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. 

8 myths about organized labor

A lot of what I do lately has been educating. I always said that if I wasn't a firefighter I would've been a teacher, but they now seem to melding together. 

One of the biggest lessons I've discovered this year is that people make decisions based on what THEY think, not necessarily facts. Ignorance can be a mindset, but more often than not I believe it's due to a lack of education. I still have people that correlate organized labor to Jimmy Hoffa, corrupt officials, and blackmail. Times have changed dramatically, and while the big corporations may like to bring this up as a reminder,

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

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.

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.

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".