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Forum Post: will the unions go along with nomoneypolitics

Posted 13 years ago on Oct. 20, 2011, 11:24 p.m. EST by monahan (272)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement

That is completely publicly funded campaigns

40 Comments

40 Comments


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[-] 1 points by bleedingsoul (134) from Youngstown, OH 13 years ago

Unions practice no different than how a politician bargains with corporations. At least unions are organized for the employees more than the coporations.

[-] 1 points by monahan (272) 13 years ago

Your comprising I don't

[-] 1 points by BoJonJovi (0) 13 years ago

I would like to see a war tax. I suspect we would have fewer corporate sponsored wars if corporations knew that taxes would go. Taxes should rise on a sliding scale to reflect the actual cost of war in real time. I suspect the American public would be much less supportive of war if they knew their taxes were going up to pay for it in real time. People are too removed from the actual cost of war, it should be much more intimate,

[-] 1 points by monahan (272) 13 years ago

That's great we are talking nomoneypolitics here

[-] 1 points by JQcitizen (125) from Houghton, MI 13 years ago

The union's most effective role in the past was organizing and intervening between corporations and workers. In those early days, the average worker had no safety, no time off, no benefits, and wages as low as possible. The corporation took advantage of this working poverty to extend credit at the company store, in effect enslaving the worker, who had to go along to survive. The working poor and easy credit is a time-tested strategy.

This role of the union will not go away if they join us. We do not have to be coopted. We have to cooperate.

We would all be better off if we do away with buying politicians.

The comment that unions buy politicians too is true. Three of the top ten financial contributors to campaigns are unions. That is 7-3 in favor of the other side. The unions are filling a needed role there trying to keep the other side from buying the whole. If they didn't have to do that, they would have resources to devote to other quality of life issues...like pensions, perhaps.

[-] 1 points by monahan (272) 13 years ago

So OWS picked a side too buy politicians?

[-] 1 points by concernedinutah (102) 13 years ago

We need to get the influence of special interest - both the corporations and the unions - out of our politics. We need American citizens to represent themselves with their votes and stop having these groups acting like they are speaking for millions of American we they are only representing the a small special interest. We need publicly funded campaigns.

[-] 1 points by monahan (272) 13 years ago

Agreed but unions control OWS

[-] 1 points by concernedinutah (102) 13 years ago

I think it is a stretch to say they "control" OWS. That said, I think the unions are trying to co-op the protests just like the business interests co-opted the tea party movement to their advantage. The establishment folks keep saying that the movement is leaderless and do not have a unified voice - it is for this very reason they are having a hard time co-opting it. Regardless of who is funding this, at the end of the day if we get legislation in place that effectively nullifies their influence in the future it will be a victory.

[-] 1 points by monahan (272) 13 years ago

True

[-] 1 points by Nicolas (258) from Québec, QC 13 years ago

The power structures of the unions might not. Some may realize that they don't need to bribe if the other side doesn't either. Some may hold on to the power it gives them.

I do believe most members would go along with it. The leadership has no privileged hold on the movement.

[-] 1 points by monahan (272) 13 years ago

Yes they do in ny a set of union hats are on a table under gaurd , OWS money is kept in a union bank and supplies are kept in a union building you should investigate what your involved in I have.

[-] 1 points by Nicolas (258) from Québec, QC 13 years ago

Well, that's bad. You people might wanna deal with that. I'll have to check what's the situation in Montreal and Toronto when I get there, though campaign finance is less of an issue up here. (Except when political parties just blatantly ignore the fairly good rules we have in place...)

[-] 1 points by monahan (272) 13 years ago

Agreed you can't go to ny and talk bad about the unions safely.

[-] 1 points by bannik311 (83) 13 years ago

If that's the law they won't have any choice in the matter.

[-] 1 points by monahan (272) 13 years ago

But they have a lot of influence in OWS It's not the law yet.

[-] 1 points by bannik311 (83) 13 years ago

I would disagree, if you've been out there you know veterans seem to be getting to most respect and have the most influence.

[-] 1 points by monahan (272) 13 years ago

Dude the money is kept in a union bank and the supplies are stored in a union building think about what your involved in.

[-] 1 points by Misguided (373) 13 years ago

Unions are nothing more than corporations themselves anymore.

[-] 2 points by monahan (272) 13 years ago

I know and heavily involved in OWS

[-] 1 points by Misguided (373) 13 years ago

Not something I particularly care for. I really wish unions would stick to doing their jobs for the people that employ them. The workers need the unions to represent them to the companies they work for not to become PAC's or activists.

[-] 1 points by monahan (272) 13 years ago

Dude they control OWS in ny

[-] 1 points by bannik311 (83) 13 years ago

Want to know how I know you're not actually there but instead just repeating talking points?

Perhaps you should waddle on down and really see what is about.

[-] 1 points by monahan (272) 13 years ago

I've been there dude I've seen what I'm talking about

[-] 1 points by bannik311 (83) 13 years ago

I totally have a girlfriend dude, you wouldn't know her, she is in Canada so I know what I'm talking about.

[-] 1 points by monahan (272) 13 years ago

Whatever

[-] 1 points by Misguided (373) 13 years ago

Wait until tomorrow it's going to get worse. The CWA is marching down to Zuccotti park tomorrow.

[-] 1 points by monahan (272) 13 years ago

I know I threatened to throw the union hats out of the park and was threatened with mace.

[-] 1 points by Misguided (373) 13 years ago

Yeah it's not surprising. People tend to resort to that kind of thing when they know they have the support of a large crowd behind them.

[-] 1 points by monahan (272) 13 years ago

Unions are why I'm not sleeping in zucotti they control the heart of OWS.

[-] 1 points by Misguided (373) 13 years ago

That's really not a good thing.

[-] 1 points by monahan (272) 13 years ago

I know people in other occupys are oblivious to this.