----- Original Message ----- From: "Carrol Cox" <cbcox at ilstu.edu> To: <lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org> Sent: Friday, March 04, 2011 5:51 PM Subject: Re: [lbo-talk] Washington Hospital Center nurses launch24-hour labor strike
>I have noticed over the last year (not just on this list) a sort of
> 'stutter' in the voice of many leftists when the sector of the working
> class
> involved is (like nurses and teachers) 'really' important -- a _service_
> we
> need. The stutter involves flinching a bit on certain demands that make a
> workers' struggle a working-class struggle, a failure to take, as one's
> ground position, the proposition that the work place exists for the sake
> of
> the workers! What, from a political perspective, is THE purpose of
> schools:
> to give jobs to teachers. What, from a political perspective, is THE
> purpose
> of a hospital: to give jobs to nurses and janitors and technicians et al.
> We
> are not talking agitational material here: that is a totally separate
> topic.
> We are talking about what must be the mindset of those who hold those
> positions or who mobilize support for them. And I mean _all_ teachers; not
> just the competent ones. I mean ALL nurses; not just the competent ones.
>
> And what do workers need: they need freedom -- more specifically, in a
> capitalist world, they need freedom from the tyranny of the future.
>
> This means they must be confident that their jobs will not be take from
> them. They must be confident that they will be supported in retirement.
> And
> it means that their pay must be such that the future is no threat. It
> means
> that their working conditons and hours are not such as to damage their
> capacity to live as humans in their hours off work.
>
> This is how we (members of and supporters of the working class) must think
> as we work out specific positions and specific actions. This is the only
> way
> to keep the stutter out of our voices.
>
> We must not allow ourselves for one second to think an 'objective'
> observer
> from the sidelines, as mere cheerleaders, as mere fans enjoying the
> contest.
>
> (Just incidentally, this mindset is also best for the patients and the
> students. But putting students or patients first for one second of mental
> time is in fact contrary to the interests of students and patients as
> well.)
>
> Carrol
>
> I agree with Alan; I'm not criticizing his post but using it as a
> springboard to make further points.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: lbo-talk-bounces at lbo-talk.org [mailto:lbo-talk-bounces at lbo-talk.org]
> On Behalf Of Adam Proctor
> Sent: Friday, March 04, 2011 3:28 PM
> To: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org
> Subject: Re: [lbo-talk] Washington Hospital Center nurses launch 24-hour
> labor strike
>
> Just got home from walking the picket line all day. There were easily
> 300-400 people in attendence, mostly nurses represented by National
> Nurses United. Also in attendence were public transportation workers,
> teachers, firefighters, and other private sector union members.
>
> Trumka of AFL-CIO gave a rousing speech, as did Rep. Dennis Kucinich.
> Eh, their rhetoric was somewhat predictable, but it sure beats the
> alternative--that is, the suits ignoring the strike action.
>
> Management has shipped in scabs from out of state and locked out the
> 1650 striking nurses for an additional 4 days. So the pickets will
> continue. Here's to hoping this thing grows over the weekend.
>
> -Adam
>
>
>
> On Friday, March 4, 2011, Wojtek S <wsoko52 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/04/AR2011030401
> 496.html
>>
>> Wojtek
>> ___________________________________
>> http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk
>>
> ___________________________________
> http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk
>
>
> ___________________________________
> http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk