[lbo-talk] ciao, unions

[c b]

I think it useful to "use" petty producer rather than the French
"petty bourgeoisie." That's a class that lives in the interstices of
capitalism. As social shorthand, then, but not of class analysis, one
culd loosely lump small capitalists, petty proucers, and more
independent workers into the petty boufgeios, focusing on "lfie
style," income, consciusness, etc rather than class poisiton. "Middle
class" (however meant) creates endless confusion. Some years ago the
WSJ referred to postal employees as the "last subsidized mieddle-class
wage" or something like that.
Are many independent craftsmen (plumbers, electricians, etc) included
in the union ffigures. For many years the presdient of the McLean
County Trdes & Labaor Assembly owned his own bar but was a member of
the bartender's unon (whatever that is called).

Carrol

^^^^^
CB: Empirically, I find lots of people who are low income and hustle a
lot.  They are working class, but have their own business, of a sort.
They are part of the relative surplus population, that Marx refers to
at ....

Anyway, I speuclate sometimes " well , their consciousness has a petit
bourgeois streak because of their occupation, but it is a combined
working class/pb consciousness"