Normally, I would rip on something like this; but because I come from a union family and because I have a very long memory, I get it.
Via The Hill:
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka amplified his call for a politically independent labor movement Tuesday and said unions too often are holding “a canceled check” after Election Day.
Trumka rallied hundreds of nurses at a conference hosted by the National Nurses United. The nurses are in Washington this week to lobby lawmakers for a financial transactions tax that could help pay for social services.
Trumka said unions want “an independent labor movement” that doesn’t support just one political party or candidate. Labor has often been unhappy with its traditional allies in the Democratic Party, and Trumka said friends of unions in Congress have often paid little heed to workers’ needs.
“For too long, we have been left after Election Day holding a canceled check waving it about — ‘Remember us? Remember us? Remember us?’ — asking someone to pay a little attention to us. Well, I don’t know about you, but I’ve had a snootful of that s–t,” Trumka said to cheers.
Now, there are some on my far right, that would say, ” See? This proves that labor controls the Democratic Party!” Well, there is much more to this than that.
You see, I happen to remember the 1990’s and the era of the Clinton Administration. I also remember the signing of the NAFTA bill. I also remember the labor movement; especially the UAW and related unions never forgave Bill Clinton for signing that bill.
Because you see, to the labor movement, Clinton’s signing of that bill was the ultimate abdication of the progressive principles that the Democratic Party. To them, Clinton sold the unions and the members who work in the auto plants here in Detroit up the river.
So, what you are seeing here is simply “blowback” from those actions. Also too, it has been reported that the attitude of the Obama Administration is; or at least was, “f—- the big three!” That sort of attitude, does not bode very well amongst the union members or with the labor movement at all.
Now, for the realist “right of center” view of this; any attempt by the labor movement to create a new political party will be an abject flop and could be a disaster for the labor movement. My reasons for thinking this are:
1. The Democratic Party is very highly financed. Not to mention Party bosses carry a good deal weight and are known to use questionable tactics to get what they want. I predict a “Battle of the overpass” style of attack, if this plan of the AFL-CIO goes through with such a plan.
2. The second most important reason that this approach will flop is this; the labor movement simply does not have the numbers anymore
Way back in the 1940’s; before, during, and after World War 2, union membership was at its zenith and on into the 1950 and 1960’s union membership blossomed. However, those days of union growth and strength are over. They simply do not have the clout anymore in the progressive movement anymore.
Because if this; I personally believe that this idea would be a foolish move. While I greatly admire those who strongly believe in their convictions; I believe this would do more to hurt the labor movement, than it would ever help.
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