Can Workers Effectively Strike?

[carsonscorner]

On my radio show, I had on Joe Burns, author of the book, Reviving The Strike: How Working People Can Regain Power and Transform. Mr. Burns believes workers can still effectively strike in today's society. I believe that our tax policies,trade policies, and application of union laws have to change before workers can effectively strike again. What do you think? Also, I highly recommend listening to my discussion with Joe Burns.

Support your aspiring progressive host!!


Listen: http://bobcarson13.podomatic.com/player/web/2011-06-13T03_38_35-07_00

[socialist_n_TN]

1. Quite frankly, fuck a bunch of laws about strikes

There have ALWAYS been laws of varying severity against strikes. But collective action is the ONLY real weapon the working class has to effect change in their situation.

Workers had better get a MILITANT attitude in this class war or it'll continue to be the class massacre that it's been over the last few decades. And militancy doesn't care about unjust laws.

[joshcryer]

3. Agreed, but if you think the arrests during the IWW's hey-day were bad...

...they'd be compounded tenfold if not a hundredfold if they were to happen today.

[carsonscorner]

4. I agree.

Although I think the balance of power has shifted greatly against workers in the last 30 years. Big business has a nice, loose labor market- which is by design. Employees are told if they don't like their jobs, they can quit because the company they work for has thousands of applications. Those unionized in the private sector are fighting for their lifes.

[socialist_n_TN]

5. Well militancy might involve some extra legal

actions involving those businesses too.

[midnight]

8. Exactly....

[joshcryer]

2. Not legally.

[scheming daemons]

6. As soon as it became cheap and easy to move industries overseas, striking became ineffective

The company used to have no choice but to bargain with the union to end a strike.

Now, they can just say "fuck you" and pick up and move their operations overseas.



Because corporations aren't hurt by moving jobs overseas, unions have been effectively castrated.

[rug]

7. The Pullman Strike began as a wildcat.

Before it was over a quarter million workers were on strike.

They didn't join it because things were swell in 1894.

Things are not swell in 2011.

[AndyTiedye]

9. H1b's…

…will replace any who strike. If the H1b's strike, they get deported.

[JosefK]

10. Workers can do anything....

it's whether they set their mind to it.

I see Greece. I see France. I see Robert Reich's dirty underpants! (NAFTA)

[JVS]

11. I've seen it happen.

But what I saw was graduate students striking. It took less than 2 days before administration gave in.