Comments on: Trouble at INPUT http://blog.shashwati.com/2005/04/27/trouble-at-input/ Shashwati Talukdar's Musings Sat, 19 Dec 2009 03:29:10 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Shashwati http://blog.shashwati.com/2005/04/27/trouble-at-input/comment-page-1/#comment-95 Shashwati Tue, 03 May 2005 13:34:42 +0000 http://blog.shashwati.com/?p=124#comment-95 Actually I am sadder at the limits of liberal politics, and the state of things where a generally useful organization has to spend three years to raise funds for a conference. As for unions, as someone who is seeing their eight hour working day disappear (ten hours is normal now and more), and normal decency in professional relationships being eroded. I feel quite attached to the idea of a strong union right now, not that it helps, mine is pretty toothless, I am sure in part due to some of the darker aspects of labor history you point out, there is only so much contradiction a movement can stand. But still, pretty soon I'll be buying bread from the company store. Actually I am sadder at the limits of liberal politics, and the state of things where a generally useful organization has to spend three years to raise funds for a conference. As for unions, as someone who is seeing their eight hour working day disappear (ten hours is normal now and more), and normal decency in professional relationships being eroded. I feel quite attached to the idea of a strong union right now, not that it helps, mine is pretty toothless, I am sure in part due to some of the darker aspects of labor history you point out, there is only so much contradiction a movement can stand. But still, pretty soon I’ll be buying bread from the company store.

]]> By: Ennis http://blog.shashwati.com/2005/04/27/trouble-at-input/comment-page-1/#comment-94 Ennis Tue, 03 May 2005 03:48:13 +0000 http://blog.shashwati.com/?p=124#comment-94 This surprises you? I don't understand why so many progressives feel a knee jerk attachment to unions when often unions either do not back progressive causes, or if they do, do so in a very narrow parochial fashion. My experience with unions? Unions were a large part of the nativism that welled up in the US in the 1970s. BUY AMERICAN! LOOK FOR THE UNION LABEL! GO BACK WHERE YOU CAME FROM! Unions have a long history of this sort of behavior - we never teach it this way, but Apartheid was born of an alliance between Afrikaner nationalists and White South African Unions. What you're describing is a milder, but still persistent trait of unions - their rigidity. Organizationally, American unions have very little incentive to be flexible. The costs are not born by those who make the decisions. Sorry, I'll end my rant here. This surprises you? I don’t understand why so many progressives feel a knee jerk attachment to unions when often unions either do not back progressive causes, or if they do, do so in a very narrow parochial fashion.

My experience with unions? Unions were a large part of the nativism that welled up in the US in the 1970s. BUY AMERICAN! LOOK FOR THE UNION LABEL! GO BACK WHERE YOU CAME FROM! Unions have a long history of this sort of behavior – we never teach it this way, but Apartheid was born of an alliance between Afrikaner nationalists and White South African Unions.

What you’re describing is a milder, but still persistent trait of unions – their rigidity. Organizationally, American unions have very little incentive to be flexible. The costs are not born by those who make the decisions.

Sorry, I’ll end my rant here.

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