You will find that Steelworker's believe, that every country should have a free and independent union movement with the guaranteed right to organize and bargain collectively. That Steelworkers have health, safety and environmental concerns and feel that our trading partners should have a least US standards. That Steelworkers are not interested in competing with child labor, prison labor/forced labor or slave labor and that people should get real wages and benefits for their work!
I think you would have a hard time finding any Steelworkers that would object to any of the above.
Seth, since your a media critic, why is it that TV news whenever they want a Steelworker opinion, they go into some bar near a steel mill and ask some half in the bag character who claims to be a Steelworker his opinion. I've always found this really galling. On the other hand our International President George Becker has been on national TV once in the last few years even though he represents about 750,000 dues paying Steelworkers!
I know Doug wasn't overwhelmed by George's speech in Seattle. Me, I've always found George's talks to be inspirational and educational. Some labor leaders may have better rhetoric, and, that's all they have got! Maybe George should talk to the public the way he talks to us. Then again it's not what you say, it's what you do!
Tom Lehman
Seth Ackerman wrote:
> The media have been full of abuse for the Seattle protests. One of their
> favorite debating points has been to claim that the developing countries
> adore the WTO, and fear only that perfidious Northern unions will impose
> labor standards. This of course ignores that the Third World unions and
> development groups have fiercely opposed the WTO agenda accross the board --
> intellectual property rights, investment policy, competition, agriculture,
> government procurement, etc.
>
> However... What to make of the fact that nearly half of the 50,000 who
> braved the Seattle police department were Steelworkers and others from the
> AFL-CIO? On the one hand, as Doug points out, they contributed much to the
> Seattle demos and the success of the protest owes much to them. But
> ultimately, their trade agenda is diametrically opposed to the developing
> world's. They want to keep out cheap Third World imports, while the Third
> World wants access to the US market. How do we reconcile the needs -- and
> maintain the rebellious enthusiasm -- of both 1st World *and* 3rd world
> workers?
>
> I'd be interested to hear people's thoughts.