http://www.calnurses.org/media-center/in-the-news/2007/august/page.jsp?itemID=31736051
On 9/26/07, MICHAEL YATES <mikedjyates at msn.com> wrote:
> Doug asks if ther is a lot of worker militancy out there. I think it would
> be fasle to say that there is, at least from our experience of traveling
> around the country for the last six years. There are, of course, many
> organizations in lots of palces, doing good work: workers' centers,
> immigrant rights groups, sweatshop and antiwar activists and groups,
> solidarity schools, labor studies orograms, some unions too. But most is
> very localized, involves a small minority of the working class, and has done
> little to develop wroking class consciousness. And even less in terms of
> uniting into a larger political force.
>
> A concrete example: On our book tour we swept through Texas with the CA.
> Nurses Association, which has begun an organziing campaign across the state.
> We stopped in San Antonio, Austin, Houston, and Dallas. The only really
> good meeting we had was in San Antonio: good staff, committed nurses (many
> Hispanic), developed consciousness. Not a bad meeting in Austin though lots
> smaller. Poor meetings in the biggest cities-Houston and Dallas. Not much
> consciuosness there and very small attendances, less savvy staff. It was
> dissappointing given the amount of time in advance to prepare that there
> was. And this is in a job where nurses work 12 hour days, for days on end,
> sometimes 16 hours, where patient care is getting worse, where nurses are
> treated like shit, but where demand is high. The union really has its work
> cut out for it. When a nurse asks after over 30 years on the job and now
> one of hte local leaders, why poeple hate unions so much, and then extols
> the book Rich Dad Poor Dad (is that the correct title), some ridiculous
> self-help type of book, you have to wonder.
>
> I find it hard to be optimistic.
>
> Michael Yates
>
>
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