All posts by George

Action

Why I Do Denverbrown

I started Denverbrown back in 2003 (with a little help from my friends). . I was frustrated that I had no voice at UPS, even though I was an active steward. I wanted to rage against the machine. The following two paragraphs used to appear on my “contact me” page. 


         I’m publishing this website because I feel a need to speak up. I believe that the disparity of power between the common man and the corporation is growing larger everyday. The laborer is no longer respected as a key element in society. The middle class is struggling to hold on as the captains of industry ship our father’s good paying jobs overseas to be performed at low wages with no benefits. Part time jobs and contract labor are becoming the norm as blue collar careers disappear. The working man today is no longer seen as an added value to a business, but as an expensive burden. We are thought of as the problem, not the solution.


        The labor movement is a sleeping giant. Like a thoroughbred horse, American labor is far bigger and more powerful than its corporate masters. We accept with passive silence the constraints put upon us. We run when they say run and we accept ever diminishing rations as our reward. In the end, we are discarded. Our power to change the system lies in our unity. The horse could rule the master if it only realized its strength and applied it. I know my little website isn’t going to change the world. But if one more person stands up and says ‘I’ve had enough’, I will consider it a success. Because one person can affect two and two can affect four and pretty soon the horse is on its feet. And when the labor movement begins to act in unison like the powerful animal that it is, there will be a new race.

It will be a great day.

Uncategorized

Wisconsin Gold

This story is pure gold.
Republican state Sen. Randy Hopper (R-Fond du Lac) is one of eight senators being targeted for recall by Wisconsin residents. As it turns out, Hopper is being targeted for recall by more than just his constituents.

PoliticusUSA brings us the story:

Protestors went to Hopper’s home in Fond du Lac with their recall petition. They were greeted by Hopper’s maid who was “more than pleased to sign the petition.”
Protestors were also met by Hopper’s wife, who explained Hopper no longer lived at that address.

It turns out Hopper, who promotes family values, is living in Madison with his 25-year-old mistress—a lobbyist for Persuasion Partners, Inc., a right-wing lobbying firm.

Data compiled by Swing State Project, shows Hopper extremely vulnerable for recall.

The Daily Kos reports:

He won reelection in 2008 by the scantest of margins (0.2%, or 163 votes out of more than 83,000 cast) in a district that broke by 4 points for Obama.
His vote totals look even weaker when you consider that his Republican predecessor had run unopposed in SD 18 in 2004 and won with over 98% of the vote, and that the district had flipped from a +15R in Bush’s reelection in 2004 to a +4D for Obama in 2008 (SSP again).

Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.

Posted by Teamster Power at 5:46 PM
Action, Union

More Free Trade Agreements

From NBC’s Kelly O’Donnell
Republican senators have just announced that they will block the confirmation of a new Commerce Secretary – or any commerce related positions – until Democrats move on free trade agreements for Columbia and Panama.


Forty-four GOP senators signed on to a letter to Majority Leader Harry Reid Monday, vowing to hold up the nominations until “the President submits both agreements to Congress for approval and commits to signing implementing legislation into law.”


“The time for delay is over,” they write. “Colombia and Panama are strong democratic allies in Latin America and both have undertaken serious and meaningful reforms, many of which directly address the concerns of those who want to further delay these agreements. Yet the administration continues to move the goalpost by withholding clear direction and not providing a specific timetable for implementation.”

Uncategorized

Steward’s Handbook

  The following are some of the tools I find effective for being a steward at UPS. 

    1.   Establish relationships with management.
        Much as you would like to berate, and punish your manager for their indiscretions, a quality business-like relationship will benefit you and your membership a great deal more than constantly being on the fight. While it doesn’t hurt to have an occasional go-round with them, a good relationship is key when it comes to the major cases. 
  2.   Listen carefully.
        Very often you will gain valuable information just by overhearing the conversations of others. (Yes they do it to You!) Casual comments in the office, or even in the guard shack can alert you to issues or information that may help you in cases you may be involved in. You can also pick up on the nuances of how one management person relates to another. This knowledge can be very valuable in trying to settle important cases. 
  3.   Build a sense of trust between yourself, your union membership, and management.
        It’s very simple. People won’t confide in you if they don’t trust you. You must respect the privacy of the individual be it a member you are representing, or a manager that is bringing you a problem. If you betray that trust, you may never get it back. 
 4.   Regardless of your relationships, let all parties know in no uncertain terms that you will represent the union, and your members with everything you have.
        To quote Teddy Roosevelt “speak softly, but carry a big stick”, or something like that. Everyone involved must understand that you are ready to fight. It’s the tool you must save for the right occasion, but it’s the tool you need to brandish on occasion.

        Remember also that a fight in front of the membership is worth ten times more than a fight behind closed doors.

Action, Union

Do We Need a General Strike?

It seems to me that just the very fact that the idea of a general strike is being discussed shows how far our political discourse has come and how deeply Scott Walker and prolonged economic anxiety have radicalized otherwise moderate masses.

Walker’s bill reaches far beyond just public sector unions and his stripping of public workers’ right to bargain affects the rights of everyone who works for a living. This attack on workers’ rights, if allowed to stand, won’t stop with the public sector or with Wisconsin. These anti-union bills are already spreading around the country from Indiana to Ohio to Nebraska to Michigan.


The IWW website is making a strong case for a general strike as the most effective tool to combat Walker’s bill and copycat legislation cropping up in numerous other states.


“A general strike against Walker would begin the process of rebuilding a strong labor movement in the United States. Since the US plays such an important role in the global economy and world political system, this could also invigorate workers’ struggles around the planet. To make it happen will require participation from many people across industries, across unions, and across the country.”


The South Central Federation of Labor, a federation of ninety-seven labor organizations representing 45,000 workers, has already endorsed the need to prepare for a general strike, and David Dayen reports at FDL that the mood of the protesters who stormed the Capitol on word of the bill’s passage, echoes that resolution. “You could see some kind of near-term labor walkout, at least in Madison and possibly throughout the state.”


Joe Conway, the charismatic president of the Madison firefighters’ union, said recently that the political situation has grown so dire in Wisconsin, he’d support a general strike. “We should start walking out tomorrow, the next day. See how long they can last,” he told reporters with The Uptake. “This is a nation-wide movement to attack all working men and women in Wisconsin and the United States.”


And Michael Moore has called on high school students and working people of all stripes to restart the American democracy movement and fight back in this latest round of “class war” against the middle class.


Find out more about what exactly a general strike is, when the tool has been victorious in numerous international struggles for change and rights, how it may apply to the current situation and how you can get involved.

Peter Rothberg, The Nation

Action

A Teabagger Joke

A  billionaire, a tea bagger and a union guy are sitting at a table. 

On the table is a plate with a dozen cookies.

The billionaire grabs 11 of the cookies and starts enjoying them.

He then turns to the teabagger and says, “That damn union guy is going to eat your cookie!

The teabagger makes a sign saying “We Hate Greedy Unions.”

Action

Comment from a Reader

I support the Union’s whole heartedly I only wish I could go to stand in support with those brothers and sisters in Wisconsin. Opponents seem to be people that I know,that are here in Oregon, they are angry at their own lack of income, and seem to be willing to blame and be angry at the unions, State employee’s, and the politition’s that are, thank-goodness,standing up for us !! yes. Wake up America and smell the coffee.
To the people that do not ‘get it’,if we lose ANY collective bargining rights we are headed in reverse to the times like the coal miners had livivg in a company town and buying from a company store, working any amount of hours/ day for all days of the week, no overtime low pay, and low or no benefits. We the people are what keeps this economy going. My Union wage provides me a living wage. And the money I spend goes into the economy, and feeds the economy.
And puts healthy food on my table if I choose, affords me a nice lifesyle if I manage my money right. My quality of life would be bad without the Union.
The Republican’s would seem to be quite content and set on owning [like]walmart and having the blue collar workers [or whats left of the middle class] supply the labor. Just think- the whole family could work there. That’s what it will take to support a family, even a very small one. And the Republican’s are going to use this a wedge, I can see it coming, lets put a stop to it. SOLIDARITY !! LETS STICK TOGERTHER AND NOT MAKE THINGS WORSE.NO MATTER WHAT THEY SAY LOOSING OUR BARGINING RIGHTS,AND ORGANIZED LABOR IS NOT THE SOLUTION.AND ONCE THEY ARE GONE DO YA REALLY SEE ANY CHANCE /OR CHOICE OF GETTING THEM. BACK ???
Kimberly