EDITORIAL: Support the Northwest Airline strikers

[Bluebear]

"If we had only stopped them at PATCO" became a common labor refrain in the union-busting years of the Reagan administration. Most in labor will now acknowledge that the lack of full labor solidarity was a key factor in the defeat of the PATCO (air traffic controllers) union. It opened the door to years of ferocious corporate and government attack on unions.

Today the strike of mechanics at Northwest Airlines has the feel of PATCO repeated. PATCO was in the doghouse with much of labor because it was one of the few unions to endorse Reagan for president. Similarly the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA), which represents the mechanics at Northwest, has a cloud over it because of its raiding of other unions in the airline industry, and because of its craft union approach.

But regardless, the class struggle put these workers on the front line for all union members.

Defeat of the AMFA workers at Northwest would intensify the attacks on all the airline unions and indeed on all unions. This is a classic tactic on the part of corporate America. They are taking full advantage of the divisions in labor. They will attack what they see as labor’s weakest links. ...

http://www.pww.org/article/articleview/7608/1/283


'These two guys were great and after talking to them I feel that there is hope for America's future. They just got back from Iraq and will be home for 15 days and they just wanted to show their support.

We told them about the security guards and they felt the need to go over and let the guard know how they felt about what they were doing.
The one guy had to pull the other one away because it looked like he wanted to rip the guards heart out.

He said that it was a shame that they were over in Iraq fighting for freedom while freedom is being taken away from Americans.'

http://the-mechanic.com/mainbb.html

[me b zola]

1. "They will attack what they see as labor’s weakest links. ..."

It's the same old story.

When will America wake up???

[me b zola]

2. Ya know, that is a mighty powerful picture

Many of the men & women who are fighting & dying in Iraq are reservist & guardsmen who work(ed) union jobs before offering their body & life to cheney's pursuit of oil.

[Bluebear]

3. You said it, zola. n/t