General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Obama Levels Cheap Shot At Unions - Again [View all]daredtowork
(3,732 posts)Perhaps I'm just a sucker who has bought into union propaganda. I haven't belonged to a union since the Graduate Student Instructor union when i was a graduate student, but I follow Omaha Steve posts closely, and I have honestly developed the belief that unions form an important part of the middle class. Also, from my perspective, it seems wrong to exploit the "public service" aspect of striking workers: this is used against both teachers and public transportation workers. Their pay can be capped because they are enslaved by the entire public's interest - and mere convenience. Other professionals do not have to worry about their compensation being capped this way. The response to the BART transportation strike *was* whining.
It does distress me to no end that you took this opinion as personally offensive and regard it as supporting union members who support GOP. Again, I leave my mind open to the fact I might just be naive about how unions work. But I hope you will also leave your mind open to the idea that by making people choose between offending non-union members and supporting strikers, you might be inadvertently playing block and tackle to one of the most important economic supports for the middle class.
If your "elitism" objection is to the middle class all together, since it posits a "lower class", that bothers me a lot as well. I've been looking at Socialist Alternative recently since it has a chapter in my area.