Why the Democrats Need Labor Again

[Omaha Steve]

X post in Labor & GD




http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/01/democrats-need-labor-again-113583.html#.VKhfJSvF-So

Thomas Geoghegan is a labor lawyer and sometime journalist and author best known for his 1991 book, Which Side Are You On? Trying To Be For Labor When It’s Flat On Its Back. Geoghegan’s new book, Only One Thing Can Save Us: Why America Needs A New Kind of Labor Movement, is a sort of sequel. Like the earlier book, it’s part Spalding Gray monologue — equal parts comic and despairing — and part policy tome, full of provocative prescriptions for a patient that’s only gotten sicker during the past 23 years. POLITICO Pro Labor & Employment editor Timothy Noah interviewed Geoghegan by e-mail recently.

Timothy Noah: Your book appears at a notably bleak moment for the labor movement. Union density has fallen below 7 percent in the private sector. In the midterms, the AFL-CIO targeted six Republican governors and managed to defeat only one. Nearly half of all states are now “right-to-work,” meaning workers don’t have to pay union dues or their equivalent to a union that bargains collectively on their behalf. Would it be fair to describe this book as a last-ditch effort?

Thomas Geoghegan: For labor, it’s past the last-ditch stage. I think of it as a last-ditch effort for the Democrats. I’d say the book is addressed not just to labor but to the Democratic party — and to the left in general. Without a real labor movement in place, the Democrats will not be the party of the working people. And until it is such a party, it will not be a governing party.

At least in my view, the GOP is just not able to be a governing party — to stop the decay in our institutions, the continued growth in inequality, and a kind of hopelessness among people who just feel abandoned by our institutions — our political ones, corporate ones, and, yes, often labor too.

FULL story at link.

[marym625]

1. Are you familiar with Amy Dean?

Her website is down at the moment as they are creating a new one. But here's a link to some of her stuff.

http://tcf.org/experts/detail/amy-dean


She coauthored the book The New New Deal

http://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/?GCOI=80140100697040

You might like it

[marym625]

2. Sorry, didn't mean to detract from your post

It just reminded me of the book.

K&R!

[Omaha Steve]

3. It didn't detract at all

[marym625]

4. Thanks

[Demeter]

5. Labor needs a new Party

There's no point in last ditching it...time to march to your own 99% drummer, and let the Corporate Democrats go down with their Captains of Industry on their own non-labor, non-union Titanic.

[blkmusclmachine]

9. +1. Time to dump the Democrats??? Because it sure looks like they've dumped Main St./middle class

America with the odious TPP Obama is trying to ram down our throats!!!

[yallerdawg]

6. Great conversation at link.

Like it or not, for many reasons, "labor union" has negative associations at this time which is hurting the notion of membership in a brotherhood.

I like the idea proposed of allowing union "minority representation" of small 'militant' groups of workers in right-to-work states, where negotiated benefits are only available to union members. The incentive then would be if you want union benefits which we have, you join the union. Interesting.

We should also pay attention to the correlation of the weakness of labor, and the creation of a "nation of temps." When we are all independent contractors from birth to earth, everything changes. Scary.

[Starry Messenger]

7. This really showed in the last election:

"Labor’s real electoral weakness — which the midterms exposed — is not so much that it couldn’t knock out [Gov. Scott] Walker in Wisconsin. Its real weakness is that it can’t get the Democratic party to present itself as a party with an express commitment to raising wages and benefits for all Americans, including the middle class."

People voted for minimum wage hikes. They like those things. They would vote for politicians that vocally supported them, and other ideas that benefit working people. Run on those things!

[TBF]

8. The service workers -

Walmart, McDonalds and all the rest - they have been pulled to the GOP with "Guns and God" as I call it. If the democratic party wants to be successful it needs to pull them back. But also you need something to pull them to - as long as this party remains co-opted by the third way then folks will focus on cultural issues because what is the difference between voting for big business or big banks?