity and Middle Class comforts most of us enjoy today.

Unions have outlived their usefulness...and become de facto political parties...replete with the same graft, corruption, deceptiveness and fraud found in our major parties today. I relish their demise.
That is like saying political parties have outlived their usefulness because of corruption, deceit and fraud, and so you're turning your back on them. If everyone took that position where would it leave us?

It's true that political parties and unions have become corrupted, mainly as the result of constituent and membership apathy and lethargy. But to simply turn your back on them is tossing out the baby with the bathwater and is foolishly self-defeating. The alternative is to fix the problems, which can be done. All it takes is substantive organization and willingness to participate.

Last, you should get rid of the foolish notion that unions have outlived their usefulness. They are just as vitally important to survival of the American Middle Class as ever.
 
How Green Was My Valley
The Grapes Of Wrath
Native Land
On The Waterfront
The Pajama Game
Harlan County USA
The Organizer
Norma Rae
Matewan
The Molly Maguires
Hoffa


Each of the excellent movies listed above presents an animated but accurate portrayal of some important element in the rise of the union movement, which in turn gave rise to the American Middle Class.

Until very recently it had been a virtual tradition for those movies to be broadcast on any number of public and cable television channels on or immediately before Labor Day. But I have just finished scanning the listings and not one of these important and celebratory films are running on any channel. Not one.

I don't know whether the utter loss of interest in and concern for the history and importance of the union movement in America is more the result of the growth of corporate dominance of the broadcast industry or a simple matter of apathetic ignorance and complacency on the part of a contemptuously ungrateful working class, many of whom seem to think the 40-hour work week, the paid vacation, the pensions, their worker protections and other benefits are products of their employers' generosity or the benevolence of some thoughtful legislator. But on this Labor Day, 9/2/2013, I wish to remind those who have forgotten, or who simply don't care, that whether or not they are union members their lives would be very different were it not for the blood, sweat, tears, miseries, and pain endured by those whose stories are told in those movies, which, for some contemptuously disrespectful and obviously deliberate reason, are not shown to remind us anymore.

On this Labor Day the absence of those important reminders, along with accompanying indicators, occur as a quiet warning of what our descendants have to look forward to. Which is what our forebears had before the union movement enabled the dignity and Middle Class comforts most of us enjoy today.

I think it's the rise of the middle class that did not have to play by union only rules that has cause the issue you describe. Propaganda aside, when people have a choice they opt to not go union.
 
How Green Was My Valley
The Grapes Of Wrath
Native Land
On The Waterfront
The Pajama Game
Harlan County USA
The Organizer
Norma Rae
Matewan
The Molly Maguires
Hoffa


Each of the excellent movies listed above presents an animated but accurate portrayal of some important element in the rise of the union movement, which in turn gave rise to the American Middle Class.

Until very recently it had been a virtual tradition for those movies to be broadcast on any number of public and cable television channels on or immediately before Labor Day. But I have just finished scanning the listings and not one of these important and celebratory films are running on any channel. Not one.

I don't know whether the utter loss of interest in and concern for the history and importance of the union movement in America is more the result of the growth of corporate dominance of the broadcast industry or a simple matter of apathetic ignorance and complacency on the part of a contemptuously ungrateful working class, many of whom seem to think the 40-hour work week, the paid vacation, the pensions, their worker protections and other benefits are products of their employers' generosity or the benevolence of some thoughtful legislator. But on this Labor Day, 9/2/2013, I wish to remind those who have forgotten, or who simply don't care, that whether or not they are union members their lives would be very different were it not for the blood, sweat, tears, miseries, and pain endured by those whose stories are told in those movies, which, for some contemptuously disrespectful and obviously deliberate reason, are not shown to remind us anymore.

On this Labor Day the absence of those important reminders, along with accompanying indicators, occur as a quiet warning of what our descendants have to look forward to. Which is what our forebears had before the union movement enabled the dignity and Middle Class comforts most of us enjoy today.

Oh and I worked today, just as I have for almost every Labor Day I've experienced since I was 16. I even heard from my nonunion friends that work for unions (yep, unions hire scabs) and they were working today too. Funny that.
 
How Green Was My Valley
The Grapes Of Wrath
Native Land
On The Waterfront
The Pajama Game
Harlan County USA
The Organizer
Norma Rae
Matewan
The Molly Maguires
Hoffa


Each of the excellent movies listed above presents an animated but accurate portrayal of some important element in the rise of the union movement, which in turn gave rise to the American Middle Class.

Until very recently it had been a virtual tradition for those movies to be broadcast on any number of public and cable television channels on or immediately before Labor Day. But I have just finished scanning the listings and not one of these important and celebratory films are running on any channel. Not one.

I don't know whether the utter loss of interest in and concern for the history and importance of the union movement in America is more the result of the growth of corporate dominance of the broadcast industry or a simple matter of apathetic ignorance and complacency on the part of a contemptuously ungrateful working class, many of whom seem to think the 40-hour work week, the paid vacation, the pensions, their worker protections and other benefits are products of their employers' generosity or the benevolence of some thoughtful legislator. But on this Labor Day, 9/2/2013, I wish to remind those who have forgotten, or who simply don't care, that whether or not they are union members their lives would be very different were it not for the blood, sweat, tears, miseries, and pain endured by those whose stories are told in those movies, which, for some contemptuously disrespectful and obviously deliberate reason, are not shown to remind us anymore.

On this Labor Day the absence of those important reminders, along with accompanying indicators, occur as a quiet warning of what our descendants have to look forward to. Which is what our forebears had before the union movement enabled the dignity and Middle Class comforts most of us enjoy today.

Unions have outlived their usefulness...and become de facto political parties...replete with the same graft, corruption, deceptiveness and fraud found in our major parties today. I relish their demise.
That is like saying political parties have outlived their usefulness because of corruption, deceit and fraud, and so you're turning your back on them. If everyone took that position where would it leave us?

It's true that political parties and unions have become corrupted, mainly as the result of constituent and membership apathy and lethargy. But to simply turn your back on them is tossing out the baby with the bathwater and is foolishly self-defeating. The alternative is to fix the problems, which can be done. All it takes is substantive organization and willingness to participate.

Last, you should get rid of the foolish notion that unions have outlived their usefulness. They are just as vitally important to survival of the American Middle Class as ever.

How's that working out so far? I remember hearing the doom and gloom in the 1990s and then the 2000s about how the unions were working hard to protect the middle class.

20 years and no results means they have failed.
 
speaking of unions

on Sunday Longshoremen's Union Quit the AFL-CIO Over ObamaCare

In an August 29 letter to AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, ILWU President Robert McEllrath cited quite a list of grievances as reasons for the dissolution of their affiliation, but prominent among them was the AFL-CIO’s support of Obamare.

“We feel the Federation has done a great disservice to the labor movement and all working people by going along to get along,” McEllrath wrote in the letter to Trumka.

The ILWU President made it clear they are for a single-payer, nationalized healthcare policy and are upset with the AFL-CIO for going along with Obama on the confiscatory tax on their “Cadillac” healthcare plan.

The Longshoreman leader said, “President Obama ran on a platform that he would not tax medical plans and at the 2009 AFL-CIO Convention, you stated that labor would not stand for a tax on our benefits.” But, regardless of that promise, the President has pushed for just such a tax and Trumka and the AFL-CIO bowed to political pressure lining up behind Obama’s tax on those plans

ILWU Disaffiliation 8-29-2013
 

Forum List

Back
Top