Immigration and playing immigrant against citizen is the history of the U.S. & Canada. Big business will not allow any type of immigration reform to go forward – case closed!
Business, with all of its money, will not let the Republicans and even many Democrats sit at the table and craft legislation that addresses this.
Why? – Money and profits.
Behind the scenes, as we fight about this, is the largest pot of totally legal cash of all time – the rebuilding of America’s infrastructure! It’s $4 trillion worth of reasons why immigration reform is going nowhere. The Republicans on behalf of big business will also do everything they can do to put off the infrastructure needs of this country until they can maximize profits in doing so. When the infrastructure is literally crumbing under the public’s feet, as it is now, and the demand to fix it will be so fierce that the Republicans will have the leverage to get-rid-of any pro-worker/union laws left out there at the federal & state level. With no money and the small percentage of workers represented by the Building Trades, what kind of leverage do you expect we will have in that environment? Big business, and especially the companies represented by the Business Roundtable and CURT, are starving out all the Building Trades unions. The last areas where the Building Trades still have some market share in construction is Commercial & Heavy & Highway.
So, while we in the Building Trades collaborate with CURT in a market that is approximately 86% non/anti-union and trending higher, CURT is busy transferring our skills from unions to the non-union.
They would need a plan – correct? A link to that plan FYI.
The egos manifested in leadership and membership that believe and espouse that they “need us” is just not borne out in any numbers anywhere! We are training our workers for the non-union long term, and big construction is now working on a plan to transfer union contractors and members to the non-union.
Ego is blame-based, and is guilty for not having a plan of action. Titles – they do get in the way!
Big business has got to have an unresolved immigration issue to max out the profits on $4 trillion and keep worker against worker alive.
Immigration fears – workers are consumed with them today and have been throughout the history of the U.S. & Canada.
It is only when leadership comes to terms with those fears and puts the fear where it belongs – into big business and big construction – that the needed balance will return.
Labor unrest and concerted activism insures a future for the middle class in our respective countries – or we will become the working poor.
All the professionalism, speaking correctly, standards of excellence, rhetoric of how we are valued, lunches on the job, etc., are nothing more than window dressing playing to our egos – masterful.
The Building Trades are losing market share. The numbers across the board and in every environment over decades say so – not this writer.
Pride in ones’ trade is most excellent – until that pride becomes exclusionary and intolerant of workers.
Then the Karl Roves of the world can have us at each other’s throats – well played sir!
We are not a Brand – we are a Movement and our entire reason to exist is to balance the power of capital. We have to impose our will in this regard. When anyone thinks they can reason with a mindless piece of paper called a corporate charter, they have been wrong every time.
The Labor Movement is the heart and soul of why the U.S. and Canada work. We have been absent from that mission far too long now and that threatens our very existence.
How’s that for a dramatic statement?
“if you see a good fight – get in it”
Danny L Caliendo
Organizer
Labor Rising Group
