>
>I think that it is a mistake for the UAW to be organizing graduate
>assistants
>and clericals, for example. There is something to having the labor movement
>organized according to meaningful jurisdictions, as it allows
>internationals
>to focus and organize themselves along the needs of a particular
>constituency
>with a given set of needs. It allows for a concentration of bargaining
>power
>in an industry.
Said like a business unionist! Me, I still believe in social and industrial unionism, but I'm a dinosaur. Incidentally, my old grad student union, the Grad Employees Org at the Univ . of Michigan, was under the MFT-->AFT. In 1988, we had a 85% strike vote and were set to go out, high participation--100s at meetings, we were rocking--and the MFT came in and announced a settlement over our heads, didn't even consult with us. I am sure this gave a lot of grad students a really good impression of the democratic way unions operate.
--jks _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com