This posting will serve 3 series of this journal/ blog ... "American Jobs", "Government Shutdown & Countdown" and "The Awakening" series. I believe we are at Day 27 now of this latest government shutdown 2019, both sides in Washington are sticking to their guns, Federal workers and contractors are feeling the pinch. As far as I last read, there doesn't seem to be an end right now. I was browsing some of this online, and looking for a more sensible approach, and importantly one that has input from the workers, since they are the ones getting shit on the most. I ran across the NY Times piece below, Thanx to Democracy Now, and a video below that with Barbara who co- wrote the piece in the Times. At the bottom, I'll toss in a few views of my own.
***** NY TIMES | BARBARA EHRENREICH & GARY STEVENSON: It's Time for T.S.A. Workers to Strike ... (newsread)
Strike! Barbara Ehrenreich Calls on TSA Workers to Walk Off Job in Protest of Government Shutdown ... Thanx to Democracy Now!
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***** PD/ RCJ: "AMERICAN JOBS" ... PART'S 10 THRU 1
***** PD/ RCJ: "GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN & COUNTDOWN" ... PART'S 5 THRU 1
***** PD/ RCJ: "THE AWAKENING" ... PART'S 53 THRU 1
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Thomas Hudson Pickering/ Ranch Chimp
So far, just one friend told me he and is wife are getting affected by this, when he told me the other day that he was thinking about selling his bikes. He has these really nice Harley Davidson bikes/ motorcycles that he put much money and work into customizing, and are beautiful ... but his wife is the worker hit, and the major breadwinner I guess. I can't tell the man who is 45 what to do, but I told him I would try to hold off a little longer, if it was me ... and hope that something will give, hate to see him lose his bikes. A couple other guys were asking me about this, although their jobs are not affected, yet. One guy figuring they can draw unemployment, another guy said the government is guaranteeing back pay for folks, but how do they pay bills in the meantime? Folks are dipping into their retirement accounts, in food banks, trying to get food stamps, it's turned into a confusing mess for sure. I'm guessing I'll hear from others soon who are affected by this, because as this goes on, it will expand. Sadly this is simply over a border wall, which I view as another spending waste, I know a little about how the illegal immigrant market worx down here, as well as the illegal drug business ... a wall is not going to stop these thriving businesses, I'll leave it at that. But the whole thing is simply political, and many in Washington don't even know a thing about what goes on down here, never even come down here, etc. And telling folks to walk dogs and babysit or other wayz to earn a few extra bucks, show how out of touch many in Washington are. I mean, I can't tell if they're just really that ignorant, or really that full of shit, or a little of both. What I do know, is that we just can't keep listening to their nonsense and expect to get anything straight out of them soon at the pace this has been going. So all these folks protesting and raising Hell is importante. I put this in the Awakening series, because every time we get shafted on things like this, it brings even more awareness, and hopefully in time, people will start to even reject this bullshit more. There should be legislation of some kind to prevent this from happening among themselves up there, since they have all kinds of legislation on what we can or can't do ... at least to where the government can't shutdown over something like this.
But yes, this is an opportunity for workers to raise their voices even more to be heard. They say that they can't strike, that the President can force them to work or whatever. So you're saying that folks can be ordered to work for nothing, right? ... yet the rest of the time, they will tell us, if you don't like your job, just quit. What are y'all going to do? ... fire everybody? ... fine or confine everybody? ... how much more do we need to bow down to these people? How many more scare tactics will they throw at folks every time they don't get their way? Yes, I think a strike will actually motivate others to stand up, maybe even for others to join in and support them and start to strike in other sectors. You can bet on it ... if the workers strike on this, it will really hurt business, and like Barbara said above, they will start to get pressured into working something out ... the people/ workers are in a position to force them into resolving this, right here and now. My buddy told me, that if TSA folks strike it would be chaotic for business, due to all the business travel, etc ... and it would hurt everyone. That's the whole damn point though ... you can't get through to these folks unless you hit them where it really hurts, the pocketbook and the shareholders. We will hurt? ... Hell man ... folks are already hurting, you can't expect anything to be fixed or even to get anywhere on rights, pay, fairness, or a damn thing without some pain. The more you keep letting these folks scare you, the more they will scare you, and with increased intensity as it goes on ... history shows you they will not stop. You keep working for free, they will keep expecting you to work for free, over and over ... and the top wealth will find more wayz to even squeeze you more, till you are drained dry. This passive way of thinking does not work well, and as Albert Einstein said, similar wording (No proof that Einstein said this, but the quote is commonly credited to him) ... it's insanity to keep doing the same shit over and over and expect different results. The masses of workers and consumers are what makes it all work ... I don't think we realize at times, how much power we actually have, if we just utilize it. What is happening is disgraceful and insulting to the worker and consumer, and it will only get worse if you continue to bow to these pressures. My modest advice? ... make a final reasonable request, and if they play games ... strike, and fuck what they think about it.
Word Out ....
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***** RANCH CHIMP JOURNAL "WELCOME" POST
***** RCJ MUSIC/ ART'S HONOUR ROLL SOCIETY (my hand- selected music/ arts picks)
***** "THE RESISTANCE | PERILS OF THE POWER POSSE" ... ( a 2 part futuristic Ranch Chimp Journal dream to dream on )
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I'm inclined to agree with you. Right now it doesn't look like this shutdown is going to end unless enough Republicans in Congress support ending it to (along with the Democrats) override Trump's veto. That's not going to happen as long as they're motivated mostly by fear of Trump's base. A TSA strike would create enough disruption to put real pressure on them to move.
ReplyDeleteAnybody who's being forced to work without pay is going to be mad as hell and will soon start looking for another job. Even the ones who are furloughed and not working will eventually get tired of blowing their landlords or whatever they're doing to "pay" the rent and start looking for a job where this kind of nonsense won't happen. They'll probably start looking sooner rather than later, too, because right now jobs are pretty abundant, but it's only a matter of time before the Republicans screw up the economy like they always do.
Infidel: I was just trying to find folks that had some solutions when I ran across Barbara, because I haven't any idea other than resistance to resolve any of this. On the other hand, I'm glad that Democrats actually didn't give in to Trump, because Trump is a hardass, you know this, I know this, because I'm alot like he is, but if I was in his position, representing 326 million people, not just his several million followers (most that don't even live anywhere around the border, know the areas, or the illegal businesses/ trades of it) ... I'm not going to put their (majority of people) jobs on the line, regardless of how pissed I am that I don't get my way ... that's just f'n wrong, unbalanced, unfair, arrogant, etc, etc ... his job is to represent ALL Americans, regardless of his feelings ... and since he is the "great negotiator" or whatever ... he should have been able to make some deal weeks ago anywayz, In other words, he's grossly incompetent for his position. LA Unified School District teachers are striking and students too ... which I support 110%. And if people just quit their jobs, set aside a strike, they have to find fast replacements, that requires some training to, and time to get the system back to normal efficiency, so this idea if a President sayz ... "we'll just replace them" is going to be any quick fix or solution, it will not be ... all this does is disrupt the whole of society ... also bad for business, because workers and consumers lose confidence. Telling folks to walk dogs and have yard sales to pay all their bills, mortgages/ rent and all else they pay? ... Jezuz Christ, man ... who the fuck comes up with these ideas/ solutions? Thanx for you voice here ....
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