The Progressive Blog Alliance HQ

I got this anonymous letter that I have to share with you>>>>I know, I accuse!*There follows a long list of email address of supposed journalists and elected representatives I have moved that list to the bottom of the letter.- Eugene Weixel;

So, the Disillusioned kid points up another of Dubya's (oxy)moronicisms:

"I just want you to know that, when we talk about war, we're really talking about peace."

This whilst addressing the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, check it. Orwellian certainly, but i'm no longer surprised by the neo-cons contempt for the possibility of accountability.

What never ceases to amaze me though is how he gets away with spouting such utterly transparent rhetoric. This time he even refered to how it's done: education. As if his meaning of indoctrination wasn't plain enough, he then told us clearly how it will be reinforced: "faith groups" "educating" poor Americans about home ownership.

Detroit---North America's second largest automaker has announced that it will cut 25,000 to 30,000 jobs and close 14 plants by 2012. A spokesman for the company stated that the jobs that are being cut are held by Workers and Workers just like Machines are expendable. "We'll sell off a bunch of Machines and if we could we would sell off a bunch of Workers but unfortunately slavery was abolished years ago" the spokesman said with a chuckle. "It sure would be nice to be able to sell off 25 to 30 thousand Workers, damn, can you imagine how that would help the bottom line? he commented with a smile. "All we can do is let them go"---"We really need to change the laws in this country...we can sell off Machinery but not Workers that just doesn't make any sense".

[Crossposted from A Canadian Lefty in Occupied Land]

Support the workers occupying and running the Bauen Hotel in Argentina. They are under assault. Their efforts are singularly important. Please check out the petition and consider signing.

Here is the English text of the petition:

The struggle of Argentinian workers to recover factories and companies abandoned by their owners has become an inspiring model worldwide, and an important symbol that another world is possible. The Bauen Hotel is a concrete example. Its future and significance were recently recognized by the government of Venezuela, with an agreement signed with the Ministry of Tourism and the National Ministry of Popular Economy to work together in the development of a cooperative tourism venture. At the Bauen Hotel there are 120 men and women who every day demonstrate how to build self-managed alternatives that create jobs, dignity and justice where neoliberalism has resulted in devastating failure.

From Disreputable Lazy Aliens

Today, 'Darwinism' and 'Darwinian' have entered into our common vocabulary. To read the Origin is therefore to grasp an opportunity to estimate how closely that common understanding relates to its supposed source. - Jeff Wallace [from his introduction to "The Origin of Species", Darwin, Charles. (1998, Wordsworth Editions Ltd. Ware, Hertforshire UK) ISBN 1 85326 780 5 itself a reprint of the 1st (Nov 1859) edition of "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection or, The Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life." Darwin, Charles]

So, although i had not yet read Wallace's invitation, when i bought the book, i had already decided to do exactly that. It has been something of a wade, not because the book or it's scientific information is at all difficult, but rather that there is much exhaustive detail in expounding Darwin's positions that is nothing new to anyone who has been taught elementary biology and while this may be of interest to historians or biologists, i am neither.

OK, so Survival of the fittest, right? No. That phrase was first used by Herbert Spencer in his 1851 work Social Statics, relating to free market economics. Only in his fifth edition of The Origin, did Darwin himself use the phrase, which had become popular and indeed popularly synonymous with his own descriptive phrase Natural Selection. As the linked Wikipedia article further states, however: At this time the word "fittest" would have primarily meant "most suitable" or "most appropriate" rather than "in the best physical shape". In fact, much of the revision and clarification Darwin added to his work, in later editions, was precisely to clarify his ideas in strictly evolutionary biological terms, both to answer his critics and distance himself from often Malthusian influenced social theories.

Of more importance to the understanding of the 'common vocabulary' use of 'Darwinian' ideas however, is the fallacious idea of 'Survival'.

[Cross-posted at A.C.]

110,000 gold miners, members of the National Union of Mineworkers and Solidarity, are striking in South Africa for better wages, in the first industry-wide strike in 18 years. The strike started on Sunday, after union-management negotiations collapsed. Miners' wages are 2500-3000 rand (around 400USD) per month, and they work in dangerous and stressful conditions -- descending as far as 3 kilometers (almost 2 miles) into the earth to extract gold ore.

Source: UMWARoberts says Blankenship can't "shut me or the UMWA up" when it comes to speaking about issues critical to UMWA members and working families In his first public response to a lawsuit filed by Massey Energy and its CEO, Don Blankenship, United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) International President Cecil E. Roberts said today,"Don Blankenship's attitude seems to be that if he can't have his way and bully people into doing his bidding, then he'll sue them. Well, I've never backed down from bullies, and I'm not going to start now. "By filing this suit, Don Blankenship wants to shut me up and shut the UMWA up when it comes to talking about issues that our members and working families care about," Roberts said. "He can't stand it that we won't bow down to him and his way of thinking. I've got some news for Don: This union-and this union leader-have never backed down to bullies, and we never will. "If you don't stand up to bullies, you just encourage them to go further and run roughshod over more people," Roberts said. "Don Blankenship's been trying to do this for some time in West Virginia, and I'm here to say that those days are over. We're looking forward to vigorously contesting and prevailing over Blankenship's desperate attempt to use a lawsuit to gag those who are the voices of the citizens of West Virginia." Massey Energy and Blankenship filed suit in Fairfax County, Va. last month seeking damages from the UMWA and Cecil Roberts personally regarding statements that Massey alleges damaged its business, as well as the company's and Blankenship's reputation. The suit also alleges, among other things, a conspiracy between the UMWA, the Charleston Gazette, West Virginia Consumers for Justice and West Virginia AFL-CIO President Kenneth Purdue to damage the company and Blankenship.

Benjamin Solah's blog has moved to wordpress at www.benjaminsolah.com/blog

I haven’t been able to post since I’ve been working on the new site, but July 1 has passed and it is a very important day for the rights of Australians. This is by no means good.

John Howard has now taken a one seat majority of the senate and with this he plans to use it to remove Student Unions and give huge tax cuts to the rich, while regular Australians pick up the scraps. But far worse is Howard’s long awaited attack on Industrial Relations and the rights of working-class Australians to put dinner on the table.

Back at the old place I ranted on this a bit. But now July 1 has come, the Unions have launched a long-awaited attack. Howard plans to remove unfair dismissal and redundancy to people who work in companies under 100 employees. It is expected that big companies will divide into smaller sectors to take advantage of this. He plans to lower the minimum wage and make it harder for people to earn a living.

This blog entry is a reprint, slightly edited, of my blog entry found on the Communicate or Die web site.

Most of us recognize that the American labor movement is not in a healthy state. The recent, widespread rumblings for reform makes clear that there is general agreement that we cannot afford to let our condition fester much longer. The past few months have been a time of introspection for labor leaders, a time to ask ourselves what unhealthy behaviors and unfortunate setbacks got us here to begin with. Then, once this period of self-reflection is over, we must change---or die.

A new community-driven, online publication called "Communicate or Die," is about change for the better. Specifically, it's about improving labor's approach to the Internet as a communication tool. Our mission is to build a network of labor and technology professionals to discuss and develop solutions that allow unions to realize the full potential of Internet technology.

NEWSPAPER DELIVERYHey Mr + Mrs Suburbia!! | Do you know your paperboy these days? | Do you even think about who delivers the daily local rag? | Most people probably don't | Maybe you ought to | If you did, you'd have a better sense of how Big Media profits off the backs of exploited workers | Take the Chicago Tribune Corporation, for example | The Trib and its family of newspapers rely upon a network of "independent motor route carriers" to deliver the dailies they print | In Connecticut, that local daily paper is the Hartford Courant | The Courant makes liberal use of the "independent contractor" method of employment | These "contractors" get paid by the number of papers they deliver | In addition, they may get some stipend for mileage on their own vehicles [not company trucks] They <i>might</i> be offered extra hours per day to audit paper routes and check on delivery tubes ...since they can't put papers in mail boxes |"Contractors" are expected to be up by 0300 hours to deliver anywhere from 200 to 400 [average] papers often in a disbursed area | If they miss delivering one paper, or are late in completing the deliveries, the contractor is penalized for finishing late | Most have to have thier delivery routes completed no later than 0700 hours, so commuting middle management types can grab the paper before leaving for the office | On some occasions, an "independent carrier" will be offered the opportunity to deliver maybe a thousand [or more] free Sunday papers to target market areas | The contractor paid at so much per paper delivered, plus an additional 5 cents per paper if they put them together themselves | If lucky, the "carrier/contractor" might collect $14 an hour, before deducting gas and mileage and if they don't take any time off to eat that day | Realistically speaking, the take home pay for one of these "carrier/contractors" will come to ~ maybe ~ eight dollars an hour | Some of the "independent carriers" who take up this extra money offer are single mothers | They bring along their children [who aren't paid] to put together the papers at a Tribune/Courant owned distribution site before taking off to deliver the papers |They receive no health insurance or pension benefits | Social Security isn't even a component of the "deal" they sign up for | There's no vacation time | They are expected to work 7 days a week, 365 days a year | If the deliverer's car breaks down, and someone else gets called in to pick up the route until repaired, they lose any pay they hoped to make that week | Further distancing the delivery crews from human interaction, the Trib papers conveniently bill you by mail [or e-commerce, these days] so you don't have to wait around to give the paperboy the 5 or 7 dollars a week delivery fees | All the easier to neglect tipping the "carrier/contractor" since, sometimes, your paper gets to you late |Let's be real folks, when you are spending all your working hours doing labor for a single client, when you are not making enough to even be above the poverty level [much less feel your family or pay medical expenses] you are NOT independent | Say what you will about WalMart's exploitive wage slavery tactics | America's News Media giants are in the same business when it comes to "employing" wages slaves | The corporate execs ought to be ashamed, but I suspect they don't even care |

Ooh, I can see my fellow Aussies jumping up and down in their seats. The Budget! How freaking exciting!...bullshit! Some stupid right wing journalists have come out saying this was a budget for popularity. Let me say this, that is a load of crap. This budget is and will continue to be very unpopular with the average Australian. The tax cuts help the rich more than the poor, welfare is becoming increasing ridiculous, with mothers expected to abandon their children to childcare centres so they can work to fund a war nobody wants. Once again, there is an increase to security and minor addition to a critical healthcare system. One person I talked to said: "There is a middle Australia. The government don't want that, they want to make them poorer and the rich richer. So the rich can make them work and look down on the normal people." I couldn't have said it better myself.

I received this email from my alma mater's Career Services this weekend -

As many of you continue to seek post-graduate or summer employment, we wanted to share with you a list of questionable companies that we have encountered: 

Tuition Painters

University Painters

From our understanding of Tuition and University Painters, you can gain tremendous entrepreneurial experience.  However, we have heard of some people not getting paid, and others owing the company money because project costs were underestimated.  Buyer beware!  CRC Advertising

College Pro

Crown Marketing

Cyndicate Solutions

DeFrancesco Acquisitions, Inc.

Today at work, a dozen people were let go (from a department I don't come in contact with and they were people I didn't know except in a few cases to see). The reason - that function was now going to be moved offshore to Southeast Asia. Someone said that "Well [company X] wants to be a leader in the industry and unfortunately they have to do things like sometimes to achive that goal."

So obviously it got me thinking about outsourcing and it's effect on jobs, even ones of the "white-collar" variety. Now don't get me wrong, I undertand business and capitalism - if profit is your bottom line, and there are cheaper costs to be had, you go for cheaper costs, no matter what. Now just take this out of the context of morally right or morally wrong. Many advocates of outsourcing have used this argument - when a company cuts costs by outsourcing a few departments to countries where labor is significantly cheaper, they then spend less on costs, so they save money, which is good for everyone. OK, even ignoring the fact that the person who got laid off obviously doesn't win, that argument assumes that corporate cronyism isn't present in said company.

Picking up the torch from Lindsay Bayerstein and Gretchen Ross, I will humbly host the 4th installment of the Carnival of the Un-Capitalists at Red Harvest on April 25th. The CotUC is a weekly round-up of postings on the general theme of the excesses of global capitalism. Your submissions are most welcome. Please e-mail them by April 24th to the Carnie-in-Chief, C. N. Todd: uncapitalist@gmail.com.

The Continental Op

I must either be moving up in the world or Nathan Newman checked the Progressives' Peer Directory and sent all lefty Florida bloggers an email.

The Florida GOP is trying to pass legislation so companies that refuse to pay $6.15 after May 2 do not have to worry about will not face class action suits. Newman is understandably upset since he wrote the minimum wage amendment. Bush and Kerry may have ran neck and neck, but the vast majority of Floridians supported this amendment.

SEIU's Purple Ocean just launched a new website in response to Walmart's new ad campaign and website, which were made public 2 weeks ago. A significantly lower cost approach than the largest private employer's million-dollar publicity campaign, the Purple Ocean website is part of a grassroots attempt by organized labor to raise awareness.

In an email to Purple Ocean members, SEIU president Andy Stern calls for "a nationwide, grassroots campaign to spread the real facts on Wal-Mart, person-by-person and city-by-city. No huge ad budgets or television commercials-just the facts about Wal-Mart and working families in America."

via Peace, order, and good government, eh?, I learn that a Canadian Wal-Mart has become only the second WM store in North America to win unionization for its employees.

A union certification drive at a second Quebec Wal-Mart store has succeeded, according to the United Food And Commercial Workers (UFCW) union.

The union said Wednesday that workers at a Wal-Mart in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec have been certified as a bargaining unit after a majority of its 200 workers signed UFCW membership cards.
...
The Saint-Hyacinthe location joins the Wal-Mart in Jonquiere, Quebec as the only other unionized Wal-Marts, not just in Quebec but in all of North America. UFCW Canada said it is currently attempting to negotiate a contract covering workers at the Jonquiere store.

So the Mighty Steelworkers are gobbling up the Paper, Allied Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers International Union. Seems like a good deal from the outside, no? After all, creating the largest manufacturing union in the country would seem to conform with Andy Stern's world view.[Background info: NYT article on the merger. Andy Stern's world view. . . .]Personally, I'm troubled by the corruption that abounds in most unions: Tons of money is spent on overhead and political contributions and unions either spend too much money on servicing their members or too much money organizing new members. (SEIU falls into the latter category; most of their money and resources are spent convincing people to join their union and then they leave most members without adequate support staff to help them bargain their contracts and uphold them.) And then there's a problem with the fact that most traditional union sectors of the economy are going overseas. As more and more people have white collar employment, unions appear to be less relevant to our society. I personally disagree with that assessment. I think the most powerful unions in the country are government employee unions. They set the gold standard for healthcare, pensions, and time off. Unfortunately, they can also create an environment where it is very difficult to fire someone who isn't doing their job. But, ultimately it's management's responsibility to negotiate a contract that offers clear disciplinary guidelines and it's management's job to enforce the work ethic . . . [more]