Portside

Reader Comments: Trump 2.0; What Next?; Where Do We Begin?; Texas Victories; What The Hell Happened? How - And Why Did Working Class and Union Members Vote? -- Virtual Event; Strategy for Labor: Panel Discussion in Honor of Merle Ratner; Cartoons;

Modest goals won’t get us where we need to go. We need to think big. The labor movement needs, before anything, genuine ambition for a new America...We need labor leaders who see their jobs as climbing mountains no matter how high they are.

Aided by a historically tight labor market and a supportive president and National Labor Relations Board, unionized workers have been able to use their newfound leverage to win demands that forward their agenda.

In light of the youth-driven surge of union drives at Starbucks, Amazon, Apple and elsewhere, the AFL-CIO – the main US’s labor federation – is facing growing pressure to undertake a bolder effort to help today’s burst of unionizing expand far faster

But while the Uber apps may be wonderful, the “uber” exploitation of workers is unacceptable!

Guess what happens when the government and power structure forsake labor peace? Labor war.

So is Trump the worker’s hero? Will increased tariffs return jobs to the US? The left has been weak on this issue. The left lacks a real program to address the real concerns of those impacted by trade deals.

Reuters examined police union contracts across the country and found a pattern of protections afforded officers: Many contracts erase disciplinary records or allow police to forfeit sick leave for suspensions. Meantime, residents face hurdles in pursuing complaints.

Moderator's NOTE: Bill Fletcher and Bob Wing's article "Fighting Back Against White Revolt 2016" http://portside.org/2016-12-05/fighting-back-against-white-revolt-2016 has sparked discussion from Peter Olney "Go Red" http://portside.org/2016-12-26/go-red-thoughts-labor-movement-age-trump-response-fletcher-and-wing-portside-december-5 and today a response piece by Ruth Needleman. Following is today's reply posting from Fletcher and Wing.