Socialist Progressives

Omaha Steve

(103,464 posts) Sat Jan 3, 2015, 04:35 PM Jan 2015

Why the Democrats Need Labor Again

X post in Labor & GD

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/01/democrats-need-labor-again-113583.html#.VKhfJSvF-So

Thomas Geoghegan is a labor lawyer and sometime journalist and author best known for his 1991 book, Which Side Are You On? Trying To Be For Labor When It’s Flat On Its Back. Geoghegan’s new book, Only One Thing Can Save Us: Why America Needs A New Kind of Labor Movement, is a sort of sequel. Like the earlier book, it’s part Spalding Gray monologue — equal parts comic and despairing — and part policy tome, full of provocative prescriptions for a patient that’s only gotten sicker during the past 23 years. POLITICO Pro Labor & Employment editor Timothy Noah interviewed Geoghegan by e-mail recently.

Timothy Noah: Your book appears at a notably bleak moment for the labor movement. Union density has fallen below 7 percent in the private sector. In the midterms, the AFL-CIO targeted six Republican governors and managed to defeat only one. Nearly half of all states are now “right-to-work,” meaning workers don’t have to pay union dues or their equivalent to a union that bargains collectively on their behalf. Would it be fair to describe this book as a last-ditch effort?

Thomas Geoghegan: For labor, it’s past the last-ditch stage. I think of it as a last-ditch effort for the Democrats. I’d say the book is addressed not just to labor but to the Democratic party — and to the left in general. Without a real labor movement in place, the Democrats will not be the party of the working people. And until it is such a party, it will not be a governing party.

At least in my view, the GOP is just not able to be a governing party — to stop the decay in our institutions, the continued growth in inequality, and a kind of hopelessness among people who just feel abandoned by our institutions — our political ones, corporate ones, and, yes, often labor too.

FULL story at link.

9 replies

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Highlight:

Why the Democrats Need Labor Again (Original Post) Omaha Steve Jan 2015 OP

Are you familiar with Amy Dean? marym625 Jan 2015 #1

Sorry, didn't mean to detract from your post marym625 Jan 2015 #2

It didn't detract at all Omaha Steve Jan 2015 #3

Thanks marym625 Jan 2015 #4

Labor needs a new Party Demeter Jan 2015 #5

+1. Time to dump the Democrats??? Because it sure looks like they've dumped Main St./middle class blkmusclmachine Jan 2015 #9

Great conversation at link. yallerdawg Jan 2015 #6

This really showed in the last election: Starry Messenger Jan 2015 #7

The service workers - TBF Jan 2015 #8

marym625

(17,997 posts)

1. Are you familiar with Amy Dean?

Reply to Omaha Steve (Original post)

Sat Jan 3, 2015, 05:09 PM

Jan 2015

Her website is down at the moment as they are creating a new one. But here's a link to some of her stuff.

http://tcf.org/experts/detail/amy-dean

She coauthored the book The New New Deal

http://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/?GCOI=80140100697040

You might like it

marym625

(17,997 posts)

2. Sorry, didn't mean to detract from your post

Reply to Omaha Steve (Original post)

Sat Jan 3, 2015, 05:16 PM

Jan 2015

It just reminded me of the book.

K&R!

Omaha Steve

(103,464 posts)

3. It didn't detract at all

Reply to marym625 (Reply #2)

Sat Jan 3, 2015, 05:21 PM

Jan 2015

marym625

(17,997 posts)

4. Thanks

Reply to Omaha Steve (Reply #3)

Sat Jan 3, 2015, 05:24 PM

Jan 2015

Demeter

(85,373 posts)

5. Labor needs a new Party

Reply to Omaha Steve (Original post)

Sat Jan 3, 2015, 05:24 PM

Jan 2015

There's no point in last ditching it...time to march to your own 99% drummer, and let the Corporate Democrats go down with their Captains of Industry on their own non-labor, non-union Titanic.

blkmusclmachine

(16,149 posts)

9. +1. Time to dump the Democrats??? Because it sure looks like they've dumped Main St./middle class

Reply to Demeter (Reply #5)

Sat Jan 3, 2015, 07:23 PM

Jan 2015

America with the odious TPP Obama is trying to ram down our throats!!!

yallerdawg

(16,104 posts)

6. Great conversation at link.

Reply to Omaha Steve (Original post)

Sat Jan 3, 2015, 06:02 PM

Jan 2015

Like it or not, for many reasons, "labor union" has negative associations at this time which is hurting the notion of membership in a brotherhood.

I like the idea proposed of allowing union "minority representation" of small 'militant' groups of workers in right-to-work states, where negotiated benefits are only available to union members. The incentive then would be if you want union benefits which we have, you join the union. Interesting.

We should also pay attention to the correlation of the weakness of labor, and the creation of a "nation of temps." When we are all independent contractors from birth to earth, everything changes. Scary.

Starry Messenger

(32,375 posts)

7. This really showed in the last election:

Reply to Omaha Steve (Original post)

Sat Jan 3, 2015, 06:44 PM

Jan 2015

"Labor’s real electoral weakness — which the midterms exposed — is not so much that it couldn’t knock out [Gov. Scott] Walker in Wisconsin. Its real weakness is that it can’t get the Democratic party to present itself as a party with an express commitment to raising wages and benefits for all Americans, including the middle class."

People voted for minimum wage hikes. They like those things. They would vote for politicians that vocally supported them, and other ideas that benefit working people. Run on those things!

TBF

(34,315 posts)

8. The service workers -

Reply to Omaha Steve (Original post)

Sat Jan 3, 2015, 06:54 PM

Jan 2015

Walmart, McDonalds and all the rest - they have been pulled to the GOP with "Guns and God" as I call it. If the democratic party wants to be successful it needs to pull them back. But also you need something to pull them to - as long as this party remains co-opted by the third way then folks will focus on cultural issues because what is the difference between voting for big business or big banks?

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