Does Labor Have Any Real Friends?

[marmar]

Published on Friday, March 16, 2012 by Common Dreams
Does Labor Have Any Real Friends?

by David Macaray


Despite well-meaning attempts at mitigating or sugar-coating it, organized labor has always known, deep-down, that the only true friend it had was labor itself. Yes, the Democrats have thrown a few crumbs its way, and yes, academics have eloquently given voice to the Movement, and yes, non-union workers have grudgingly recognized organized labor’s historical contributions. But when it comes to the down-and-dirty battles, working people realize that no one can be relied upon except other working people.

An actor I know, a long-time SAG member with an impressive list of credits, once told me: “Scratch a Hollywood liberal, and you’ll find a union hater.” Having swum in the Hollywood tank for more than 30 years, he is convinced that the affluent, progressive-minded denizens of Malibu and the West Side (often stereotyped as “knee-jerk liberals”) not only don’t respect or admire organized labor, they actually root for it to fail.

For whatever reason—whether it’s the perception that labor’s too big for its britches, or it’s those nagging memories of newsreel footage showing union thugs doing the perp walk, or it’s simply the stark realization that America’s working class (the “French fries and gravy crowd,” as management used to call it) isn’t “romantic” or exciting enough to embrace—it’s hard to find liberals willing to celebrate organized labor. In fact, they seem far more likely to want to defy it.

Take the Pacifica Foundation, for example, the group that runs KPFK radio in Los Angeles, KPFA in San Francisco, KPFT in Houston, WPFW in Washington D.C., and WBAI in New York City. I can’t vouch for the other stations, but I’ve listened to KPFK most of my adult life, and have never heard more “radical” anti-government, anti-establishment, anti-corporate, and pro-conspiracy material broadcast anywhere. My college English professor, poor baby, actually referred to KPFK as “communistic.” .................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/03/16-1

[leftyohiolib]

1. unions are the only friend a worker has yet so many hate unions. it must be all the inbreeding