MEMORIAL DAY MESSAGE
On this Memorial Day I would like to remind others about the losses that we must acknowledge.
Although the primary focus of Memorial Day is upon those who have given the ultimate sacrifice to their country while serving in the military, we must also recognize those who have given their all in defense of their working brothers and sisters.
The names of those who have sacrificed their lives is too long to put down here and those who have suffered from their support of unionism is even longer than that. And what have these sacrifices wrought??????????????
Everyone of these Labor Heros would be turning in their graves if they truly comprehended the current state of affairs within the labor movement in the U.S.
Did I say Labor Movemment???????? I should have said Labor Stagnation. The facts speak for themselves. There has been a steady decline in the percentage of Union membership in this country. We are on the verge of a collapse of "organized" labor.
What I have noticed is that the powers that be in the labor unions are constantly changing their approach to everything except what the problem is. I see the problem as being that the leadership has lost sight of the fact that the rank & file is the backbone of the movement and it is being ignored. The rank & file are being denied access and accountability to the leadership and are percieved as being there only for the enrichment of the leadership.
Union leaders across the board are effectively picking the pockets of their members by taking salaries that dwarf the earnings of the rank & file whose blood, sweat and tears provide the capital for such exborbitant salaries and the realted expenses. John Bowers of the Longshoreman took home over $400,000 last year and our own President Doug McCarron was rewarded with over $350,000.
Meanwhile the rank & file continue to try and eek out another dollar or two from the contractors during negotiaitions of contracts that some don't even get to vote on. Where is the accountability?????? Where is the incentive to join??????????? Be assured that there are advantages such as the medical coverage and the retirement. But as management and our bargainging teams continue to dilute both we are left with less and less persuasive reasons to come and join "the brotherhood"
The time has come for a "retro-revolution", not only in this land but primarily within our building trades communities. We are the ones who actually are still producing tangible goods. We are the ones who erect office buildings, parking garages, retail outlets, multi-family and residential housing. These are jobs that cannot be outsourced to India or China These are tradeable commodities that our labor is producing and we are not reaping the benefits.
When are we going to wake up and say "ENOUGH ALREADY!!!!!". Bigger is not necessarily better but consolidation is also not the evil that it is portrayed to be. There is a common ground that we must find and occupy for our benefit and the benefit of the generations of workers to come. Just as those who came before, who gave of themselves to whatever degree, must be remembered for their sacrifices, we must make sacrifices for the next generation of workers who will follow.
Those who continue in our footsteps must have a legacy and a tradition to uphold or all will be lost to the corporados and their counterparts upon the national political stage. So please join me in remembering those who gave it all in order to make it better for their children and their children's children. We are responsible for what happens next. Be prepared for that burden and accept it gratefully and willingly.
When our holiday, Labor Day. comes around in 3 months, we may very well be looking at a whole new face of labor. This is a pivotal point in labor history and you can be a part of it or you can sit it out. Please join me in writing this next chapter. Solidify your part in the next step that labor and the carpenters take, get involved and make a difference.
Have a great Memorial Day weekend and let's celebrate our victory at the end of summer as we remember our labor leaders and activists who did what they felt they had to in order to gain a foothold for the working men and women of this country.
Thank You.................In Brotherhood & Solidarity......................Scott
Although the primary focus of Memorial Day is upon those who have given the ultimate sacrifice to their country while serving in the military, we must also recognize those who have given their all in defense of their working brothers and sisters.
The names of those who have sacrificed their lives is too long to put down here and those who have suffered from their support of unionism is even longer than that. And what have these sacrifices wrought??????????????
Everyone of these Labor Heros would be turning in their graves if they truly comprehended the current state of affairs within the labor movement in the U.S.
Did I say Labor Movemment???????? I should have said Labor Stagnation. The facts speak for themselves. There has been a steady decline in the percentage of Union membership in this country. We are on the verge of a collapse of "organized" labor.
What I have noticed is that the powers that be in the labor unions are constantly changing their approach to everything except what the problem is. I see the problem as being that the leadership has lost sight of the fact that the rank & file is the backbone of the movement and it is being ignored. The rank & file are being denied access and accountability to the leadership and are percieved as being there only for the enrichment of the leadership.
Union leaders across the board are effectively picking the pockets of their members by taking salaries that dwarf the earnings of the rank & file whose blood, sweat and tears provide the capital for such exborbitant salaries and the realted expenses. John Bowers of the Longshoreman took home over $400,000 last year and our own President Doug McCarron was rewarded with over $350,000.
Meanwhile the rank & file continue to try and eek out another dollar or two from the contractors during negotiaitions of contracts that some don't even get to vote on. Where is the accountability?????? Where is the incentive to join??????????? Be assured that there are advantages such as the medical coverage and the retirement. But as management and our bargainging teams continue to dilute both we are left with less and less persuasive reasons to come and join "the brotherhood"
The time has come for a "retro-revolution", not only in this land but primarily within our building trades communities. We are the ones who actually are still producing tangible goods. We are the ones who erect office buildings, parking garages, retail outlets, multi-family and residential housing. These are jobs that cannot be outsourced to India or China These are tradeable commodities that our labor is producing and we are not reaping the benefits.
When are we going to wake up and say "ENOUGH ALREADY!!!!!". Bigger is not necessarily better but consolidation is also not the evil that it is portrayed to be. There is a common ground that we must find and occupy for our benefit and the benefit of the generations of workers to come. Just as those who came before, who gave of themselves to whatever degree, must be remembered for their sacrifices, we must make sacrifices for the next generation of workers who will follow.
Those who continue in our footsteps must have a legacy and a tradition to uphold or all will be lost to the corporados and their counterparts upon the national political stage. So please join me in remembering those who gave it all in order to make it better for their children and their children's children. We are responsible for what happens next. Be prepared for that burden and accept it gratefully and willingly.
When our holiday, Labor Day. comes around in 3 months, we may very well be looking at a whole new face of labor. This is a pivotal point in labor history and you can be a part of it or you can sit it out. Please join me in writing this next chapter. Solidify your part in the next step that labor and the carpenters take, get involved and make a difference.
Have a great Memorial Day weekend and let's celebrate our victory at the end of summer as we remember our labor leaders and activists who did what they felt they had to in order to gain a foothold for the working men and women of this country.
Thank You.................In Brotherhood & Solidarity......................Scott
posted by T. Scott Brineman at 9:41 AM
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