I have much less respect for Kamala Harris now. First, she is not exactly making herself a visionary of the future training her heavy artillery on a 40 year old issue — on the side that Gallup said 80% opposed; so Biden’s oppo might just have some rational basis. It’s always a matter of trade offs and there’s plenty to worry about shipping your kid’s off to places that may or may not be safe. Plenty of black oppo too.
Did I say “80% opposed”? Just what we need when we are trying to get the atomic time bomb out of the White House: plastering the Democratic Party as the party that’s going to ship your little kids of to whatever Donald Trump’s description of poor neighborhoods is going to terribly be.
Smart. Smart: I don’t think so. Kamala Harris now eliminated from my list — and maybe a lot of others once the truth sinks. And I am not interested in a discussion of busing. These days integration is really all about getting everybody on the same economic level. (My late, more articulate brother John reacted to my description of the American labor market with: Martin Luther King got his people on the up escalator just in time for it to start going down for everyone.”) That means reconstituting labor union density — in a big hurry (over night really) which is my next topic. 🙂
Most would agree that a minimum wage should extract the max consumers will pay — which fits mostly at highest labor costslow wage firms (e.g., 25% labor cost, Burger King).
Allowing that, why should consumers be spared, for years, paying as much as minimum wage labor is really worth to them — why so many multi-year steps up to the bottom of the barrel?
Most should also agree that employees at lower labor costs businesses (e.g., 15% labor costs Walgreen’s and Target; 7% costs Walmart) should equally be able to extract the max from consumers. Why should we desire a different standard of wage setting for different labor cost levels — or because maxing labor’s take results in $20/25 hourly wages instead of $15 — kind of arbitrary, no?
If, early in American labor history, we laid down truly efficacious federal protections for collective bargaining rights, then, starting a couple of generations ago, it would have been much tougher for ownership to begin (illegally) dismantling, door jam by door jam, our former labor union superstructure (down to -7% private union density).
Too late for such laws now. Institute card check, fines that are more than the cost of doing business, Canadian seriousness implementation NLRB orders — and in ten years American labor unions might crawl back to 15% density — never know. Think of those interchangeable workers at Target and Walgreen’s: think most are ready and eager to hit the picket lines? The testosterone premium (ask my old, 1970, 804 Teamsters or today’s CTU) is not universally on tap. We need more like 50-75% unions to take our country back from the billionaire state — same total campaign finance and most of the votes (plus lobbying critical mass to tackle every issue from drug prices to student loans).
Two inequality-menders management cannot disrupt or discombobulate — two laws: minimum wage laws and regularly scheduled, by law, union cert/re-cert/de-cert elections.
Why Not Hold Union Representation Elections on a Regular Schedule?
Andrew Strom — November 1st, 2017
“Republicans in Congress have already proposed a bill [*] that would require a new election in each unionized bargaining unit whenever, through turnover, expansion, or merger, a unit experiences at least 50 percent turnover. While no union would be happy about expending limited resources on regular retention elections, I think it would be hard to turn down a trade that would allow the 93% of workers who are unrepresented to have a chance to opt for unionization on a regular schedule.”
[*] https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/2723/text https://onlabor.org/why-not-hold-union-representation-elections-on-a-regular-schedule/
What kills me: Andy Strom’s proposal could potentially leave every other campaign topic in its center-of-attention dust and serve up Democrats a guaranteed 2020 big win — but nobody even takes a poll. Ask the 40/50/60%.
“But in reality, he was inspired by his visit to Paris for Bastille Day in 2017, where the French roll out some tanks in no little signal of insecurity. In fact, Trump wanted a Tank Parade back in 2017, but the plans were scuttled in part because the public found out that it would have cost $92 million. But by God, our large adult president was going to have his tanks. That’s right, folks: it’s “A Salute to America.”
President Trump: “We’re going to have a great 4th of July in Washington DC… We’re going to have planes going overhead, the best fighter jets in the world and other planes too. And we’re going to have some tanks stationed outside.” http://hill.cm/gXeWuVj
Watching the world’s most powerful man talk like an almost-8-year-old planning his birthday party would almost be endearing if this were not merely the latest authoritarian spasm of his presidency. Blurring the lines between civil society and the military apparatus—or, at worst, subjugating civilian authority—is a hallmark of the kind of state we really do not want to become.
So is undermining the institutions of democracy, like the separation of powers outlined in the Constitution, or the independent system of justice and the rule of law, or the free press. So is declaring a phony national emergency in an attempt to seize money Congress did not allocate to you, a direct assault on the Legislative Branch’s power of the purse. So is using the “acting” designation to circumvent the Senate’s advise-and-consent powers on Cabinet appointments—including the Secretary of Defense at a time when we’re saber-rattling at Iran and, uh, holding jingoistic military parades. So is accepting payments from foreign powers, surely in violation of the Constitution’s Emoluments Clause.”
“Oh, and in case you thought the sheer grift had been neglected, fear not. This is a taxpayer-funded, self-promoting campaign wankfest, just like all of those that get him so turgid out in airplane hangars and vacant arenas across this great republic. From CNN:
‘The perimeter of the restricted area will be “immediately around the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, and about midway down through the Reflecting Pool,” said Matthew Miller, special agent in charge of the US Secret Service Washington Field Office, in a news conference Friday with local and federal officials on the July Fourth celebrations in the nation’s capital. The White House confirmed to CNN on Saturday that there will be a ticketed area for VIPs, friends, family and members of the military. Those tickets come at no cost, but the White House did not say how it would specifically be allocated. The White House added that the entire event is free for the general public with no ticket requirement. Miller said the Secret Service will provide security for Trump’s “Salute to America” event, but that the White House is issuing the tickets.
Other details of the July 4 celebration remain up in the air with just days to go. White House officials plan to give out tickets for attendees to sit in a VIP section and watch Trump’s speech but did not develop a distribution system before much of the staff left for Asia last week, according to two administration officials. Officials also are still working on other key crowd management details, such as how to get attendees through magnetometers in an orderly fashion. Traditionally, major gatherings on the Mall, including inauguration festivities and a jubilee commemorating the start of the new millennium, have featured a designated event producer. But in this case, the producer is the president himself.’
Just the way they did it in Philadelphia when the Declaration of Independence was read out on the steps of what became Independence Hall. (John Hancock made sure all the best customers of his smuggling business got seats in the VIP section.) At this point, I’m amazed he hasn’t demanded that they float the Nimitz up the Potomac.
Because this is a celebration of all Americans, and not a political event at all, the tickets are being handed out by the Republican National Committee. Some of the president*’s loudest and proudest supporters are planning a real hootenanny for themselves; after all, yelling at detained and destitute migrants through a cyclone fence can only go so far as a demonstration of your commitment to the country’s founding values. This thing has the potential to be the biggest, chewiest cluster of fck in Washington since the last time Louie Gohmert dined alone. And an infinitely more perilous one.”
EM doesn’t stand for eighth-grade math I see. Repubs are talking regular union de-cert/re-cert elections in the 7% of private (non-gov) workplaces that already have unions. Andy Strom is talking regularly scheduled cert/re-cert/de-cert elections at all 100% of private workplaces.
“I think it would be hard to turn down a trade that would allow the 93% of workers who are unrepresented to have a chance to opt for unionization on a regular schedule.”
I can read Dennis. I have read the bill and I have read your repost of Strom’s article probably a dozen times now.
“Republicans in Congress have already proposed a bill [*] that would require a new election in each unionized bargaining unit whenever, through turnover, expansion, or merger, a unit experiences at least 50 percent turnover. While no union would be happy about expending limited resources on regular retention elections, I think it would be hard to turn down a trade that would allow the 93% of workers who are unrepresented to have a chance to opt for unionization on a regular schedule.”
Somehow you are telling me that Strom is talking about something different than the Rep bill. There is no grammatical diagraming of his paragragh that makes that true. Try to figure out what he means by “trade”. Clearly he is talking about that Rep bill.
I have much less respect for Kamala Harris now. First, she is not exactly making herself a visionary of the future training her heavy artillery on a 40 year old issue — on the side that Gallup said 80% opposed; so Biden’s oppo might just have some rational basis. It’s always a matter of trade offs and there’s plenty to worry about shipping your kid’s off to places that may or may not be safe. Plenty of black oppo too.
Did I say “80% opposed”? Just what we need when we are trying to get the atomic time bomb out of the White House: plastering the Democratic Party as the party that’s going to ship your little kids of to whatever Donald Trump’s description of poor neighborhoods is going to terribly be.
Smart. Smart: I don’t think so. Kamala Harris now eliminated from my list — and maybe a lot of others once the truth sinks. And I am not interested in a discussion of busing. These days integration is really all about getting everybody on the same economic level. (My late, more articulate brother John reacted to my description of the American labor market with: Martin Luther King got his people on the up escalator just in time for it to start going down for everyone.”) That means reconstituting labor union density — in a big hurry (over night really) which is my next topic. 🙂
Most would agree that a minimum wage should extract the max consumers will pay — which fits mostly at highest labor costslow wage firms (e.g., 25% labor cost, Burger King).
Allowing that, why should consumers be spared, for years, paying as much as minimum wage labor is really worth to them — why so many multi-year steps up to the bottom of the barrel?
Most should also agree that employees at lower labor costs businesses (e.g., 15% labor costs Walgreen’s and Target; 7% costs Walmart) should equally be able to extract the max from consumers. Why should we desire a different standard of wage setting for different labor cost levels — or because maxing labor’s take results in $20/25 hourly wages instead of $15 — kind of arbitrary, no?
Collective bargaining: is there any other way for the 40/50/60% to recoup their long lost living wages? 40% today earn less hourly than what the minimum wage should be — $15 — most substantially less.
https://content.fortune.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/workers-by-demographic-group.png
If, early in American labor history, we laid down truly efficacious federal protections for collective bargaining rights, then, starting a couple of generations ago, it would have been much tougher for ownership to begin (illegally) dismantling, door jam by door jam, our former labor union superstructure (down to -7% private union density).
Too late for such laws now. Institute card check, fines that are more than the cost of doing business, Canadian seriousness implementation NLRB orders — and in ten years American labor unions might crawl back to 15% density — never know. Think of those interchangeable workers at Target and Walgreen’s: think most are ready and eager to hit the picket lines? The testosterone premium (ask my old, 1970, 804 Teamsters or today’s CTU) is not universally on tap. We need more like 50-75% unions to take our country back from the billionaire state — same total campaign finance and most of the votes (plus lobbying critical mass to tackle every issue from drug prices to student loans).
Two inequality-menders management cannot disrupt or discombobulate — two laws: minimum wage laws and regularly scheduled, by law, union cert/re-cert/de-cert elections.
Why Not Hold Union Representation Elections on a Regular Schedule?
Andrew Strom — November 1st, 2017
“Republicans in Congress have already proposed a bill [*] that would require a new election in each unionized bargaining unit whenever, through turnover, expansion, or merger, a unit experiences at least 50 percent turnover. While no union would be happy about expending limited resources on regular retention elections, I think it would be hard to turn down a trade that would allow the 93% of workers who are unrepresented to have a chance to opt for unionization on a regular schedule.”
[*] https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/2723/text
https://onlabor.org/why-not-hold-union-representation-elections-on-a-regular-schedule/
What kills me: Andy Strom’s proposal could potentially leave every other campaign topic in its center-of-attention dust and serve up Democrats a guaranteed 2020 big win — but nobody even takes a poll. Ask the 40/50/60%.
Yeah, let’s find a Dem Candidate willing to back a proposal written by corps and sponsored by Reps that would totally decimate unions.
Great idea.
The mind boggles.
“But in reality, he was inspired by his visit to Paris for Bastille Day in 2017, where the French roll out some tanks in no little signal of insecurity. In fact, Trump wanted a Tank Parade back in 2017, but the plans were scuttled in part because the public found out that it would have cost $92 million. But by God, our large adult president was going to have his tanks. That’s right, folks: it’s “A Salute to America.”
President Trump: “We’re going to have a great 4th of July in Washington DC… We’re going to have planes going overhead, the best fighter jets in the world and other planes too. And we’re going to have some tanks stationed outside.” http://hill.cm/gXeWuVj
Watching the world’s most powerful man talk like an almost-8-year-old planning his birthday party would almost be endearing if this were not merely the latest authoritarian spasm of his presidency. Blurring the lines between civil society and the military apparatus—or, at worst, subjugating civilian authority—is a hallmark of the kind of state we really do not want to become.
So is undermining the institutions of democracy, like the separation of powers outlined in the Constitution, or the independent system of justice and the rule of law, or the free press. So is declaring a phony national emergency in an attempt to seize money Congress did not allocate to you, a direct assault on the Legislative Branch’s power of the purse. So is using the “acting” designation to circumvent the Senate’s advise-and-consent powers on Cabinet appointments—including the Secretary of Defense at a time when we’re saber-rattling at Iran and, uh, holding jingoistic military parades. So is accepting payments from foreign powers, surely in violation of the Constitution’s Emoluments Clause.”
https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a28259440/donald-trump-tanks-fourth-of-july-salute-to-america/
And of course, corruption cannot be ignored.
“Oh, and in case you thought the sheer grift had been neglected, fear not. This is a taxpayer-funded, self-promoting campaign wankfest, just like all of those that get him so turgid out in airplane hangars and vacant arenas across this great republic. From CNN:
‘The perimeter of the restricted area will be “immediately around the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, and about midway down through the Reflecting Pool,” said Matthew Miller, special agent in charge of the US Secret Service Washington Field Office, in a news conference Friday with local and federal officials on the July Fourth celebrations in the nation’s capital. The White House confirmed to CNN on Saturday that there will be a ticketed area for VIPs, friends, family and members of the military. Those tickets come at no cost, but the White House did not say how it would specifically be allocated. The White House added that the entire event is free for the general public with no ticket requirement. Miller said the Secret Service will provide security for Trump’s “Salute to America” event, but that the White House is issuing the tickets.
Other details of the July 4 celebration remain up in the air with just days to go. White House officials plan to give out tickets for attendees to sit in a VIP section and watch Trump’s speech but did not develop a distribution system before much of the staff left for Asia last week, according to two administration officials. Officials also are still working on other key crowd management details, such as how to get attendees through magnetometers in an orderly fashion. Traditionally, major gatherings on the Mall, including inauguration festivities and a jubilee commemorating the start of the new millennium, have featured a designated event producer. But in this case, the producer is the president himself.’
Just the way they did it in Philadelphia when the Declaration of Independence was read out on the steps of what became Independence Hall. (John Hancock made sure all the best customers of his smuggling business got seats in the VIP section.) At this point, I’m amazed he hasn’t demanded that they float the Nimitz up the Potomac.
Because this is a celebration of all Americans, and not a political event at all, the tickets are being handed out by the Republican National Committee. Some of the president*’s loudest and proudest supporters are planning a real hootenanny for themselves; after all, yelling at detained and destitute migrants through a cyclone fence can only go so far as a demonstration of your commitment to the country’s founding values. This thing has the potential to be the biggest, chewiest cluster of fck in Washington since the last time Louie Gohmert dined alone. And an infinitely more perilous one.”
https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a28261884/president-trump-military-parade-fourth-of-july-authoritarian/
I am actually ashamed to be an american.
EM doesn’t stand for eighth-grade math I see. Repubs are talking regular union de-cert/re-cert elections in the 7% of private (non-gov) workplaces that already have unions. Andy Strom is talking regularly scheduled cert/re-cert/de-cert elections at all 100% of private workplaces.
“I think it would be hard to turn down a trade that would allow the 93% of workers who are unrepresented to have a chance to opt for unionization on a regular schedule.”
I can read Dennis. I have read the bill and I have read your repost of Strom’s article probably a dozen times now.
“Republicans in Congress have already proposed a bill [*] that would require a new election in each unionized bargaining unit whenever, through turnover, expansion, or merger, a unit experiences at least 50 percent turnover. While no union would be happy about expending limited resources on regular retention elections, I think it would be hard to turn down a trade that would allow the 93% of workers who are unrepresented to have a chance to opt for unionization on a regular schedule.”
Somehow you are telling me that Strom is talking about something different than the Rep bill. There is no grammatical diagraming of his paragragh that makes that true. Try to figure out what he means by “trade”. Clearly he is talking about that Rep bill.