Today's one-liner: "The shortest way to the distinguishing excellence of any writer is through his hostile critics." Richard LeGallienne
You own views are appreciated, especially if they differ from mine. But remember, commenting is a privilege, not a right. I will delete personal attacks or off-topic remarks at my discretion. Comments that play into the tribalism that has consumed this nation will be declined. So will comments alleging voter fraud unless backed up by concrete evidence. If you attack someone personally, I expect you to identify yourself. I will delete criticisms of my comment policy, vulgarities, cut-and-paste jobs from other sources and any suggestion of violence towards anyone. I will also delete sweeping generalizations about mainstream parties or ideologies, i.e. identity politics. My decisions on these matters are made on a case by case basis, and may be affected by my mood that day, my access to the blog at the time the comment was made or other information that isn’t readily apparent.
History shows that John L. Lewis was a communist, he supported the workers international. That was an arm of the worldwide communist network.
ReplyDeleteand you are obviously no historian.
DeleteProve it. What history shows is that union labor built this country. Life must be difficult for negative people like you
DeleteUNIONS gave this country the big middle class business did not do it until they were forced to-- the government did not help either they still are not for the middle class look at O'BAMS CARE AND THE LAST TAX CUTS.UNION WAS THE KEY
ReplyDeleteThe big union bosses are as bad as the corporate kings. The union leaders drive the big cars, have the big houses. Poor workers are getting scammed by both their Bosses and the union rep's that just line their own pockets.
ReplyDeleteTo 1:21 AM.
ReplyDeleteYou have no idea what you are talking about. John L. Lewis was a life-long Republican. He supported both Coolidge and Hoover. He even prevented Communists from Union officer positions. Stop talking shit, if you don't know your ass from a hole in the ground.
Unions are neither good nor bad. They are an economic factor, like taxes, regulation, weather, etc. I'm glad I live where unions exist, but those who extoll or excoriate unions are naive. Just like everything in a free country, they're there, and they're special, just like everything else.
ReplyDeleteGood unions help workers stand against the worst abuses of companies. They try to maintain a decent wage and benefits for their members. They helped to grow the middle class and their shrinking numbers correlate with the decline of that same class. Those who bash unions are not rooting for workers they're giving a pass to exploiters. Unions aren't perfect because like any organization they're led by people, some corruptible, but as history as shown us, they are one of our best chances at a fair workplace.
ReplyDeleteHoof Hearted?
ReplyDeleteeveryone is corrupt
ReplyDeleteLet's see, 40 hour work week, overtime after 40 hours, vacation time with pay, 30 minute lunch, protection from being fired by alcoholic boss because he doesn't like you, regular pay increase as company profits soar... And on and on and on...
ReplyDeleteThe majority of Pennsylvania workers don't realize what it means when told PA is a "Right To Work" state. The name is purposely deceiving. It should be called a Right To Fire state. Unless a worker is protected by a union contract an employer can fire an employee without any reason given, or required. Management is told not to give a reason, because giving one can result in a lawsuit against them.
ReplyDeleteA Union contract, at a minimum, requires a reason given, a tier of disciplinary actions shown, and finally, a Laudermill Hearing, that allows Union Representation or a lawyer at the hearing. Most don't appreciate unions until they have become a victim of a manager or owner who fired them, not because they didn't work diligently, but because of a personality conflict, or to create an opening for a relative or friend.
PA is an “at will” state and not Right to Work…for less. Workers can be fired for any or no cause, outside of federal EEO laws. You had most of it and thank you!!
Delete"that allows Union Representation or a lawyer at the hearing."
DeleteSo. Tell me. What can the union rep say at the hearing?
The election of Reagan started the steady decline of the middle class and unions. The "Great Communicator" convinced the masses that unions were the new "other" and that they would be better off being trickled on with Reagonomic tax cuts for the rich (sounds familiar..) which instead steadily eroded the middle class.
ReplyDeleteReagan was a mean vicious vile piece of shit I can only hope he is rotting in hell. If you work for Republican management then the only way you will get promoted or get a raise is if you perform oral sex on the boss.
DeleteBernie,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for reminding us what Labor Day is (or should be) about. Anyone who denies that the labor movement was responsible for the rise of the United States middle class and the "American Dream," is ignorant of the last 100 years of United States history. The beginning of the destruction of the middle class happened when Reagan fired the air traffic controllers and signaled to business that they were free to engage in union busting.
And let us be clear, unions benefit all workers. By raising the standards for pay and equity in the workplace, all workers benefit. If you lift the worker at the bottom everyone above him or her benefits. Those who claim that union leaders are communist, decades ago would have claimed that unions mean racial minorities will take over to the exclusion of white workers. Both arguments are specious. Unions are the institutionalization of democracy in the workplace. As we have seen democracy doesn't always produce the best results. But, democracy in all of its forms and institutions is the best hope for the future of the human race.
Reagan's assertion that "government is not the solution to our problems, government is the problem" shows a fundamental misunderstanding of our history. Government is the only institution which can stop the excesses of corporate power and greed. Government may have been the problem for Reagan's rich campaign contributors, but it has been the protector of many of the most vulnerable in our society. Think child labor laws, think 40 hour work week, thing occupational safety and health, think anti-discrimination laws, think environmental protection laws, think consumer protection, think anti-trust laws. The list goes on and is at the heart of the last century of progress in this country. Many of these laws were enacted because workers were organized, and their voices amplified through the labor movement.
So on this Labor Day, take a moment to thank all those who have fought and died in the cause of labor organizing and spreading democracy to the workplace. Or, in the words of Mother Jones "pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living."
Solidarity forever,
-- Joe Welsh
Perfectly stated Joe Welsh!
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen a mention of raising the quality of work done by those in union trades far exceeding scabs. Take a good look around in the inner cities were "The Flipp" and realastate bottom feeders make the rules as they go along.
ReplyDeleteI think the same shit going on just was in national news calling out Cummings represented area as a rat infested cancer effecting quality of life.
WTF did you say? Channeling your inner Trump communication skills, are you?
DeleteYea.... The teachers union the strongest in the country sucks a year round salary a 186 day work calendar and cannot be beat no matter how many loose the family homestead to pay for the leaches of the system. Pay the teacher by work performance and you would see most of them on unemployment line. Christy in NJ had the right idea- half time work get half a pension.
ReplyDeletePublic sector unions are fundamentally flawed. In the private sector, balance between labor and management is achieved because both sides have a vested, financial interest in good labor-management relations. A strike means everybody is losing $$$ for a while. No such balance exists in the public sector where the union generally has more bargaining power. Taxpayers aren't at the table.
Deleteunions are for knuckle draggers !!!
ReplyDeleteSo sad to see the last few comments. Maybe you send your kids to a rich private school, but the teachers who toil in the public school system, and btw, spend, on average,$500 per year out of their own pockets on classroom supplies, are by and large dedicated professionals who are asked not only to educate our children, but deal with all of the problems which our politicians do not have the political will to appropriate the funds to resolve.
ReplyDeleteAnd the Moron who said "knuckle draggers" comment- I suppose you are trying in your inarticulate way to say that union members are stupid - why? Because they are carpenters, bricklayer, steelworkers, iron workers, kitchen workers, hospital workers who take care of your relatives, farm workers who harvest your food, and millions of others who, apparently unlike you, actually do things of value to our society?
If these hard working family oriented people did not do what they do every day, you would not be able to live your privileged life.
On this Labor Day, you need to reflect on the evil of your elite privileged attitude and maybe you should remember Jesus washing the feet of Mary Magdalene. Maybe time for you to do the same.
-- Joe Welsh
You should ask the union guys about the recent county council vote. They waned to strong arm the non-union employees as punishment for not being in a union. Is that wonderful behavior you are cheering.
ReplyDeleteUNIONS SUCK ALWAYS HAVE ALWAYS WILL THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO NEED THE UNIONS ARE THE LAZY ASS PEOPLE WHO DONT WANT TO DO ANYTHING BUT TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE SYSTEM...I.E. SCHOOL TEACHERS WHAT A JOKE....THE ONLY THING THEY TEACH IS LAZINESS AND RUN OUR TAXES UP....
ReplyDeleteA message from an angry underachiever
DeleteCongrats, Bernie! Looks like your blog got the attention of ALL CAPS DJT!
DeleteCoal miners and steel workers needed unions to insure and point out a safe work place. government unions are no more than an elitist crowd who are pillaging the taxpayers and extorting more money and benefits from those who have to pay their wages through taxes. They are willing to vote for any corrupt pol who will promise them more at the expense of the rest of society.
ReplyDeleteUnion workers pay taxes too.
DeleteReaganomics was the beginning of the current political situation we find ourselves in..tax cuts for the rich continue and wages stagnate despite a fairly healthy economy that profits only those at the top. If you study the rise of unions within our national history..you will see the need to build protections from the rich and greedy robber barrons of the industrial revolution here. Power to the people!
ReplyDeleteNo child left behind for adults? I believe unions served their purpose at the birth of the labor movement. Labor laws have caught up to the movement rendering unions obsolete.
ReplyDeleteStarting salary for a Wal-Mart truck driver 80k. What type of protection will a union provide for this position? DOT regulations have created a shortage of drivers thus increasing the demand. See how that works?
Equal protection under the law..for everyone! W/O union protection..bosses can hire and fire at will.The consequences of this is chaos and instability for those trying to provide for themselves and their families. Fair play is at the heart of the matter. It is not just about pay scale.Unions mattered and still do.
ReplyDeleteHey Joe, Jesus never washed Mary Magdalene's feet.
ReplyDeleteTo Mr./Ms. Anonymous @ 3:50 PM
ReplyDeleteInscriptions shown to me by my guide at Dendarah, Egypt on July 28 of this year suggest that you are wrong. But, since you don't have the integrity to put your name behind your criticism I can't answer you by name. If you've been to Dendarah recently and seen otherwise, please let me know.
Sincerely proud to sign my name,
-- Joe Welsh
Outlaw teachers ' unions; they are far left loons out of control.
ReplyDeleteI'd rather have a sister in a whore house than a brother that was in a union or a democrat.
ReplyDeleteSuch a dishonest post. Public sector unions are not unions. They're a paid-for bloc of Democrats. Private sector unions are about to get snuffed in PA with Harris's fracking ban. And yes, she's absolutely banning fracking, the only thing that's gone right for PA union members in 20 years. They're voting heavily for Trump.
ReplyDeleteOne thing, what Lewis is talking about is mostly gone, steel, coal and mines have been replaced with mcdonalds and walmart. The best wages and most opportunity for advancement are in non union positions that require innovation and responsibility, never a product of union shops. While unions were necessary, primarily in dangerous workplaces most of those places are gone. Unions now abide in the public sector, government workers. Those union ideas that have captured the teaching industry and other government jobs, have insured higher costs to taxpayers, a lack of innovation and a lack of productivity.
ReplyDeleteIn reality, those who seek early pension, large pensions, lots of benefits and little accountability gravitate to those jobs.
Those who are interested in moving forward and willing to offer responsibility are now in short supply and are making very high wages.
I have met many pro-union people who drive Japanese, Korean, or German branded automobiles that are manufactured in non-union factories in the U.S. That makes them hypocrites and also nullifies the claim that union labor is better than non-union labor in all trades. Unions did a great job and benefited nearly all workers from the late 1800s until the mid 1950s but since then they have shown little value.
ReplyDeleteI too am confused about the whole public union thing. Their concern is being mistreated by their employer? The government? Similar to when the Bernie Sanders campaign workers organized a union during his 2016 campaign. They needed to form a union to protect themselves from the most pro-worker politician in U.S.?
ReplyDeleteWhoever becomes a teacher or a cop are crazy.
ReplyDeleteThere is a shortage of teachers and one of the reasons is self-inflicted. As teachers unions became more and more political, people took notice and began to push back. When public schools starting going woke, the push back intensified. Add the pandemic to the mix. It was the teacher unions that pushed for shutdowns and wrecked education. People know this and are still angry about it. Anyone who becomes a teacher now is more brave than crazy. As for police, when leaders [sic] shout "defund the police", they get their wish; the police leave and recruitment drops. Becoming a police officer may be crazy in certain parts of the country because the goons are running amok with little fear of arrest and punishment and the local governments do not have the police's back anymore.
DeleteGreat post Vlad. There are many great cops and teachers. It’s a shame they have a piece of garbage like Randi Weingarten running the biggest teachers union. She’s more concerned about praising Hamas than helping teachers or students.
DeleteHappy Labor Day with thanks to unions who made it possible. Always amazed how some people are so easily convinced to vote against their own self interest in favor of their cooperate masters. As the union strength goes up or down so goes the safety and benefits to the average worker, even if not in the union. Recently, when a car company settled with a union for better pay the surrounding car companies without unions immediately matched the union wages.
ReplyDeleteMaybe if we had stronger unions we might not be last in vacation and holidays of every other 1st world countries in the world. Or we could just keep our heads bowed and keep repeating the mantra: "We're no. 1". Yes sir Boz, whatever you say.
Biden ruined union help when he stopped the PIPELINE up north and put approx.2300 workers out of work. I don't think the big CHEVY SUBURBANS him and Kamela travel around in are Electric . Let's put the union people back to work and get this country back on track again. VOTE REPUBLICAN
ReplyDeleteWork as a package handler at fed ex do you need a union?
ReplyDeleteGovernment sector unions shouldn’t be allowed. Especially closed shops. FDR felt that government workers shouldn’t be allowed to unionize. He was right.
ReplyDeleteThe R. M. Palmer Candy company in Reading was not a union shop. Workers reported smelling gas before the explosion in which 7 workers were killed. A shop steward would have had the ability to stop work at that point, and the workers could have left the facility without worry of loosing their jobs.
ReplyDeleteLet us not forget it is very difficult to find a non -union employer that will cover health benefits these days, and if one is found the worker contribution is extremely high...in some cases knocking the worker's pay down below minimum wage. So today I honor all workers and keep hope for the non-union workers so they too can be free from greedy and unethical employers.
Hey Joe Welsh........"DITTO"......Couldn't have said it better myself.
ReplyDeleteJerry Seyfried
Republicans somehow convinced working people that unions are a bad thing.
ReplyDeleteThe result: fewer pensions.
Hi 6:36 am. I am a teacher and a union can be both good and bad. Are there “lazy” teachers? Absolutely. Lazy, though, exists in every profession (I have seen lazy doctors, lawyers, construction workers, etc.), but to say teachers “teach lazy,” you are wrong. I take my responsibility very seriously and know the kids I have for a school year are our future, therefore I try to instill values and ethics in them. With that said, unions are invaluable to a worker who may be doing his/her job well, but runs afoul of the wrong person with an axe to grind. Please do paint with such a broad brush because teachers, for one, have a very difficult job in today’s America.
ReplyDeleteTeachers unions are the single largest impediment to black children succeeding. Forcing and fighting to extend covid lockdowns was their Mona Lisa. Too bad for black children. Nice work unions. Remember keeping blacks out of your membership? Many of us do.
ReplyDeletemy dad was a Bethlehem Steel worker and would be pissed if he couldn't sleep at least 6 of his 8 hr shift, so no wonder Jap steel took over....the Steelworkers Union was corrupt...
ReplyDelete