Union Carpenters

A short video with some pictures and video from my recent scaffold erector course courtesy of the New Jersey District Council of Carpenters.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• United
• Brotherhood
• of
• Carpenters
• UBC
• Union
• Labor

[ProgressiveAudio]

@buddhagem Something I'm really for is co-determination, which is the law of the land in many places in Europe but I understand has a fat chance of coming to the US anytime soon, now that would be really good.

Thanks for clearing this stuff up for me.

[ProgressiveAudio]

@buddhagem Actually that sounds almost inspiring. I'm sorry for my dismissive attitude before.

[buddhagem]

@ProgressiveAudio Exactly; they don't have to be the end all be alls. But they're pretty damn effective at what they are. Use your imagination, unite with other workers, and fight like hell to make it better. Nothing magical about it, but it seems to work. Solidarity.

[ProgressiveAudio]

@buddhagem Ah I get you now, I see where you're coming from. And I agree with what you say on unions. I'm the biggest fan of unions and cooperative institutions (whether it be worker coops, credit unions, co-housing, whatever) so I wasn't trying to come off as being against them, not at all. I just don't think they're end all be alls.

[ProgressiveAudio]

@buddhagem Oh it is so watered down? Not to spam your comments full of this, but I wasn't aware of that. Is it like the "health care reform" that was so watered down it actually in some ways ended up making a worse situation than what was around before?

[buddhagem]

@ProgressiveAudio There's tons of problems with unions, as any human endeavor, but they still remain some of the most Democratic institutions we have in this society; and we need to push them to be even more Democratic. As to "regulation," well we discuss that another time I suppose. But realize I'm probably one of the biggest critics of unions; but we don't wanna throw the baby out with the bathwater. You dig?

[buddhagem]

@ProgressiveAudio @ProgressiveAudio In its original form I supported it with reservation; at this point it's so watered down that I'm indifferent to it or not and consider it a dead issue. I'm not "against" the NLRB so much as I understand what it is (think Judo, I guess) and think it should only be used when necessary. Our power rests on the shop floor.

[ProgressiveAudio]

@buddhagem One last question, I assumed from old videos I saw of yours you were for the Employee Free Choice Act but since you seem to be very much against the National Labor division, are you against it now? Or simply just don't give a shit if it passes or not?

[ProgressiveAudio]

@buddhagem Just one last thing, I don't believe unions should be unregulated or have the ultimate power, as in any group they can be corrupt and nasty, and unions aren't always right.