Constance Nompelis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
I was asked what labor group endorsed Valdis
Rozentals, and I responded. The MN Labor Federation
(which is how it has always been referred to in my
presence) is a REAL LABOR UNION. How is that
misleading?Eric writes:
Constance,
It is NOT a labor union. A Labor Union is a bargaining unit for a group of employees. This is an organization that happens to have members that may belong to labor unions. They don't represent workers, or even protect them.
Their existance is based on the destruction of unions, hence their mission statement, "We believe in the right of employees to organize, to join a union or other organization, and to not have dues used for political purposes."
Maybe destructive to unions is a bit harsh, they seem to want to neuter them. Without political action, what leverage would they have? Let's say a candidate is running for Mayor of St Paul, US Senate, or President of the United States, and that candidate has a platform based on phasing out the 40 hour work week, or minimun wage, or a living wage, or OSHA? Why wouldn't a bargaining unit do what it can to protect it's workers including supporting and endorsing political candidates that may friendlier to labor? Management does it through company PACs.
Maybe a lot of the union members have forgotten that their comfortable living wage jobs with benefits came not out of the goodness of managements heart, but long fought out political action.
The Mn Labor Federation is really titled the Republican Labor Federation. It only represents the direct agenda of the Republican Party to weaken the Labor Unions to the point of insignificance. Check out their website http://www.mngop.com/labor
Eric Mitchell
Maple Grove
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