[lbo-talk] Boots Riley on Occupy the Hood

lasko lascaux at riseup.net
Sat Dec 17 15:46:48 PST 2011


On 12/17/11 6:15 PM, SA wrote:
> On 12/17/2011 5:55 PM, lasko wrote:


> No, I don't think so. A union is a group of workers with a common
> employer who agree to withhold their labor unless the employer meets
> certain terms. A union ideally should be much more than that, but it
> can't be any less and still be called a union.

Yes. I had the half-formed idea that a traditional union is a group of workers who self-organize within the walls of a factory meant for work, and OWS is a group of workers who organize within the fences of a park meant for leisure. The condition of enclosure, not the employer, and the activity of organization, would be common to both. But perhaps this is half-baked!


> I think the first step would be talking to the workers, rather than
> talking to a union.

I was imagining Boots as a worker, or a Boots-influenced worker, approaching the union. The union organizer would say let's get a contract and a little bump. $15/hr would be pie in the sky to him.



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