The pathetically low federal poverty line for a family of three, single parent and two kids, is $16,600. A much better measure is Diana Pearce's "self-sufficiency standard." For the same family in NYC the standard is somewhere between $50,000 and $55,000, but this total includes health care costs. Even so, you're right that by objective criteria some 1199NY members could be considered poor. However, none of the 1199NY members I knew from working with them on the campaign trail in 2004 considered themselves as such, but they all had years of seniority.
On 9/26/06, Jim Straub <rustbeltjacobin at gmail.com> wrote:
> Uh, poor people with a powerful union. We're talking about CNAs and dietary
> workers and hom health aides here--- poor people. But they've formed a
> strong organization with a great organizing program that has given them the
> highest organized density of health care workers in the country. As a
> result they win breakthrough gains. I thought as socialists we were in
> favor of the poor workers winning substantial material gains in the here and
> now. In Vegas where I work, the casino workers have a similarly strong
> union, and there undocumented latino busboys have fully paid family health
> care, a pension, good wages.
>
> This is what a serious organizing program results in. We should be in favor
> of this. It doesn't make someone not a worker if their organization has
> successfully fought the boss against a wall and scored some really
> meaningful wins. We would know more poor people who had those things if
> every union in the country would organize new workers industrially with
> ruthless zeal.
>
> But yes, it is a silly article. The 'center for union facts' is the new
> big-money boss-class front group to smash up unions in the public. They
> have some unwitting allies among leftoids, sadly.
>
>
>
> >
> > It's a pretty silly article. How many "poor" people do you know with a
> > defined benefit pension plan and an employer-paid full family
> > healthcare plan?
> >
> > > Union for poor lives high
> >
> > > By Douglas Feiden
> > > Staff Writer, New York Daily News
> >
> > > The union powerhouse that represents some of the poorest workers in New
> York
> > > City
> >
> > [ . . . ]
> >
> > >.Clearly, something is working: Local 1199 members enjoy free health care
> > > benefits, fully funded pension plans, college scholarships, life
> insurance,
> > > job guarantees and child-care and home-loan programs.
> >
> >
> > --
>
>
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