This Recession is an Ambush

**Nickjamesups** · 02-02-2023, 04:11 PM

**Dudeman44** · 02-12-2023, 04:53 AM

First of all it is entirely unclear who is or is not part of the "working class" anymore. Are lawyers workers? What about engineers? Computer programmers?

As satisfying as it may be to think of the ruling class as greedy comic book villains, I seriously doubt they wake up every day and actually say, "How can I screw the working class today?" Because they see themselves as acting in the interests of society as a whole.

We "the workers" are an afterthought, unless they see something we're doing as against the general will of society. And organized labor lacks the power and imagination to do anything that disruptive anymore. Long gone are the explosive industrial struggles of the 20th century. Let's not kid ourselves.

They may want a recession because they think it will put employers back in the driver's seat. But Boomers retiring and the declining birth rate means that it's not really possible to have above-average unemployment without completely wrecking the economy.

We should enjoy this while it lasts by negotiating some really knockout contracts. Ones that put big pressure on competitors to keep up, then do some very aggressive organizing. Lord knows unions have the money for this. Maybe they can actually spend it.

**Dudeman44** · 02-12-2023, 10:44 AM

https://inthesetimes.com/article/uni...funding-strike

**Hiway80** · 02-12-2023, 04:43 PM

This is a really good article. It also briefly outlines a budget that is more than realistic. I need to get the report.

A good example in our own union of misdirection of funds is having competing Scholarship Funds. This year our union raised $5,000,000, for a new fund when we already have the Hoffa Scholarship Fund worth about $20 million. Why do we need two? At a time when there is so much nonunion competition for Teamster jobs, we should be organizing. How many organizers could we train or hire with that money alone?

Is our unions organizing budget up to the challenges we face?

**Dudeman44** · 02-12-2023, 05:01 PM

One of the best things we could've done with the extra scholarship money is expand our own training programs. Go around and make the training available to anyone who needs it, union or non-union. Get footholds into industries and employers where we don't currently represent people, make it easier to organize.

In my opinion the greater question is whether our leadership's vision is up to the challenges we face. There is no shortage of examples of big unions that have hammered away at large employers for years without so much as making a dent. Wal-Mart comes to mind. Especially when it comes to Amazon, if we try to do the same old thing that we have been, just on a larger scale, then it's probably gonna fail.

People need ideas to be motivated.