[lbo-talk] Re: lbo-talk Digest, Vol 32, Issue 8

[jthorn65 at sbcglobal.net]

A raise, health insurance and more vacation time seem to be more pressing issues than who actually 
controls the business. I learned this the hard way. I dropped out of university and went to work at B&N 
which for some reason I believed was my best shot at union organizing. I had been told by a myriad of 
people that this is what I should do since they said I was a very persuasive speaker and could discuss 
without lecturing. Apparently I cannot do those things well enough. Three of us were fired from B&N for 
some minor technical rules infraction, the kind of thing that happens dozens of times a day and is 
overlooked except when desired. We were of course spearheading the union drive, with little help from the 
local I might in spite of the fact that my SO's uncle was the union arbitrator for the area. The idea of a voice 
in the workplace meant next to nothing to the majority of employees there. They wanted more money, more 
vacation, and cheaper insurance.


>From there I mortgaged my home and opened a small health food grocer. All employees were considered 
equal share owners in the venture and all substantial decisions were decided by consensus in a monthly 
mandatory meeting. The equal ownership was a paperwork nightmare. Most employees tried to find 
excuses to skip the meetings and complained that we were not paid significantly higher then other shops. 
They also wanted more vacation but bitched when others were gone from the workplace. All employees 
received the same pay and job duties were rotated to keep everyone up on what was happening. Since this 
wasn't an engineering firm or some such but rather a grocer job rotation was easily done. People fought 
over who worked more than others and who "deserved" more pay than others. Did women with children 
deserve more than women without? "Why can't I just come to work and let others decide stuff I don't care 
about?" Eventually it collapsed and I was left holding all the debt. Then the fighting got really nasty. 

I really haven't a clue how to proceed from here so I teach part-time at the community college and do the 
small self-employed artist/metal crafter. I enjoy the teaching but cannot do that full time at a state institution. 
I have little desire to teach at a private school.

John Thornton


> On Aug 1, 2006, at 6:52 PM, Jim Straub wrote:
> 
>  I agree that bit right there is the most dubious of what I'm  
>  throwing out- I'd be more interested in what you think of the  
>  general thrust of that argument (that people should go where and do  
>  what leftists don't do much of yet).

 

 Long ago, a gang from Berkeley moved to Detroit to form Labor Notes  

 and TDU. They've done some great work but it's been a long, hard  

 slog, and industry moved from Detroit to elsewhere.

 

 Lots of SWP members tried working in factories and organizing the  

 working class. I think their success has been highly limited.

 

 But Marvin Gandall asks a good question - tell us how you're doing  

 among the workers of Las Vegas. I'm guessing that few of them are  

 into radical politics, and are mainly looking for a couple of dollars  

 more an hour and some health insurance.

 

 Doug