Why do you think so many
> workers died in the struggle first for the 10 and then the 8 hour day? You
> remind me of the son of a bitch who designed the cover of an atlas State
> Farm was still putting out in the early 1950s, showing happy dark folk
> dancing among the cotton fields in Alabama (there was some kind of
> decoration in each of the states in a map on the cover).
>
In California Pete Wilson managed to pass a law undoing overtime pay after 8 hours. Now employers only have to pay overtime after 40 hours. I had a friend over for dinner who works in the film business and he explained that the film industry unions got an *exception* to Wilson's pay law.
Seems that the Hollywood unions cut a deal not to press the issue with Wilson if THEY got what they wanted. So these unions think it is alright if all the agricultural workers laboring in the fields, the janitors cleaning offices, all the restuarant workers moving those dishes have to work 10-12-14 hour days and not get paid extra. This "my own backyard is more important than anyone else's" attitude seems to be prevalent these days.
Unlike many people on this list - I do not see any grounds to believe that the worker is going to rise up and overthrough this inequitable system. At least not in America.
Marta Russell