First off, my apologies for the light blogging this week; I’ve been on the road helping workers beef up their communications skills as part of my work with the International Labor Communications Association. With the incredible online tools we all have at our fingertips for little or no cost these days, it’s amazing how many new ways there are for workers to make their voices heard, and ILCA is committed to helping working men and women make the most of those tools. So I’m happy to help out however I can.
Now, let’s talk about something that’s been on everybody’s lips these days — greed. It seems to be out of control. You can’t pick up a newspaper or turn on the TV without hearing some hedge-fund manager or investment banker whining about how unfair it is that they have to put off buying a bigger boat, even as ordinary workers struggle just to hang on economically. And the history of the economic crisis is a story of greed run wild, with Wall Streeters pouring unprecedented sums of money into risky gambles that ended up literally breaking the banks.
So it’s clear that we need to get our economy moving again — and not by inventing new bubbles, but by providing a stable, sustainable foundation for people to build their lives on. We need an economy that works in the long term, and we need an economy that works for everybody.
That’s where the Employee Free Choice Act comes in. By empowering millions of working men and women to join together in unions, it would give those men and women the power to win better wages, affordable health care, and retirement security. That would help reverse the economic inequality that has resulted from decades of the wealthiest 1% enriching themselves at everyone else’s expense.
That’s a point that’s made clearly and forcefully by this new ad from American Rights at Work, titled simply “Greed”, which shows why America needs to stop doing business the Wall Street way and start doing business the Main Street way:
American Rights at Work Executive Director Mary Beth Maxwell also took this message to the airwaves last night, appearing on MSNBC’s The Ed Show with Ed Schultz:
Want to help push back on the culture of greed? Sign our online petition in support of the Employee Free Choice Act today.
Comments (2)
Comments posted to CtW Connect are the sole property of the individual posting them, and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of Change to Win, its affiliated unions, or its leadership.
WHY do you people continue to pursue such a doomed future?
You can NOT force an economy.
You cannot FORCE an employer to give you more than what they believe your contributions are worth. If their assessments are sound, your demands will bankrupt them. If their assessments are short, you will be in high demand with competitors who will run them out of business. This socialist approach has been tried - and tried and tried and tried. IT HAS FAILED IN EVERY CASE!!!!!!!!!
Posted by JinTX on April 10, 2009 at 11:21 AM
Posted on April 10, 2009 at 11:21 AM
My observations are that American Business is rewarding bad behavior. From the top to the bottom.
I have been through five layoffs/terminations, seen two plants close, trained my mexican replacement,blah blah blah.
Some bozo making millions says "Why does it cost so much to make our product?
Must be the workers and ships the american dream of employment overseas or south.
Incivility and treating employees like a consumable commodity also seems to be prevalent for me (in engineering) and shop floor workers are treated even worse.
And management is rewarded.
Its disheartening to know the history of the Teamsters and see bad behavior being rewarded with bailouts, while life, liberty and the pursuit of happines is sent to wall street to be sold like a commodity.
I worked at a truck plant (now closed) when NAFTA hit and am glad to see the Teamsters web site and all the positive work still being done on behalf of lots of people who are not aware of any of these events.
If we stop rewarding bad behavior it will improve.
Its good to know the Teamsters are here and I am grateful.
Posted by Dean Pocius on April 13, 2009 at 6:51 AM
Posted on April 13, 2009 at 6:51 AM