I'm currently reading the fascinating book Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. I can not recommend it highly enough.
A passage describes working conditions in the garment factories of New York City in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
It was incredibly hard and often miserable labor. The conditions were inhuman. One survey in the 1890s put the average workweek at eighty-four hours, which comes totwelve hours a day. At times, it was higher. “During the busy season,” David Von Drehle writes in Triangle: The Fire That Changed Amierca, “it was not unusual to find workers on stools or broken chairs, bent over their sewing or hot irons, from 5 a.m"
Boy, I really long for the good old days before 'big government' imposed 'job killing regulations.' Sounds like a real paradise lost.
Showing posts with label labor violations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label labor violations. Show all posts
Friday, January 25, 2013
Friday, May 28, 2010
Periodic Twitter update
Note: This is a series highlighting selected stories from the Twitter feeds for my blogs Musings of a (Fairly) Young Contrarian and Black Star Journal. The Twitter feed contains not only links to original pieces from my blogs but also links ("re-tweets") to diverse stories from other media outlets. 103 people presently get their updates this way. Those interested are encouraged to subscribe the Twitter feed to get all stories by going to Twitter.com/mofycbsj and clicking 'follow'.
-Boaters, don't pollute lakes and rivers (NYS DEC)
-Amnesty: Powerful Governments 'Stand Above the Law' on Human Rights (VOA Africa)
-The opposition is the restraining force on government. Obama in power means we must look to the GOP to restrain militarism... (Wikileaks)
-Green Party Nominates Clark and Lawrence for US Senate and 2010 Candidates of Green Party NY (GPNY)
-Guinea headed for free election, analysts say (AP)
-Sexual violence against men (Forced Migration Online)
-What a 'Peace Corps' of Africans Is Doing for Cajuns and Creoles (Wall Street Journal)
-Six myths about immigration that just won't die (Alternet)
-Children working on farms at younger ages, report says (PBS Need to Know)
-Despite Legislation, Misleading RNC ‘Census’ Mailers Continue (Pro Publica)
-Boaters, don't pollute lakes and rivers (NYS DEC)
-Amnesty: Powerful Governments 'Stand Above the Law' on Human Rights (VOA Africa)
-The opposition is the restraining force on government. Obama in power means we must look to the GOP to restrain militarism... (Wikileaks)
-Green Party Nominates Clark and Lawrence for US Senate and 2010 Candidates of Green Party NY (GPNY)
-Guinea headed for free election, analysts say (AP)
-Sexual violence against men (Forced Migration Online)
-What a 'Peace Corps' of Africans Is Doing for Cajuns and Creoles (Wall Street Journal)
-Six myths about immigration that just won't die (Alternet)
-Children working on farms at younger ages, report says (PBS Need to Know)
-Despite Legislation, Misleading RNC ‘Census’ Mailers Continue (Pro Publica)
Friday, September 12, 2008
Happy (belated) Labor Day
If you support a progressive agenda, then support a progressive candidate.
I am remiss for having neglected to post an entry on Labor Day. Here's a belated acknowlegement...
Radio Netherlands' excellent The State We're In program had an interesting segement on the right to unionize and Wal-Mart's concerted efforts to block people from exercising that right. Not surprisingly, the corporate behemoth refused to subject itself to journalistic questioning on their labor relations' practices.
RNW also pointed out that the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights' Article 23, Section 4 states: Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.
Additionally, the New York state constitution's Bill of Rights (Article I, Section 17) ensures: Employees shall have the right to organize and to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing.
If we had a government of, for and by the people instead of a government of, for and by the corporations, then maybe these enshrined rights might actually be respected.
Fortunately, there is a presidential candidate who actually recognizes both the importance of unions and the danger of corporatacracy.
Hint: He's not a Democrat.
Perhaps this is why Ralph Nader is at 6 percent in the polls in the heavily unionized state of Michigan, despite being completely ignored* by the, you guessed it, the corporate media.
(*-I'm referring to the real definition of ignored, not the manipulative fake definition put for by St. John and his GOP allies)
This is why neither of the two corporate parties want Nader, Bob Barr, Cynthia McKinney or anyone else in the debates. They KNOW that if smaller party and independent candidates may actually become competitive if their views actually get heard by a mass audience.
How do the corporate party candidates know this? They just look at the numbers.
In a recent Zogby poll, people were presented with the following statement: I believe the United States' system is broken and cannot be fixed by traditional two-party politics and elections.
44 percent of respondants answered Yes, the two-party system is inadequate; and that to address our nation's problems, we need true multipartyism like is found in every other democracy in the world.
The discontent is out there. Despite a media blackout against smaller party and independent candidates, people are still gravitating toward them.
Imagine would what happen if unions started endorsing candidates who actually supported policies that benefited workers!
Imagine if workers actually demanded accountability by refusing to vote for candidates and officials who pushed anti-worker policies.
Imagine if voters actually took advantage of all the electoral options available instead of self-limiting to bad and hideous.
An informed workforce is an empowered workforce. The corporations know this and they make sure the politicians they control know this. So it's up to the citizenry to inform themselves because the corporate media isn't helping them.
CANDIDATE WEBSITES
Ralph Nader/Matt Gonzalez, independent
Cynthia McKinney/Rosa Clemente, Green Party
Bob Barr/Wayne Root, Libertarian Party
Note: if you know of any other national campaign websites, please leave them in the notes section and I will add them.
I am remiss for having neglected to post an entry on Labor Day. Here's a belated acknowlegement...
Radio Netherlands' excellent The State We're In program had an interesting segement on the right to unionize and Wal-Mart's concerted efforts to block people from exercising that right. Not surprisingly, the corporate behemoth refused to subject itself to journalistic questioning on their labor relations' practices.
RNW also pointed out that the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights' Article 23, Section 4 states: Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.
Additionally, the New York state constitution's Bill of Rights (Article I, Section 17) ensures: Employees shall have the right to organize and to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing.
If we had a government of, for and by the people instead of a government of, for and by the corporations, then maybe these enshrined rights might actually be respected.
Fortunately, there is a presidential candidate who actually recognizes both the importance of unions and the danger of corporatacracy.
Hint: He's not a Democrat.
Perhaps this is why Ralph Nader is at 6 percent in the polls in the heavily unionized state of Michigan, despite being completely ignored* by the, you guessed it, the corporate media.
(*-I'm referring to the real definition of ignored, not the manipulative fake definition put for by St. John and his GOP allies)
This is why neither of the two corporate parties want Nader, Bob Barr, Cynthia McKinney or anyone else in the debates. They KNOW that if smaller party and independent candidates may actually become competitive if their views actually get heard by a mass audience.
How do the corporate party candidates know this? They just look at the numbers.
In a recent Zogby poll, people were presented with the following statement: I believe the United States' system is broken and cannot be fixed by traditional two-party politics and elections.
44 percent of respondants answered Yes, the two-party system is inadequate; and that to address our nation's problems, we need true multipartyism like is found in every other democracy in the world.
The discontent is out there. Despite a media blackout against smaller party and independent candidates, people are still gravitating toward them.
Imagine would what happen if unions started endorsing candidates who actually supported policies that benefited workers!
Imagine if workers actually demanded accountability by refusing to vote for candidates and officials who pushed anti-worker policies.
Imagine if voters actually took advantage of all the electoral options available instead of self-limiting to bad and hideous.
An informed workforce is an empowered workforce. The corporations know this and they make sure the politicians they control know this. So it's up to the citizenry to inform themselves because the corporate media isn't helping them.
CANDIDATE WEBSITES
Ralph Nader/Matt Gonzalez, independent
Cynthia McKinney/Rosa Clemente, Green Party
Bob Barr/Wayne Root, Libertarian Party
Note: if you know of any other national campaign websites, please leave them in the notes section and I will add them.
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