[Peace] Labor Day parade

[John W.]

Extremely informative and well-expressed, Ricky.  An abbreviated version of 
your comments here about Jobs With Justice would make an excellent letter 
to the News-Gazette.

John Wason



At 10:48 AM 8/30/2006, Ricky Baldwin wrote:

>As proud members of the newly formed local Jobs With
>Justice chapter, AWARE members are invited to join in
>this year's Labor Day parade.
>
>The parade is, yes, on Labor Day, Monday Sept. 4.
>Starts at 10am from Lincoln Square Mall in Urbana.
>Ends shortly thereafter at the Brookens Admin Center
>on Washington, where there are usually games for kids,
>eats, etc.
>
>Look for Jobs With Justice signs or GEO.  We're right
>behind them.  Bring your own sign or borrow one from
>JWJ.
>
>Come on!  It's fun!
>
>
>p.s.  There has been much discussion over the years in
>AWARE about organized labor in the US, which leaves
>much to be desired (to put it mildly).  There is a
>truly abysmla history of labor unions supporting wars
>and other heinous acts, which I would argue shouldn't
>be overgeneralized, but it should also not be
>forgotten.  We could also discuss Labor Day, which was
>invented by suck-up unions as an anti-Red alternative
>to the worldwide celebration of May Day (which began
>as a commemoration of anarchist and other union
>organizers and activists killed during and after the
>Haymarket incident in Chicago, yes, just a few miles
>from here).
>
>A couple of comments on this occasion...
>
>1. Jobs With Justice is a coalition of unions and
>community groups with great local autonomy.  It can be
>what we make it.  In Chicago JWJ was instrumental in
>forming USLAW (US Labor Against the War), cosponsors
>the Illinois Peace & Justice Coalition (which AWARE is
>also part of) and James Thindwa (Chicago JWJ exec dir)
>was the keynote speakers at ILPJC's founding
>conference here.  JWJ here also includes the Coalition
>Against Coke Contracts, the Industrial Workers of the
>World, the Campus Greens, and a couple other fellow
>travelers.
>
>2.  Workers in this country have fewer and fewer
>alternatives to better their lives.  Access even to
>the mainstream - and largely conservative - trade
>unions we have here (as opposed to some other
>countries, where big unions are explicitly socialist
>or anarchist, or simply have more fight in them) is
>shrinking fast.  Maybe in the long run workers will
>have to develop (or redevelop) more radical
>alternatives.  That is by no means certain.  What is
>certain is that in the meantime, standards of living
>and the basic ability to participate meaningfully in
>our supposedly democratic society will decline for
>millions of people - while naturally rising for a few
>others.
>
>What is also not generally understood in this country
>is that union activity, even activities of those
>narrow unions who only look out for themselves, can
>help others, too.  When union density (proportion of
>the workforce) is high, all wages generally increase,
>as well as other benefits, safety protections, etc.
>
>But fewer and fewer unions these days are able to
>stick to this narrow model.  Change has come painfully
>slow.  And it is still is slow.  But it is happening.
>NAFTA has driven some unions to build coalitions
>across borders.  Unions like SEIU and HERE, not just
>United Farm Workers, with high proportions of
>immigrants in the sector of the economy where they
>work, have been active in immigrants rights battles -
>especially in the last few years.  As the healthcare
>crisis deepens, more unions are involved in efforts
>like CCHCC to fight back.  US Labor Against the War
>helped organize dozens of local unions, local labor
>councils (local AFL-CIO affiliates) and international
>unions to pass resolutions against the war, call for
>withdrawal, march against war and occupation - and in
>the past year the AFL-CIO passed a resolution calling
>for withdrawal.  Some of these resolutions are not as
>strong as we'd like.  But that's what you get in broad
>campaign, similar to the Cities for Peace, which had
>similar weaknesses.  Jobs With Justice is part of the
>push from the good guys in labor.  We don't agree all
>the time (like AFSCME's support of Tim Johnson) but in
>a coalition, that's what it's like.  They're better
>off with us there than without us.  And, I'd argue,
>we're better off, too.
>
>3.  Finally,  it's always good for AWARE to show at a
>public gathering.  Like the July 4th parade.  If you
>want to bring your own sign, I'd suggest tying war and
>labor together, or something that would have the
>widest  possibility of persuasion.  If you don't,
>carry a Jobs With Justice sign.  It'll show which side
>we're on.  See you there!!!