This ain't the CLC web site
It's not anti-union to question or expose corruption in our unions; it's anti-union to keep quiet about it. What our unions and our governments do for us should NEVER be good enough. We should never stop questioning them and we should never accept what they tell us at face value. For those who do, they do so because they are either fools, or they are a part of the corruption and deceit.
That is a quote from Scott McPherson, former retail food industry worker, former UFCW member and founding member of MFD, in this week's MFD Forum.
Scott was responding to yet another round of accusations from visiting UFCW supporters that MFD is an anti-union web site controlled by the devil.
By now it should be apparent to anyone who has read anything on this web site and who has at least half a functioning brain that MFD is not an anti-union web site. The misunderstanding, if there is one, may be what we mean when we say "union". Here at MFD we are for unions that help workers that put workers' interests first - all the time - no matter what's happening. We are for unions that advance the interests of workers and that let workers determine what those interests are in the first place. We are for unions that have a vision of the workplace, the communities and the world we live in that is inclusive, balanced, forward-looking and always open to new ideas and directions. We are anti business unions, undemocratic unions, bureaucratic unions, union-management partnerships and other ineffective models of unionism that haven't accomplished a thing for workers and don't look like they're going to any time soon. We are opposed to back room deals. We are opposed to the squandering of union funds on things that don't directly benefit union members. We are opposed to unions that restrict freedom of expression. We are opposed to union leaders who rule like kings.
This is a pivotal time for workers. We think that they should have really good unions - powerful and effective unions. We think they can have those but, in many cases, that will involve change: reforming existing unions, changing unions or building new unions. We don't advocate any particular course of action; we just think that workers should be able to make informed decisions about which way they want to go. Our web site exists to give workers, be they union members or not, information about unions - the good and the bad news and an opportunity to talk about what kind of unions they have and what kind of unions they want. MFD provides a starting point from which workers can assess their options and make informed choices. That's the first step on any journey to self-determination. So pour that in your Madaloni Cocktail and chug-a-lug, biz-unionists. You have one helluva nerve calling us an anti-union web site. Come to think of it, a lot of you have quite a nerve calling yourselves a union.
What we are and what we are doing is nothing new. We are rebels and we are engaging in rebellion against an established order - one that is keeping millions of people from achieving what they deserve. It's been done thousands of times before and it always results in some kind of forward motion. It's even been done within the labour movement. The only difference is that its never been done the way that we're doing it - a way that is so open, so available to union members, so difficult to shut down.
Why aren't we on the mainstream bandwagon?
Mostly because it's boring and it's going nowhere. The mainstream is going nowhere in a hurry and that's no big secret. In Canada and the US unions have not made any significant gains in organizing in the last 30 years. In the US the percentage of the unionized workforce is at an all time low - about 13% - the lowest in the G8. In Canada, percentage of unionized workers held steady at 30% but about 70% of that consists of workers in the public sector. The unionized workforce in the private sector is only about 19%. In the service industry, it's 8%. The mainstream movementarians have been wrestling with this problem for a long time now.
According to the movementarians, workers aren't flocking to join unions because of bad employers and toothless legislation. Their strategy for moving forward is: organize more workers and lobby for better legislation. But the legislation isn't going to change in the foreseeable future. The current statutory scheme will continue until it becomes useless and irrelevant and even if it does change in ways that facilitate organizing, it's doubtful that many service industry workers will line up to join unions. There are so many lousy agreements floating around in the industry now that few would bother going to lengths to get what the law already gives them. So neither part of the strategy is likely to result in much. A more fundamental problem is that the mainstream of labour has failed to connect with workers - those already in unions and those who aren't. The movementarians just aren't cutting it.
Make things happen or things will happen to you...
We need different kinds of unions - next wave unions - that can connect with people and make things happen. We think that the spark for this is already out there - in the hearts and minds of millions of people who work for a living. We are doing what we can to help light the spark. The next wave unions will need to articulate a vision - of what the workplace should be and can be how the workplace will fit into our communities, on a local and global level. To truly connect with workers, the vision can't be something that is hatched in a committee room by a bunch of dyed-in-the-wool movementarians. It's something that must come directly from the Power Source - from the thoughts, discussion, and interaction of workers with other workers. We are helping to provide the venue where that can happen.
Whether you are thinking about starting a new union, joining a different union or reforming the union you've got, it's important that you get involved, get informed and make your own choices. Our aim is to present you with information to which you would not normally have access - information that will make you ask questions of yourself, your fellow union members and your union leaders. Questions (from this week alone) such as:
- Is voluntary recognition a good thing for workers?
- Are millions of dollars worth of investments in high-risk businesses a good thing for workers?
- Is there racism and sexism in unions? What should we be doing about that?
- Are collective agreement clauses that allow management to discipline or demote workers at will, a good thing?
- Should freedom of expression be restricted for union members?
- Should union restrict members' rights to strike through "partnering agreements" with management - under any circumstances?
- Are union leaders who live high on the hog displaying good leadership or poor judgment?
- Are unions democratic? Should they be?
This is rebel-web
If you visit this site be prepared to be shocked, angered and challenged. The information you will find here will fly in the face of a lot of what you have been told about unions, especially the biz-unions. That said, the information presented is backed up with facts and sources. If you don't believe it, check it out for yourself. If you think you've got a perspective that we're not seeing, we're all ears (well...all eyes). If you disagree with what's presented here, tell us why.
If you're going to go head to head with us though, do it credibly. Remember, there's a big difference between opinion and argument. Your opinion is welcome but if you are trying to persuade us of something or if you are challenging something someone else has said, you need to move beyond opinion and argue your position. Arguing means taking a position and then trying to persuade others of the correctness of your position through some process of reasoning. Simply restating your opinion is not arguing. Engaging in personal attacks on others is not arguing. Telling us that "either you're with us or against us" is not arguing either. These are all examples of what are called "fallacious" or flawed arguments - methods that are intended to obscure, confuse or ignore the real issue. For a fuller description, see this discussion.
Present us with facts and arguments that are relevant to the issue. We don't care who your union leaders like or don't like or who your union leaders are telling you is bad or good. We don't care what your leaders tell you about our insider friends. If nobody from the inside ever came forward, we would never know what was going on. How can you know what your best option is if you don't know the extent of the problem? How will you know what you want if you don't know what it is that you've got?
In his quote, Scott is articulating the kind of union he wants: one that can never do enough for its members. What do you think about that?
Coming up this week:
- More no-tell hotels.
- Walking out on the machine.
- Teamsters merger mania.