Boycott Right to Work States!

[unionworks]

Why haven't the unions done this yet? Boycott products made by non-union firms in these states. Run a publicity campaign exposing the low pay and lack of benefits. Instead of putting out a long list of products or firms to avoid, concentrate on the worst offenders and states to make the boycott easy to follow and effective. The newly found awareness of economic disparity given to the unions on a silver platter at at a terrible cost by the Occupy movement should not be wasted. The fields are ready for harvest, the time is now, not 10 years from now.

[pipoman]

1. There aren't enough union workers

to do it effectively any longer. The fields were ready for harvest 20 years ago..but alas, the unions were too busy backing the free traders for key elected offices and the free traders delivered on their promises to big industry whilst giggling in the chambers about the stupidity of the unions..

[cyclezealot]

2. 20 years ago..

I am not sure Labor supported the free traders of 20 years ago.. I recall a huge rift between pro labor congress members and the free trade people.. .Right to work is a basic attack on our right to association as determined to be Universal Declaration of Human Rights.. And one of the reasons Human Rights Watch declares Americans are less free than most of the workers in the Industrial West where the right to organize is protected by law. Boycotting the products of RTW states. I am all for it.. Because their laws are an attack on the rights of all.

[pipoman]

5. They supported Clinton in 2000, 12 years ago

right to work is payment to industry to keep them from utilizing their easy options to move offshore thanks to free trade agreements. Free trade is the mother of right to work.

[Selatius]

3. The number is somewhere between 5% and 10% of the US workforce being unionized.

When the Taft-Hartley Act passed, roughly a third of the nation's workforce belonged to a union. It was that law that essentially proved to be the high-water mark for labor unions in the United States. Since then, corporate power and not labor power, has won most of the battles. Today, both parties pander, to varying degrees, to the top 1%.

[pipoman]

8. I would expect as much from the rethugs

not so much "the Labor Party"...The Labor Party is Dead thanks to Dems.

[unionworks]

17. As Reverend Al says

A lot of things used to be acceptable until WE STOPPED ACCEPTING IT!

[unionworks]

4. you don't have to be a union worker

...to participate! That's the beauty of it! The people you are trying to reach are the ones I have worked beside for the last 10 years, chained to a machine set to run at a speed meant for three people, while making little more than minimum wage. I would have cheerfully stopped buying a list of 5 or 6 products to take a swing back at the slave driving bastards getting rich off of me and those like me. You aren't asking someone to risk their job by signing a union card that will lead to their being fired later. You are putting a weapon in their hands that can be used in complete and utter secrecy. I am tired of everyone talking about why things won't work. IT IS TIME TO START MAKING THING WORK, OTHERWISE THE AMERICAN WORKER WILL BE ENSLAVED.

[pipoman]

7. The American worker is enslaved already

and your answer is to boycott the few products still made in the US. How about boycotting companies who have moved offshore? Bill Clinton and other Dems sold out workers for the prizes of big industry. The Labor Party is dead.

[unionworks]

10. Last time i checked

... my heart was still beating union blood.

[pipoman]

20. To the exclusion of the chinese importers, and mexican manufacturing?

or do you just like all of your cheap chinese and mexican junk too much to attack the root?

So those with "union blood" would rather attack fellow us workers than the real cause of their plight? I never believed those with "union blood" to be anti-American...maybe I should rethink that belief...

[unionworks]

21. funny how much anti-union sentiment

I am running into on a Democratic website. Perhaps the unions should start rethinking some things too.

[pipoman]

25. Not anti-union

pro-American worker. "Right to work" is the product of trade agreements which allowed US manufacturers to move to countries who only wish they could organize without being summarily executed, and give them incentives to do it. Job crisis in some states because of this resulted in them looking for ways to compete for the jobs being exported. The unions have been supporting the very same candidates who are signing trade deal after trade deal to export more US jobs. It is that simple, To actually believe that the 'right to work states' are the cause of the employment problems of union workers is an incredibly ignorant position.

[unionworks]

23. Bread and Roses

How easily we forget...

&feature=related

[pampango]

26. Reagan did more to destroy unions and he only signed one free trade deal - with Canada.

You seem to be saying that Clinton did more to harm American unions than Reagan. Not only did Reagan sign only one free trade deal (with our treacherous neighbor to the north), but US' tariffs were actually higher at the end of his term than they were at the beginning.

As Europe countries (particularly Germany and the Scandinavian countries) prove a large and strong union sector is totally compatible with levels of trade and free trade that are much higher than in the US. Manufacturing wages are 50% higher in Germany than in the US due to the effectiveness of German unions. Germany exports 4 times as much per capita as the US does and has a trade surplus due to the strength of its manufacturing sector.

The decline of unions in the US reflects the success of Reagan-initiated republican-led union busting and of their long-term PR campaign to demonize unions which continues today. In countries where unions have the support of the people and governments (as mentioned above), unions are strong, wages are high, economies are strong and trade is a larger part of the economy compared to the US.

[pipoman]

27. I expect that of the rethugs

I don't expect it of the self proclaimed "labor party". Further it actually was the Clinton administration who was at the head of "fast tracking" nafta and several other trade agreements with 3rd world countries with absolutely no requirements on those countries to improve working conditions or standard of living for their workers..in fact quite the opposite. I don't know who the trade partners are with the EU, but trade amongst themselves is trade with other nations who have worker protections in place. The decline of the unions reflects the exportation of union jobs by the very politicians unions have been backing for the last 20+ years. Exportation of union jobs has reduced the number of union members, which has reduced the strength of the union vote. Has not one shit to do with 'right to work'.

[pampango]

28. Reagan who raised tariffs and only did free trade with one country - Canada - did what you want.

While Clinton "was at the head of "fast tracking" nafta and several other trade agreements with 3rd world countries...". That's something that Reagan never did. Whose side are you on here?

European countries do trade freely with each other on their continent, much the same as we do on our continent. The EU is not composed of just "rich" countries like Germany, Sweden, the UK, France and others. Their newer members like Poland, Bulgaria and Romania had per capita incomes comparable to Mexico when they were admitted to the EU.

In addition, China exports more to the EU than it does to the US so you can't argue that Europe doesn't trade with the poor countries as much as the US does. In fact &quot t)he EU already grants the poorest countries in the world complete duty and quota free access to its markets, and recently, the Rules of 0rigin that determine whether a product is eligible to that free access were also relaxed, thus ensuring that developing countries really benefit from the trade preferences on offer to them."

http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/11/519&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

The EU allows tariff- and quota-free access to its markets for the poorest countries. The poor countries do not have to reciprocate and provide any access for the EU countries. It is done unilaterally by the EU as a development tool. Not only does the US not do anything like that, it is safe to say that American liberals and conservatives would unite to oppose any such program. Different mentalities on different sides of the Atlantic.

"The decline of the unions reflects the exportation of union jobs...". The decline of union jobs in the US is due to government policy which not only does not support unions, but undermines them. In countries where government policy is the opposite, unions thrive.

It has nothing to do with trade. Developed countries (like Germany and Sweden) with strong unions trade more (with other rich countries and with the Third World) and have a stronger middle class with a more equitable distribution of income then do developed countries (like the US) with weak unions and which trade relatively little.

[izquierdista]

6. Yet? Don't you mean still?

An example of unions running a publicity campaign.
In the long run, they lost out to management advertising.

[JoeyT]

9. Good plan.

Show American workers that unions only look out for unions. That will bring any undecideds around when they're fired in a shitty economy because we suck at messaging and thought it would be a grand idea to hammer the people that least needed it.

The counter boycott of union made stuff will be the last nail in the coffin for unions in America. Wrong way to fight at the wrong time.

Running ads and an education campaign I could get behind. Crushing poor workers because they happen to not be in a union and from the wrong state I can't.

[unionworks]

11. I'd rather die on my feet for the union

...than on my knees as a scab.

[JoeyT]

39. Well, your plan will certainly kill unions off in a hurry.

So you might well get your wish.

Alienating all your supporters that aren't actually IN unions because they don't have the option oughta do it, and make no mistake that's exactly what that would accomplish. So you wouldn't be dying on your feet for the union as much as killing the unions off out of sheer pettiness. But whatever you have to tell yourself I guess.

[unionworks]

41. I was in the non union shops

politicians screwed them over when they dropped support for card check. Being forced to bust their back for next to nothing, I'm sure they would welcome a chance to kick the man where it hurts, since they can't form a union anymore without being retaliated against.

[JoeyT]

42. Yeah, been there, done that.

I'd love nothing more than to see unions stronger than any political party again. They were one of the few groups that actually fought for worker's rights.

Non-Union shops are the suck, period. I have no sympathy for the bastards that run them, just for the men and women that work at them.

My last construction job was non-union (Not crossing a picket. I don't care what the pay is, that won't happen.) and it was the craziest stuff I'd ever seen. The company lost the contract because three fourths of the people there couldn't do their jobs. Unions are good for businesses that aren't crappy fly-by-nights too. If they'd hired union, they'd have paid more, but they'd have retained the contract and done a damn good job to boot. Instead the whole company got tossed out. (And thank god for that, cause the work they were doing would have killed someone.)

[unionworks]

12. Best Definition of SCAB

[HopeHoops]

13. "Right to work" means "right to work for shit".

[unionworks]

16. They moved

the shops right out from under us and sent them to "right to work for shit" states. This would be a way for us to fight back and weaken these union busting governors like Perry, without retribution on the people who participate in the boycott. Winsconsin was a start. It's time to go after ALL OF THEM and RESTORE THE MIDDLE CLASS!!!

[HopeHoops]

29. Agreed.

[MadHound]

14. And what do you do to all those union workers in those states?

Oh, yeah, destroy their jobs, their economic well being.

[unionworks]

15. I think I said

boycott NON UNION MADE products.

[MadHound]

18. And if you do that, then that state's economy suffers, along with the population of that state,

Both union and non-union. Then what?

[unionworks]

19. Then the corporations in that state

... don't have as much money to give to union busting politicians, the unions get the sob's kicked out, the state goes union and the workers reap the benefits.

[MadHound]

22. And in the meantime, while it takes a couple of decades for that to all work out,

Those people are still going to suffer, union and non-union. Nice of you to consign those of us who live in right to work states to mass economic hardship.

[unionworks]

24. How in the world

...does a boycott of union busters hurt any union member?

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[RebelOne]

30. I am 100% pro-union.

My son is a glazer and is in a union. He is 47 now, but can retire when he hits 55 with a very good pension. My ex-husband was in a trucker's union.

And my long-deceased stepfather was a bartender in Miami and belonged to a union. He was killed in an auto accident by an off-duty drunken cop. The union organized a huge benefit to raise money for my mother. There were a lot of stars that performed. Martha Raye was one. This was in the early '50s.

[unionworks]

32. thank you so much

...for those wonderful memories! It gives me hope for the future as well.

[RebelOne]

34. Happy that I gave you good memories. n/t

[JNelson6563]

31. I think it would be wiser to continue

promoting US made products produced by union workers. It is better to go the positive route than the negative.

The various unions do a good deal of promotion and dedicate a lot of resources to growing membership. I live in Michigan and we are a union state. Labor plays a major role in Democratic politics in this state. Being in politics I know a lot of folks who are members as well as those who work directly for UAW as organizers and the like. They work hard, they do good stuff and I applaud their efforts!

I think we should ban together and buy as much union made stuff as possible and spread the word!

Julie

[unionworks]

33. You sound

... like a wonderful person! I will be working for Obama on the phones this year.



That said, to quote Kipling, "today the sargeants something less than kind". I'veseen too much suffering in my city. I think we need to cut off the scab governors supply lines like we did with Limbaugh. It seems to work quite well.

[JNelson6563]

38. True, the Limbaugh thing worked well.

The outrage was deep, far & wide over this current Rush-related-incident. The backlash was certainly reflective of the scope of his offense.

I don't think this is a strategy that can be applied to the effort you're talking about in your OP. Of course such outrageous statements could be made along the way that would incite the sort of outrage we have seen of later over Limbaugh and that could give boosts to a long term effort. While it is highly likely to happen, knowing the right-wing blow-hards as we do, I wouldn't write it into the plan, as it were, and count any boosts inspired by their nastiness as bonus progress. Sort of like you wouldn't include possible/may happen if the planets align correctly sort of windfalls when you figure out your budget.

Just my .0125

Julie

[unionworks]

40. Well, I'm just an overfed

....long haired leaping Gnome, and have no power to implement such a massive undertaking. It sure did shakesome right to work folks up, though.

[Earth_First]

35. Democratic National Convention 2012 Charlotte, North Carolina

A 'right to work' state...the second such city to hold the DNC in as many years; Denver 2008

The lowest percentage of unionized labor in the United States (2.9%) 2011

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/union2.nr0.htm

Charlotte does not have a *single* unionized hotel in the entire city.

[Rochester]

36. Solidarity forever!

[unionworks]

37. If the "right to work" apologists

...are screaming, moaning and howling about this idea of a boycott... YOU KNOW IT'S A DAMN GOOD IDEA!!! UNIONS WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?