THE BANKRUPTCY LIQUIDATION OF THE HOSTESS BAKERY WILL MEAN THE END OF TWINKIES AS WE KNEW THEM...!
OF COURSE THE WORKERS ARE NOW UNEMPLOYED...ALL 18,000 OF THEM...BUT THE BRAND WILL LIVE ON POST BANKRUPTCY...PERHAPS "MADE IN CHINA" LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE...
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN AMERICA IS THE DEMISE OF THE OLD UNIONIZED SECTORS OF THE ECONOMY...INCLUDING THE UNIONIZED PUBLIC SECTOR...
BASICALLY...THERE ARE TWO ECONOMIES IN THE US NOW...THE LOW WAGE "NEW" PRIVATE SECTOR...
AND THE LEGACY UNIONIZED SECTOR...WHICH INCLUDES THE PUBLIC SECTOR UNIONS (MANY OF WHOSE TOP PAID MEMBERS ARE SO WEALTHY THAT THEY ARE "REPUBLICANS" NOW...!)
AND THAT WILL NOT CHANGE ANYTIME SOON...BUT THE UNIONIZED SECTOR WILL GET SMALLER
SO...ARE UNIONS NECESSARY...? PERHAPS NOT... CONSIDER :
THE ROLE OF UNIONS HISTORICALLY ...HAS BEEN TO SECURE WORKER RIGHTS...AND HIGHER WAGES AND BENEFITS...
BUT THE GOVERNMENT HAS SECURED MANY OF THE GOALS THAT THE OLD LABOR MOVEMENT SOUGHT... WE HAVE SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE...WE HAVE A SAFETY NET FOR THE UNEMPLOYED...WE ARE GOING TO GET NATIONAL HEALTH CARE SOON WITH OBAMACARE...WE HAVE WORKPLACE SAFETY RULES IN EFFECT...AND WORKER COMPENSATION...
THESE ARE ALL LAWS...! NOT CONTRACT RIGHTS WON BY UNIONS...
SO IT IS POSSIBLE THAT UNIONS IN THE 21ST CENTURY NEED TO HAVE A DIFFERENT ROLE...
PERHAPS AS GUARDIANS OF THE RIGHTS OF ALL WORKERS...NOT JUST WORKERS IN CERTAIN COMPANIES... PERHAPS TO GET A BIGGER PIECE OF THE OVERALL PIE FOR THE WORKING CLASS...
LABOR NEEDS TO MOVE AWAY FROM COMPANY ORGANIZING...AND INTO THE AREA OF LAW MAKING AND SOCIAL POLICY...
THAT SAID NOTHING WOULD "HELP" THE US ECONOMY COMPETE WITH CHINA MORE THAN A $3 PER HOUR WORKFORCE... PERHAPS WITH "GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE" AMERICAN WORKERS CAN "LIVE ON" THAT LOW WAGE...
THAT IS REALLY THE BIG DEBATE...EVEN IF ITS NOT MENTIONED IN THE MSM...AS YET...
BYE BYE TWINKIE...!
OF COURSE THE WORKERS ARE NOW UNEMPLOYED...ALL 18,000 OF THEM...BUT THE BRAND WILL LIVE ON POST BANKRUPTCY...PERHAPS "MADE IN CHINA" LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE...
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN AMERICA IS THE DEMISE OF THE OLD UNIONIZED SECTORS OF THE ECONOMY...INCLUDING THE UNIONIZED PUBLIC SECTOR...
BASICALLY...THERE ARE TWO ECONOMIES IN THE US NOW...THE LOW WAGE "NEW" PRIVATE SECTOR...
AND THE LEGACY UNIONIZED SECTOR...WHICH INCLUDES THE PUBLIC SECTOR UNIONS (MANY OF WHOSE TOP PAID MEMBERS ARE SO WEALTHY THAT THEY ARE "REPUBLICANS" NOW...!)
AND THAT WILL NOT CHANGE ANYTIME SOON...BUT THE UNIONIZED SECTOR WILL GET SMALLER
SO...ARE UNIONS NECESSARY...? PERHAPS NOT... CONSIDER :
THE ROLE OF UNIONS HISTORICALLY ...HAS BEEN TO SECURE WORKER RIGHTS...AND HIGHER WAGES AND BENEFITS...
BUT THE GOVERNMENT HAS SECURED MANY OF THE GOALS THAT THE OLD LABOR MOVEMENT SOUGHT... WE HAVE SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE...WE HAVE A SAFETY NET FOR THE UNEMPLOYED...WE ARE GOING TO GET NATIONAL HEALTH CARE SOON WITH OBAMACARE...WE HAVE WORKPLACE SAFETY RULES IN EFFECT...AND WORKER COMPENSATION...
THESE ARE ALL LAWS...! NOT CONTRACT RIGHTS WON BY UNIONS...
SO IT IS POSSIBLE THAT UNIONS IN THE 21ST CENTURY NEED TO HAVE A DIFFERENT ROLE...
PERHAPS AS GUARDIANS OF THE RIGHTS OF ALL WORKERS...NOT JUST WORKERS IN CERTAIN COMPANIES... PERHAPS TO GET A BIGGER PIECE OF THE OVERALL PIE FOR THE WORKING CLASS...
LABOR NEEDS TO MOVE AWAY FROM COMPANY ORGANIZING...AND INTO THE AREA OF LAW MAKING AND SOCIAL POLICY...
THAT SAID NOTHING WOULD "HELP" THE US ECONOMY COMPETE WITH CHINA MORE THAN A $3 PER HOUR WORKFORCE... PERHAPS WITH "GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE" AMERICAN WORKERS CAN "LIVE ON" THAT LOW WAGE...
THAT IS REALLY THE BIG DEBATE...EVEN IF ITS NOT MENTIONED IN THE MSM...AS YET...
BYE BYE TWINKIE...!
