Jim's Labour Page

A Brother's Words

2008-02-24T17:18:00.000-08:00

Without going into detail, we recently had an event happen at work where management communicated to us that they wanted to have an informal chat to build up relations between us and them. Immediately when a member broke ranks and talked about what an incompetent foreman had been asking members on his crew to do, management began an investigation and the whole thing got completely out-of-hand. Here following is an excerpt from another brother's open letter to his fellows (I think he makes some good points):

Brothers and Sisters,

We must understand clearly that as much as we may wish for a close friendly relationship with management, that can only be an unfulfilled dream.
We can treat each other respectfully and in a business like manner but we must remember that managers belong to a group of employees who hire and fire our members, who work their best to deny us wage increases and the betterment of our shop conditions. Sometimes the only way we can get change from them is to make safe workplace claims and even then it is an uphill struggle.
We must recognize that somebody who has the power to deny food for your table and progressive health and welfare for your children is not your friend. We deal with these other employees because we have to. Current labor law gives them inherently more power than anyone of us individually. The dynamic is never changed or suspended except at the bargaining table. Together we survive, individually we lose. The oldest tactic is to divide and conquer. We must remember that "An Injury To One Is An Injury To All!"

ERH economic discussion

2007-10-28T08:04:00.001-07:00

The Deficiencies of Economic Systems

Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy on Labor

2007-10-28T07:33:00.000-07:00

I may have several quotes from a Social Philosopher, Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy. The quotes will be from "The Works of Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy DVD" put out by Argo Books and the ERH Foundation. Page numbers are the microfilm pages used in the DVD navigation.

Currently I am reading "Out of Revolution: Autobiography of Western Man". (OoR)

Here ERH is pointing out an observation about labor or the working man:

"The stretch and strain of labour brings the labour-force inside us so close to the surface that the drone and hum and whetting and pawing and swearing and screaming silence the other parts of our being. Labour even acquires a universal language. The labour forces "waft a sigh from Indus to the Pole". The curses of the individual labourer carry no weight; but once united the labour-forces can break their chains. We can organize labour as part of the universe. Labour is a curse by which God has blessed mankind. Labour is a curse for the lonely worker, but it can be made the happiness of a co-operative fellowship."(ERH, OoR, p.135)

Thought for the day.

2007-10-28T07:20:00.000-07:00

Labor

Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if Labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital and deserves much higher consideration. Working men are the basis of all governments, for the plain reason that they are more numerous. To secure to each laborer the whole product of his labor, or as nearly as much as possible, is a worthy object of any good government.
Abraham Lincoln

Why I am in a Union

2007-06-21T20:07:00.001-07:00

Here's the link on my position statement:

Why I'm in a Union

May Day past

2007-06-21T19:25:00.000-07:00

Here is a brief entry from last International Labor Day:

May 1st, 2007

First Entry

2007-06-21T19:01:00.001-07:00

This blog is going to be about various topics and news that may concern all of us who have to work for a living--more content will follow as time permits.

I would like to first make a few points about the point of view of this blog:

I am a Conservative Reformed Christian, but I don't blindly drink the Republican Koolaid.

I am a Trade Unionist, but I eschew Communism and various types of anti-property schemes.

I urge everyone to think outside the box on political issues. Do you really want to get trapped in the false left-right paradigm? What about freedom versus totalitarianism? What about other dialectics? What about the truth?

A point of grammar: The spelling of the title of this blog is intentional--it's the British spelling. I've chosen this word because it is freighted with meaning and history.

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