In college, about a month after the Gipper fired the air traffic controllers, our charter flight nearly landed on top of another plane getting ready to take off, we came within a couple dozen feet of our wheels touching the top of the taxiing jet- so the fact that there weren't a rash of accidents was truly a miracle due to the heroics of a bunch of scared shitless pilots saving those scabs from their fuckups, not because things were going so smoothly.
There's only two elements missing from your analysis of why the unions crumbled: first, unions often did not support, or actively fought, better conditions for non-unionized workers. This remains true to this day, as the Nevada culinary union came out against Medicare for all in 2020 since that would mean everyone else would get what they'd negotiated for themselves. That this would make them look insanely bad did not seem to occur to them.
The other was that many unions sabotaged themselves rather than accept people of color as members. A lot of union members, then and now, voted for Republicans solely due to racial animus, despite knowing that it might harm themselves as well.
For me at age 14, it was an early awareness of conservative bias in some media outlets. The Washington Star newspaper had an editorial cartoon showing the union head wearing a turban and said he was an ayatollah holding air travel customers hostage. Besides the racism, it ignored that air travel back then was still somewhat of a luxury for most Americans.
Reagan was the beginning of the end for the middle class and too many of the dumb fuckers happily bought into their own demise, all for a chance to get back at the hippies and uppity minorities and women who had forgotten their place. Same old story- millions of people gladly traded their financial security and longterm happiness out of spite, racism and a chance to wallow in cultural grievances and morality fairytales. And Saint Ronnie was the unsurpassed master at spinning those fables...
Excellent primer on the demise of labor in America. One piece missing is the abdication of support for labor within the D party, finalized during the Clinton administration, thereby sealing the fate of unions.
Do you have a 40 hour work week? Do you have a weekend? Do you have the right not to be chained to your desk in a fire hazard with no breaks or access to water?
If you have any of these things, you have unions and the labor movement to thank. Whether you pay dues or not.
One more mark against the Old Fart. But then, anyone who remembered him from Hollywood days of informing on his fellow workers, should have known what he'd do.
Reagan and Thatcher are the two most destructive politicians in my lifetime. I wish there was a hell so they could be burning in agony together for all eternity.
In college, about a month after the Gipper fired the air traffic controllers, our charter flight nearly landed on top of another plane getting ready to take off, we came within a couple dozen feet of our wheels touching the top of the taxiing jet- so the fact that there weren't a rash of accidents was truly a miracle due to the heroics of a bunch of scared shitless pilots saving those scabs from their fuckups, not because things were going so smoothly.
This right here ^^^^^
There's only two elements missing from your analysis of why the unions crumbled: first, unions often did not support, or actively fought, better conditions for non-unionized workers. This remains true to this day, as the Nevada culinary union came out against Medicare for all in 2020 since that would mean everyone else would get what they'd negotiated for themselves. That this would make them look insanely bad did not seem to occur to them.
The other was that many unions sabotaged themselves rather than accept people of color as members. A lot of union members, then and now, voted for Republicans solely due to racial animus, despite knowing that it might harm themselves as well.
Erik is some know-it-all beer snob and commie perfessor from the Lawyers, Guns and Money blog...
LGM is a nice kindred blog that's well worth the visit, though they are suspiciously short of recipes and dick jokes...
For me at age 14, it was an early awareness of conservative bias in some media outlets. The Washington Star newspaper had an editorial cartoon showing the union head wearing a turban and said he was an ayatollah holding air travel customers hostage. Besides the racism, it ignored that air travel back then was still somewhat of a luxury for most Americans.
Reagan was the beginning of the end for the middle class and too many of the dumb fuckers happily bought into their own demise, all for a chance to get back at the hippies and uppity minorities and women who had forgotten their place. Same old story- millions of people gladly traded their financial security and longterm happiness out of spite, racism and a chance to wallow in cultural grievances and morality fairytales. And Saint Ronnie was the unsurpassed master at spinning those fables...
PATCO endorsed Uncle Bonzo. For better or worse (and you know which), they got what they deserved.
But Police unions are still intact and protecting and serving shitty police.
But is it a union job with speaking role rates?
https://www.alreporter.com/...
Excellent primer on the demise of labor in America. One piece missing is the abdication of support for labor within the D party, finalized during the Clinton administration, thereby sealing the fate of unions.
Do you have a 40 hour work week? Do you have a weekend? Do you have the right not to be chained to your desk in a fire hazard with no breaks or access to water?
If you have any of these things, you have unions and the labor movement to thank. Whether you pay dues or not.
Thank you.
One more mark against the Old Fart. But then, anyone who remembered him from Hollywood days of informing on his fellow workers, should have known what he'd do.
Reagan and Thatcher are the two most destructive politicians in my lifetime. I wish there was a hell so they could be burning in agony together for all eternity.