Solidarity

During a break, a machinist and I were talking about how we missed working for union shops. (He was a Teamster, I was AFSCME.) We also complained about the state of unions in this country. The biggest complaint of his was that union leadership amongst the AFL-CIO clan seemed more interested in lining their pockets, supporting the status quo, and keeping workers at work then actually fighting for those people that make up the union.

I agree with him. The AFL-CIO has become a business entity modeled after the same kind of businesses the unions have to do battle with. There is a hierarchy with the top dogs getting considerably more benefit than the workers.

But there is an alternative. It's called the Industrial Workers of the World. From their site:

It is the historic mission of the working class to do away with capitalism. The army of production must be organized, not only for everyday struggle with capitalists, but also to carry on production when capitalism shall have been overthrown. By organizing industrially we are forming the structure of the new society within the shell of the old.

A local hotspot for the IWW is the Red & Black Cafe of Portland, a worker owned coffee shop and one of my favorite haunts.