A mathematical look at where the United States ranks in the world.

If one were to look from afar into the United States right now, they couldn't help but to be afraid of what they see. COVID-19 cases are through the roof, and the U.S. has raced to the front of the line since March. Social media is a conflagration of people claiming masks don't help at all, the virus isn't real, and even wearing a mask for ten minutes at a grocery store is infringing upon their rights as an American. Yet as a collective country, we seem to continue to chant that "USA IS NUMBER ONE!". 

Don't get me wrong, I love our country. The freedoms we are afforded are unlike any in the world. But being married to a research scientist has made me naturally question any type of survey or broad proclamation. So this got me thinking obsessing with the question, "What are we actually the best in?". The results are what I figured. As a country, we are statistically.....okay. Does this mean we live in a terrible country? Nope. It means we have plenty of room for improvement and that we need to continue to forge forward with the drive of integrity and progression that we are known for. 

Places where collective bargaining....is ILLEGAL???

Collective bargaining is defined as the negotiation of wages and other working conditions by an organized group of employees. While individuals will try and argue the case for a non-union private sector, the case for public sector unionization is almost undebatable.

Private-sector unionization is mainly covered under the National Labor Relations Act, or NLRA. However, public-sector unionization is generally under the scope of specific states, and even local jurisdictions at times. This creates an almost mandatory symbiotic relationship for public sector unions to get involved politically, as it can become a fight to just survive, let alone thrive. The map below shows a general layout for the United States, which displays the laws as they pertain to each state and their public-sector unions. It's important to note that teachers don't have the same CBA laws that police and firefighters have.

So what does collective bargaining, or lack thereof, do for these states? The answer to that depends on where you live and what line of work you are in. For example, a firefighter may be covered by a better insurance plan that they have collectively bargained for throughout their contract. Since firefighters are 156% more likely than the average citizen to get some form of cancer in their career, their medical needs are different.

Why is education a key factor in the political picture?

One of the main reasons I decided to start this blog is due to the educational component of what it can offer. I don't expect everyone to agree with everything that I present, but if someone reads my article, processes the lesson, then decides, "Meh, that's just not for me", I completely understand that thought. Politics are interesting to me because they are, at times, slow moving like a turtle.

More so, politics in the United States are progressing at a snails pace. Without entering into a generational fisticuffs and blaming a certain age group, lets just say that the long march of progress can be undone with one uneducated vote. As kids, we've all worked extremely hard on that time consuming Lego castle, only to have a sibling come in and kick it over and destroy it. It's much easier to dismantle something than to build. Thus, we arrive at politics today.

Even conservative millennails support unions-guest article

This story was originally written by Elizabeth Bruenig and published in the New Republic. I though it was a great eye opener into the hard numbers of what we tend to think as a generation. I have nothing to do with the article or don't claim to have done any work on it, I just think it is a great educational piece. (Credit: Elizabeth Bruenig, New Republic)

Even Conservative Millennials Support Unions

BY ELIZABETH BRUENIG
May 1, 2015

Americans commemorate Labor Day in September. Internationally, the world’s workers are celebrated today—May Day, or, more formally, International Workers’ Day. In Chicago on May 4, 1886, a peaceful protest organized by American labor activists striking for an eight-hour workday and reprieve from police brutality was interrupted when an unknown person tossed a bomb at police. The police then fired on the crowd, killing several protesters and injuring many more in what became known as the Haymarket Massacre. In the years that followed, global workers rallied around their American compatriots, whose memory is now entwined with May Day.

More than a century later, American labor, despite its detractors, is still hustling for workers’ rights. The Pew Research Center on Monday released a report detailing the American public’s outlook on labor unions. There were a few surprises.

First, young people of both parties are more amenable to labor unions than their older peers. Fifty-five percent of people between 18 and 29 view unions favorably, while only 29 percent view them unfavorably. Younger self-identified Republicans are evenly split on labor: 45 percent of them 18 to 34 view unions positively, and 44 percent negatively. Move up to the 35-to-49 Republican age bracket, and a mere 31 percent view unions favorably against 51 percent who view them unfavorably.

Despite recent strides in right-to-work legislation, a resurgence in union strength might just come as millennials ascend to political power. It makes sense: Young people have grown up during a massive recession and watched wages associated with middle-class jobs of yesteryear drop precipitously. Unions might be the most promising way to assure that working class people get a shot at turning their jobs into livable occupations. Union-friendly young people may yet recover the dignity and value of working-class jobs as they move into the workforce en masse. The world runs on workers, and deserves to be reminded of that more than once or twice a year. 

@ebruenig

35 things your employer can't do if you're union.

Hi everyone,

I recently have been diving headfirst into what an employer can and cannot do, both as far as worker discrimination and labor practices. I thought I would send out an email with a little mini-educational session about the National Labor Relations Act

and a list of actions that an employer CANNOT take in regards to union workers. 

So first, a little background....

What's the National Labor Relations Act?

How great leaders inspire action

Below is a fantastic video by Simon Sinek. He talks about how great leaders inspire action, not sit back on their throne and make demands. I figured this would be a good share for today.

I hope you enjoyed it and found it thought provoking. Post coming in a few days about labor leadership with a special interview!

Cheers,

Brandon

Can Millennials bring back bipartisanship?

How many of you actually are willing to turn on a 24 hour news channel right now, and keep it on? I'm willing to bet some individuals can't keep the program on for longer than 20 minutes, mainly due to the bashing that is being spewed out of the screen at an almost alarming rate. It's similar to the girl who climbed out of the T.V. set in the horror film The Ring when it comes to the information flowing out of these shows.

I believe that one of the major problems facing America today when it comes to any type of semi-political talk is the extreme polarization that has taken place with the two major parties. It has gone from, "I probably just don't understand their issues, but at least I can respect they care about something I don't agree with" to the extreme opposite of, "Are you with me? Because if you aren't, you are my enemy and there is no room for common ground anymore." As

How to get involved in a campaign!

Hello! My apologies for the long delay, but I'm back! To quickly summarize, I was afforded a very rare opportunity to travel to Washington DC and learn how to run for office and run a campaign by a select group of political consultants. 

The individuals each specialized in a certain part of running a campaign and while it was absolutely astounding to hear some of their stories, it was even more amazing to kick ideas around to them and get some guidance from them. When I arrived, I naturally looked around the room and noticed myself and one other individual that was roughly my age. Everything else was in their forties and dare I say......quite a bit more seasoned. 

Organized labor PAC funding

Let’s talk today a little bit about Political Action Committee funding, or better known as a PAC. Without a doubt, you’ve seen this line thrown around in news articles or heard someone say it when they are debating with other candidates. The old saying is “There are two things in politics: Influence and money.” While this is mostly true, there reasons to participate financially.

The union version of this involves you and your political action chair sitting down and talking about why it’s important to get involved financially, and then asking for a monthly political action fund donation at either state level, international level, or both. If you agree, you then sign a sheet of paper authorizing money to be taken out of paycheck monthly. In our union we have members that don’t give a single dollar to either, and we have members who give substantial amounts of money to both.

3 things every Millennial leader should remember.

If you are a millennial stuck in the grind of corporate America, you have undoubtedly asked yourself more times than once, "What should I do?" While this question can be more rhetorical than anything else, it's important to keep your energy, drive, and focus on what really matters to you in life. There are some people that look for greener pastures elsewhere, and there is nothing wrong with that. But for some individuals, the answer to "What should I do?" leads to becoming a leader within your their organization.

Basic of how a bill becomes a law.

Talking with some co-workers the other day, we somehow got on the subject of the millennial generation (surprise!). I'm a firefighter, and the job brings a very unique aspect to it. Everything about it is generational, from the words used to describe the tools, to the current tactics and skill set that we have. There are a million ways to skin a cat, as the old term goes, so we like to try and learn from each other. When we do this, we are able to bring a special tool to our own toolbox. The question came about how to "engage" the younger members, and where the shortcomings may be on the educational level. When the conversation took a political turn, it started to process in my head that there are plenty of people my age that may not know how a bill becomes a law. So lets do a short rundown.

MLAP Intro Part 3: Millennials and Leadership

The last subject I've decided to cover for my three part introduction to Millennial Labor and Politics is leadership. For millennials, leadership positions are something that can be somewhat of a unicorn. Whether this is on the new job at the firm or in politics, millennials are finding it difficult to break through the ceilings placed upon them by older generations.

However, leadership for our generation is more important than ever. Whether we like it or not, it is true that we don't operate how the baby boomers, or any other generation for that matter, have before us. In the workplace, we tend to value happiness over money.

MLAP Intro Part 2: Millennials and Politics

Politics. Yikes, so there's a red flag first date question. Something that seems to be so special and personal to everyone, yet such a taboo conversation with possible significant others, friends, sometimes family....and somehow it is so crucial to us as a generation. When starting this blog I tried to look at how I could present my personal thoughts and ideas on how politics are important to millennials, while also showing how they go hand in hand with labor. Organized labor generally finds solace within the democratic party and left side of the government. However, this is not always true, as some more moderate conservatives find labor to be an appealing way to connect with their constituents. I've had both positive and negative experiences with both parties. For this first post, I'm going to try to keep the theme limited to "get involved".

MLAP Intro Part 1: Why is organized labor important to Millenials?

When I talk to my friends about being involved in a union, I get a lot of questions, odd looks, and stories about Jimmy Hoffa. They are generally inquisitive on the subject, but I find myself sometimes tongue-tied when they inevitably ask, "But how is any of that important to me?" Alas, we truly are the "me" generation at times. As a Millennial from the Midwest, blue collar work has always had a place in my life. I am a firefighter/EMT, living in the community I work in. My grandfather worked for Ford Motor Company when he first moved to the Detroit area. When he got hired, the factory supervisor told my grandfather he got the job, then walked him over to the assembly line where he immediately started working.