if you do not support unions.
.. industrial unions
.. service unions
.. teachers unions
.. ALL unions
Yesterday a piece of news broke, that Change.org was going to end its relationship with two anti-union organizations, Michelle Rhee's Children First and Jonah Edelman's Stand for Children. While the former did not DIRECTLY attack teachers unions in their petitions on Change.org, there other activities and the words and actions of founder and CEO Michelle Rhee have been overtly hostile to unions.
There was major pressure, organized by progressives and pro-union people. Change.Org apparently reached the decision yesterday. If they will TOTALLY end those relationships, good for them.
Change.Org wants to appear as a champion of socially progressive causes. Their policies prohibit using their platform for racist, sexist or homophobic causes. As a liberal or a progressive, however you describe yourself, that is something with which you should concur.
Unions are absolutely necessary, now more than ever, to protect the rights, the economic stability, the future for ordinary Americans.
Non-union workers get paid more in states with active unions in the work place, and far less in states that are "right to work" which would better be described as "right to work only at the pleasure of the boss and for how little he wants to pay you."
I would call it "right to get screwed" except screwing does have its benefits and pleasures, but tilting the economic and political playing fields to the advantage of the wealthy and the corporatists does not.
If unions can successfully be attacked, weakened, soon you will see the benefits won by the sacrifices - including deaths - of earlier generations of union workers will begin to disappear.
Already defined benefit pensions are almost non-existent in the private sector.
Given their freedom, the corporatists who are anti-union would do away with paid sick leave, paid vacation, perhaps even employer paid health care. And they certainly would do away with support of any public institutions - that costs (gasp) tax dollars from those that can afford to pay so the rest of us have fire stations, police departments, bridges that don't fall down, food safety inspectors, public schools, public colleges and universities, public libraries, non-profit public transportation, public water and sanitation systems.
I'm sorry, but if you want to call yourself liberal or progressive and you do not support unions, you are benefiting from the labor and sacrifice of others - you are a parasite. Go over to the other side of the political and ideological divide, you don't belong here.
I am a liberal. I am a progressive. I am pro-union, and proud of it.
What about you?