Just this weekend, I've discovered a new commentator that I love. Thomas Geoghegan is a lawyer from Chicago.
He had this marvelous piece in the Nation recently, explaining very convincingly why the Senate needs to kill the filibuster.
And then today, the New York Times ran what they call an "Op-Classic", that is, a column he wrote in 1991, in honor of Labor Day. They note at the end that he is the author of a book called "Which Side Are You On: Trying to Be for Labor When It's Flat On Its Back."
On the positive side, I honestly think things may have improved for Labor since he wrote that, though I'm by no means an expert. On the negative side, it's sad that the NYT had to go back to 1991 to find something appropriate for the holiday.
Geoghegan notes in his op-ed that one of the things we can do it try to increase public interest in the Labor movement. So here I am. Do you know what the Labor movement has done for you?
As the t-shirt I love to wear to Wal-Mart says, "Unions: The Folks Who Brought You the Weekend!"
Enjoy your holiday!
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2 comments:
Great t-shirt! Wait - you go to Walmart?
You're right about Geoghegan, this guy is really good.
Right now the slightly resurrected organized big labor movement is troubled by internal fighting. It seems to be a power struggle, rather than philosophy, particularly over who gets new members.
Unfortunately, Mall-wart is about the only place where we can get certain things. And living on a measly pastor's salary, it's sometimes the only place we can afford to get certain things.
So I wear my union t-shirt to make myself feel better about it.
I read a big thing in the Nation the other day about the SEIU vs. UNITE HERE battle. So ugly. You're right that it seems more like a power struggle than philosophical differences. They need to get over themselves so they can fight for their constituents. Seemed like they're working on it though. Just glanced at your link. Kind of amazed it's even covered in the NYT. Usually figure I'll have to go to the Nation to get labor coverage.
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