http://www.facebook.com/posted.php?id=124517169369&share_id=107708459269551&comments=1
Meredith Merriner Fans of Stewart Acuff: Click on this link to listen to an exclusive interview with Stewart Acuff, C0-Writer of the new book "Getting America Back to Work".
http://bobcarson13.podomatic.com/player/web/2010-04-09T14_27_30-07_00
Exclusive Interview with Stewart Acuff.
bobcarson13.podomatic.com
Exclusive Interview with Stewart Acuff.
April 10 at 12:48pm · Comment ·
Alan L. Maki I think it's terrible that Acuff would resort to anti-communism in calling the mining disaster a "Chinese mining disaster in West Virginia." As Mr. Acuff knows full well, most of the mining disasters in China are in private and foreign owned or controlled coal mines. What is the purpose of attacking China because a bunch of Wall Street capitalists seeking maximum profits sacrifice the lives of working people for profit? Capitalism kills workers in this country just like in China.
The host of this radio program mentioned "at-will hiring;" in fact, "at-will hiring; at-will firing" is the major impediment to union organizing in this country... 28 states are "at-will." Many of these states are controlled by Democrats bankrolled by unions... why hasn't the AFL-CIO demanded accountability from those politicians they back by insisting "at-will" be repealed? Even the Employee Free Choice Act won't overcome "at-will hiring; at-will firing."
Workers have "lost ground" because we don't have a minimum wage that is a living wage tied directly to the cost of living based upon the calculations of the United States Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The wars Bush and the Republicans started with full support from the Democrats now being carried out fully by Obama and the Democrats are killing people and killing jobs. For what these dirty imperialist wars are costing us we could create a world-class socialized healthcare system which would create up to ten-million new members providing the American people with free healthcare--- these wars are robbing us of healthcare and jobs.
In the 1930's and 1940's the struggle was for union representation and recognition in the mines, mills and factories... as Phil Raymond, a founder of the UAW often pointed out, the next struggle would be over protecting these jobs and he pointed out that this struggle would have to be over who will own these mines, mills and factories.
Right now over 3,700 mines, mills and factories are closed... they need to be re-opened under public ownership in order to save and create jobs. The time has come for working people to assert themselves into the decision-making process because Obama and the Democrats are not going to create the kinds of jobs at living wages unless they are facing a massive movement for this kind of real change.
Whirlpool is closing a huge refrigerator plant in Indiana... The AFL-CIO and the Crowne family with controlling interest in Whirlpool both support Obama and many of the same Democrats--- how can workers make any gains supporting the bosses' candidates and political parties... we need to begin talking about a socialist, working class political party like Canadian workers have in the New Democratic Party. Working people in this country will make little progress without a labor party.
We need to expand public ownership and control in this country because the only institutions still working are public institutions... capitalism and everything associated with the "free market economy" is faltering while capitalism itself is on the skids to oblivion.
Workers aren't buying into the Democratic Party anymore because the Democrats have refused to deliver as promised.
April 19 at 8:01pm ·
Meredith Merriner Workers have been left behind in the dust...I would LOVE to see a Labor Party really take hold.
3 hours ago · June 26, 2010
Alan L. Maki
We should be inviting Canadian workers to the United States to talk at union meetings and other labor events like May Day and Labor Day to explain about their New Democratic Party... U.S. workers, labor activists and union leaders should be going to Canada, in a two way exchange, to find out more about the New Democratic Party.
Here in Minnesota the socialist Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party controlled Minnesota politics for Many years having elected two socialist governors, controlled the state house and almost the senate, elected Congresspersons and even U.S. senators.
Probably the worst political blunder by the left in this country was to agree to merge the Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party with the racist, anti-union, corrupt Minnesota Democratic Party at a time when many working people were considering creating a national Farmer-Labor Party--- the time has come, with or without organized labor's leadership--- for grassroots activists and rank-and-file working people to create a socialist party in this country.
We don't have to wait for Richard Trumka or Stewart Acuff or anyone else to give us "permission;" for the betterment of working people we need to move forward on this as quickly as possible because as the G-8/G-20 events are proving, Barack Obama and the Democrats are not on our side. If we want to elect politicians to public office who are going to serve the interests of working people then we are going to have to run ourselves for public office.
I just heard one such candidate for the Minnesota State Senate, Gregory Paquin--- a Native American Indian union pipe-fitter--- interviewed on the radio about what is being done to start a new political party. Paquin quoted from page 83 of Stewart Acuff's and Richard Levin's new book, "Getting America Back To Work" in saying the new political party is being called, "Warriors for Justice."
Here is Paquin's blog:
http://nativeamericanindianlaborunion12.blogspot.com/
And here is blog of his colleague, Nicole Beaulieu, another Native American Indian working class activist who is a teacher, running for Minnesota State Representative:
http://anishinaabecandidate.blogspot.com/
I would encourage you and all other working people to read their blogs and consider taking similar initiatives...
What we really need is a national network of such local initiatives; Warriors for Peace and Social Justice.
It is like one of the finest advocates for the rights of working people, Roosevelt's Secretary of Labor, Frances Perkins, once said:
"Good ideas in books and pamphlets aren't worth anything until they are put into action."
If I were Stewart Acuff and Richard Levins, I would ship Greg Paquin and Nicole Beaulieu 2,000 complimentary copies of their book to pass out to voters for free along with a leaflet inserted in it congratulating them on their initiative and encouraging workers to vote for them as a way of getting America back to work.
Yours in struggle and solidarity,
Alan L. Maki
Director of Organizing,
Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council
58891 County Road 13
Warroad, Minnesota 56763
Phone: 218-386-2432
Cell Phone: 651-587-5541
E-mail: amaki000@centurytel.net
Please check out my blog: http://thepodunkblog.blogspot.com/
Let’s talk about the politics and economics of livelihood for real change.
June 26, 2010
