Re: Unions: Resuscitate or pull the plug?
Nathan Newman wrote:
I always find these discussions kind of bizarre– unions not only directly have $5-6 billion annually in income, but they indirectly control or influence trillions of dollars in private and public pension fund monies.
Except that the law severely limits what they can do with that cash - and sometimes leads unions to make alliances with shareholder rights types whose interests are fundamentally anti-working class.
We can all debate how the unions can more effectively use those resources, but even talking about ignoring such a level of social resources verges on the unreal.
Finally something we agree on! There just cannot be a revival of “progressive” politics in the US without some renaissance for organized labor. I don’t really know what form this could or should take, but it has to take some form, or American politics will just get suckier.
Doug