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?

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.

Basic Right to Work Education

Recently, Iowa and Missouri passed sweeping Right to Work legislation. These two changes have led to 28 states in the U.S. now being Right to Work, so I figured right now might be a good time to give a quick crash lesson to everyone about what Right to Work actually is, and how it can affect you as an organized labor member.

Right to Work originally comes from the southern states of America. The theory was highly supported in the 1940’s by pro-segregationist and anti-communist groups. It was originally started in 1936, in Houston. Vance Muse, who was an oil industry lobbyist, received backing from the big oil companies, and off to the races it went. The name in itself is purposely misleading. It has nothing to do with giving you a “Right to Work”. What it does mean when Right to Work passes is that you don’t have to pay union dues, but the union must represent you. This includes covering workers in Collective Bargaining, but more importantly, grievances and discipline. This is called free-rider benefit: The free-rider gains all the benefits but doesn’t have any costs associated for them. Over time, your workplace rights are taken away.