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Jul 22 2007 05:03
Solidarity to all. I am new to libcom, awesome site by the way. I am a labor organizer in the Southern US. I organize for Service Employees International Union. Anyhow, I would like to request a blog so I can share my struggle with all of you compañeros.
Mil Gracias,
E. Villegas
Jul 24 2007 02:45
#2
yes libertarian communist sites should be falling over themselves to give blogs to business union hacks.
hmm interesting how all youse parasites have crawling out from under Chuck Hendriks shaped rocks....
Jul 24 2007 02:47
#3
revol68 wrote:
yes libertarian communist sites should be falling over themselves to give blogs to business union hacks.hmm interesting how all youse parasites have crawling out from under Chuck Hendriks shaped rocks....
Fuck, revol; give the guy a chance.
Jul 24 2007 02:51
#4
why? he's a paid union hack, why should he be given a blog to pimp his career and union?
Is this place libertarian communist or is it just for any social democrat, union hack to come and boast of their crappy union?
Jul 24 2007 08:50
#5
Partisano wrote:
Right. No go?
Sorry, someone was meant to get back to you about this.
Basically we only give blogs to people who've been posting on the forums for a while. This is due to a number of reasons, trust being one, another potential legal issues about the content someone is posting, because we don't really know who you are yet. For now, we'd be happy to have news articles about any strikes that happen, and general information is best in the forums where it'll get more attention and discussion anyway.
If everything is fine after a while of posting then yes we can give you a blog.
I hope this sounds acceptable to you?
Jul 24 2007 12:22
#6
revol68 wrote:
why? he's a paid union hack, why should he be given a blog to pimp his career and union?
No, and that was not what I meant. It seems a lot more constructive to debate rather than go ape shit.
Jul 24 2007 13:19
#7
makaira wrote:
revol68 wrote:
why? he's a paid union hack, why should he be given a blog to pimp his career and union?No, and that was not what I meant. It seems a lot more constructive to debate rather than go ape shit.
i don't debate with union hacks, for a start they are paid for it...
Jul 24 2007 14:06
#8
revol68 wrote:
i don't debate with union hacks
Even a slight review or recent postings in the last two months would prove this statement false.
Jul 24 2007 14:11
#9
Flint wrote:
revol68 wrote:
i don't debate with union hacksEven a slight review or recent postings in the last two months would prove this statement false.
sorry i meant to say i don't feel bound to I just sometimes do it as an indulgence.
Jul 27 2007 03:32
#10
Hey, thanks for getting back to me on the blog, eh. Understand the trust issue. As for you revol, nice to meet you. I think before you start standing on your soap box to slander me or call me a hack/parasite, you should get to know me. You need to come to Texas and try to organize. The laws are some of the most anti-worker laws in the United States, and people are not exactly lining up to do the work I do. Second, I make less than the workers that I work to organize. I make a rather low salary compared to other jobs in this area of the country. I make 26,000 a year, which is around $2,ooo USD a month. I scrape by, trying to pay bills and rent. It is hard to keep staff organizers because this work is, especially in one of the most conservative parts of the country, difficult. I work from 5am in the morning to 8 or 9 at night every day Monday-Friday, and sometimes take only one day off a week. I work on my uni-studies in the evenings. Before I took a job at a Labor Union, I worked as a stock clerk at a retail store. I, like many, am in to the idea of workers' self organization. I attempted to get my co-workers together and form a IWW union where I worked. Needless to say, the attempt was crushed because of lack of resources and because its hard to get people together when you're working 50 hours a week in a stock room where they can isolate you from other workers.
Pimp my career? It is not very glorious I can tell you that. Its a good mode to spread radical ideas and connect with other working people like myself. Truthfuly, I tend to agree with you on that Organizers shouldn't be paid. In a perfect world, there would be no need. I am rather disgusted with the "hacks" you talk about that draw enormous salaries and ride on the backs of working men and women. However, I feel good about what I am doing, creating positive change in my community by organizing public employees and empowering them to take on the task themselves. The workers are the people governing what happens in their union here in San Antonio. I feel good that my salary is not more that what the average garbage collector makes in my city. So any way comrade, maybe you'll give me a chance to speak before you start hurling out insults toward someone you've not become aquainted with.
Comradely
Jul 27 2007 04:41
#11
my heart bleeds.....
Jul 27 2007 04:49
#12
give yelt a blog 
Jul 27 2007 04:53
#13
nice revol.
Jul 27 2007 05:19
#14
so you failed to unionise your own workplace and are attoning for your sins by getting a job organising other peoples, how delightfully catholic of you.
Self organisation is hard, one of the hardest parts is actually managing to stand by it through times of low class struggle, when your workmates are a being a bunch of reactionary pricks, when there is no heart for struggle, sometimes the hardest thing is to resist getting sucked in to 'just doing something' because ultimately everything else is nothing more than building with no foundations or worse ends up pulling what little foundations you have out from under it.
Also I really wish people would stop justifying being union full time organisers on the basis that the pays shit and people end up leaving it after a year burnt out, it seems a strange argument to make, sort of self defeating, afterall if they are so shit then why do it, if people don't get sucked into the Union mindset/way of doing things but rather grow more cynical before leaving then surely it couldn't be doing much good in the first place or you'd stay in it and become like ole Hendriks and Thugarist, no?
Jul 27 2007 09:04
#15
revol68 wrote:
Self organisation is hard, one of the hardest parts is actually managing to stand by it through times of low class struggle, when your workmates are a being a bunch of reactionary pricks, when there is no heart for struggle, sometimes the hardest thing is to resist getting sucked in to 'just doing something' because ultimately everything else is nothing more than building with no foundations or worse ends up pulling what little foundations you have out from under it.
See, now this is a genuine paragraph. I don't agree with paid organisers either, but partisano is obviously a genuine, decent guy so don't be a cunt to him. This just makes you and your position look bad instead of actually engaging on points of political disagreement - when you do this you come off much better.
Jul 27 2007 13:50
#16
Right, so Revol, you hate "mainstream" unions and paid organizers. I can accept that, but I don't think you have to make the argument personal, comrade. We'll get no where if we're name calling. Let me tell you, I was practically fired from my work there for my union activities, I was put on administrative leave and meanwhile I was working for day labor businesses and whatnot. So, since the IWW is not at this moment taking off, I thought the best way to educate people could be from inside a union, even though mainstream. In fact, there are former city employees on our staff, one left his work as a rubbish collector so that he'd be able to organize his comrades at work. Speaking on the local level, the membership is actively involved in the campaign. Anyway, estos son mis dos centavitos. With what do you specifically disagree, I am just interested in you point of view, but without the insults. One problem I have is that it just creates another worker/boss relationship between the organizer and the union "management," which is why we have a staff union. And as with all places of work, you have to deal with cut throat "hacks" that you talk about.
revol68 wrote:
Self organisation is hard, one of the hardest parts is actually managing to stand by it through times of low class struggle, when your workmates are a being a bunch of reactionary pricks, when there is no heart for struggle, sometimes the hardest thing is to resist getting sucked in to 'just doing something' because ultimately everything else is nothing more than building with no foundations or worse ends up pulling what little foundations you have out from under it.
I stood by what I did, and accepted the consequences of being a "trouble maker", although I was not considered as such until I started talking about organizing.
Right. No go?