Unity has woven a non-Union complicated web. Thank the stars above for Maryanne Pizzatola who brilliantly & simply reminds us on how unions are suppose to WORK. Thank you, also Arthur, for keeping things REAL!
Union power comes from the threat of a strike. Mike Quill knew this--and proved it. Too many of today's teachers would cross their own picket line. Mulgrew should start talking up striking to get benefits. We could strike one day a week--and not announce the day until the night before. The chaos that results would give us a quick win. Shanker was willing to go to jail for his brothers and sisters--I doubt Mulgrew has the guts--spine--or balls.
I think there are a lot of steps that could and need to be taken before strike even becomes a consideration. One of them is educating members about what union is and what it means. There is a great book by Steven Greenhouse called Beaten Down, Worked up that describes actions unions have taken, other than striking, to win. And yes, it was shocking, when we were contemplating a strike over safety, how many members would cross a picket line. That's a cancer, and we need to cure it. People need to understand that we act as a union, and leading by example certainly doesn't mean going behind our backs to make crap deals with the city.
It's getting too late to wait for a strike. Once health insurance is lessened, it won't ever get returned. Active employees only look at current salary during negotiations, not realizing that eventually they will be retirees. In unity there is strength only if they have a weapon. Mike Quill was right---and very successful. Al Shanker was right, and very successful. I'm old, if my health care gets diminished, I'll die sooner rather than later.
Unity has woven a non-Union complicated web. Thank the stars above for Maryanne Pizzatola who brilliantly & simply reminds us on how unions are suppose to WORK. Thank you, also Arthur, for keeping things REAL!
Thanks for your kind words Diane, and I too am a huge fan of Marianne and her group. Without them we'd all have been dumped into MA years ago.
To all--Kindly refrain from personally insulting readers in this space. Thank you.
Union power comes from the threat of a strike. Mike Quill knew this--and proved it. Too many of today's teachers would cross their own picket line. Mulgrew should start talking up striking to get benefits. We could strike one day a week--and not announce the day until the night before. The chaos that results would give us a quick win. Shanker was willing to go to jail for his brothers and sisters--I doubt Mulgrew has the guts--spine--or balls.
I think there are a lot of steps that could and need to be taken before strike even becomes a consideration. One of them is educating members about what union is and what it means. There is a great book by Steven Greenhouse called Beaten Down, Worked up that describes actions unions have taken, other than striking, to win. And yes, it was shocking, when we were contemplating a strike over safety, how many members would cross a picket line. That's a cancer, and we need to cure it. People need to understand that we act as a union, and leading by example certainly doesn't mean going behind our backs to make crap deals with the city.
It's getting too late to wait for a strike. Once health insurance is lessened, it won't ever get returned. Active employees only look at current salary during negotiations, not realizing that eventually they will be retirees. In unity there is strength only if they have a weapon. Mike Quill was right---and very successful. Al Shanker was right, and very successful. I'm old, if my health care gets diminished, I'll die sooner rather than later.
Helluva piece of writing and research. This should be republished in a major newspaper as investigative journalism.
Thanks. It's a little simpler than that, though. Someone just sent me the email and I analyzed it.