This is a letter I sent to the initiators of the Labor Fight-Back Conference:
Attention:
Ken Riley
President
South Carolina AFL-CIO
Donna Dewitt
Retired President
South Carolina AFL-CIO
Charity Schmidt
Co-President
University of Wisconsin-Madison Teaching Assistants’ Association (TAA)
Executive Board, South Central Federation of Labor, Wisconsin
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Kevin Gundlach
President
Wisconsin South Central Federation of Labor
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Re: Labor Fight-Back Conference http://www.laborfightback.org/
We need a working class based progressive people's party in this country similar to the socialist New Democratic Party in Canada. We can build on the successes of the Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party which elected two socialist governors, Floyd B. Olson and Elmer Benson along with Communist Congressman John Bernard. The Progressive Party of Henry Wallace also provides a place to pick up from.
We need to examine what workers get out of Democratic super majorities like here in Minnesota where this Democratic super majority will not even consider:
* Rescinding "At-will Employment" legislation which is the main obstacle to union organizing.
* Anti-scab legislation.
* Anti-lockout legislation.
* A living wage which is a real living wage based on all cost of living factors as monitored by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics indexed for inflation and re-calculated quarterly.
We need a plank in any program for full employment which requires the president and Congress to be responsible for attaining and maintaining full employment along the lines of the defeated "Full Employment Act of 1945;" the entire act along with the complete 1,000 plus page transcript of Congressional testimony can be found here:
A working class based program for real change should include:
* Peace--- end the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya and shutdown the 800 U.S. military bases on foreign soil.
* A National Public Health Care System - ten million new jobs.
* A National Public Child Care System - three to five million new jobs.
* Works Progress Administration - three million new jobs.
* Civilian Conservation Corps - two million new jobs.
* Tax the hell out of the rich and cut the military budget by ending the wars to pay for it all which will create full employment.
* Enforce Affirmative Action; end discrimination.
* Raise the minimum wage to a real living wage
* What tax-payers subsidize in the way of businesses, tax-payers should own and reap the profits from.
* Moratorium on home foreclosures and evictions.
* Defend democracy by defending workers' rights including the right to collective bargaining for improving the lives and livelihoods of working people.
* Roll-back and freeze the price of food, electricity, gas and heating fuels; not wages, benefits or pensions.
* Defend and expand Social Security.
* Wall Street is our enemy
How is Barack Obama's Wall Street war economy working for you?
Climate change is like war, poverty and unemployment... without peace we aren't going to solve this problem either.
Let's talk about the politics and economics of livelihood for a real change.
Hundreds of thousands of casino workers are employed in the loud, noisy, smoke-filled casinos of the hideous Indian Gaming Industry at poverty wages without any rights under state or federal labor laws in an industry where a bunch of wealthy white mobsters own all the slot machines and table games and have divided among the "families" the various associated businesses including hotels/motels, restaurants/bars, gas station/convenience stores, clothing boutiques/gift shops, golf courses/theme parks. These rich white mobsters run off with all the profits leaving Native Americans in greater poverty as they exploit all casino workers. This is an industry intentionally spun by politicians under terms of "Compacts" operating in violation of all standards established by the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights in return for lucrative campaign contributions.
An alternative to lockouts needs to be considered; one such alternative would be plant/workplace occupations.
Some form of general strikes needs to be considered as a response to reactionary anti-labor government measures.
I would like to share with you a "Letter to the Editor" I wrote that has been published in a number of Minnesota newspapers:
Once again with President Barack Obama's State of the Union Speech we got another politician hypocritically talking about "Jobs, Jobs, Jobs."
If just one job was created every time some politician opened their mouth and started talking about "Jobs, Jobs, Jobs" we wouldn't have any unemployment in this country and everyone who wanted to work would have a decent, living wage job.
So, what is the main obstacle to full employment? Accountability from the very politicians who mouth the words "Jobs, Jobs, Jobs" whenever they want to get elected, re-elected or want thunderous applause then go about their business forgetting about jobs as they go looking for their next bribe from a Wall Street lobbyist who views unemployment as the way to keep all wages down which pushes profits up.
What we need in this country is a real "Full Employment Act" which mandates--- by legislation and law--- that the President and the United States Congress must maintain full employment as part of their responsibility to the American people.
What good is a government that gets us into war after war but can't even assure full employment for the very people it taxes?
Wars cause government debt and deficits; peace and full employment eliminate debts and deficits.
Alan L. MakiDirector of Organizing,
Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council
Any talk about jobs with living wages is meaningless unless the government is forced to become legislatively responsible for full employment; this is the only way to assure accountability.
I would also like to call to your attention the work of the New Progressive Alliance which is in league with much of what you are advocating:
On a final note,
but most important of all, I would like to suggest that this important Conference should concern itself with the struggle to enforce Affirmative Action since people of color, women and the handicapped are being denied jobs to which they are entitled. Here in Minnesota, where affirmative action has never been enforced since President Lyndon Johnson signed into law Federal Executive Order #11246, the Democratic Governor, Mark Dayton, who made an election promise to enforce Affirmative Action and then made a mockery of his campaign promise by appointing the vile racist, Mark Philipps, whose job it is at Krause-Anderson to assist clients in evading Affirmative Action, only to be forced into removing Philipps, has now brought forward another racist mockery of his campaign promise to enforce Affirmative Action by bringing forward unenforceable "voluntary goals." The Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party with its super majority--- Democratic Governor, Democratic House and Democratic Senate--- cannot even be relied on to enforce Affirmative Action when it comes to spending billions of dollars in public funds.
Democrat Mark Dayton as a candidate campaigning for governor on affirmative action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBuBDqQx0xI
Even Richard Nixon declared:
"A good job is as basic and important a civil right as a good education . . . which would require such [affirmative] action by law, was both necessary and right... would require federal contractors to show affirmative action' to meet the goals of increasing minority employment."
"Neither the President nor the Congress nor the conscience of the nation can permit money which comes from all the people to be used in a way which discriminates against some of the people."
It is pathetic and disgusting we can't even expect Obama or Minnesota Democrats with a super majority to take a stand at least as vigorous in defense of Affirmative Action as Republican President Richard Nixon. If this doesn't tell us why we need an alternative working class based progressive people's party I don't know what it would take.
Thanks for considering my concerns.
Yours in the struggle,
Alan L. Maki
Director of Organizing,
Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council
58891 County Road 13
Warroad, Minnesota 56763
