Re: Steve Early on (Gingrich fan) Andy Stern
On Jan 30, 2007, at 4:32 PM, Mark Rickling wrote:
See also:
Features > January 5, 2007 Does Andy Stern Talk His Walk? High-profile victories by SEIU often run counter to its president’s rhetoric about the ‘power of persuasion’ By David Moberg
http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/2974/ doesandysterntalkhis_walk/
Where we read:
But isn’t his call for partnerships between unions and companies at
odds with this call for conflict—and also out of touch with the
reality of what corporations are doing? “I think it’s in touch with
what workers want from a union,” he says. “When we’re polling them
or talking to them, what workers constantly say is what they want
the union to do is solve problems, not create them, at the
workplace. Our workers, particularly in child care, home care and
health care, are very focused on trying to make a contribution in
terms of their patients’ lives and quality of care. You have to
start with ‘where are workers?’ not ‘where are employers?’ ”Having initially argued for conflict, he continues to reject that
strategy. “I don’t think our model of unionism, when we start with
the presumption that the employer is the problem, resonates very
well with workers,” he says. “Most people don’t hate their
employer. They don’t feel they have a voice sometimes. They don’t
feel they’re compensated appropriately. But it doesn’t mean they
want to have class conflict with their employer.”
This is just the thing that makes me want to cry or scream about
American politics. The workers no doubt do think this way. They want
to everyone be nice, to get along. But their employers want to fuck
them over, and the workers either can’t or won’t see this. So
starting with where the workers are may sound nice, but it’s totally
fucking fucked, because the workers are in the wrong place, and
that’s a good chunk of the problem. You may not want to start where
the employers are, but they’re the ones with the power. The workers
are the ones with illusions.
Doug