Huffington Post: The Year 2014 for Organized Labor

[Omaha Steve]

X post in Labor & GD

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-macaray/the-year-2014-for-organiz_b_6402624.html

David Macaray Playwright and author ("It's Never Been Easy: Essays on Modern Labor&quot

It's something of a disgrace to have to admit that things have been so bad for organized labor for such a long time, that unless something truly horrendous or headline-grabbing happens during a particular year (e.g., an industry fails, a union membership is decimated), we tend not even to pay attention.

So tepid and uninspiring is the labor landscape, even the occasional strike or boycott is met with a collective "ho-hum." Meanwhile, private sector membership continues to dwindle, workers' power continues to be eroded and corporations continue to find new ways of out-maneuvering the unions.

While 2014 was one of those "ho-hum" years, there were some notable exceptions. By engaging in a collective protest of their abysmally low wages, fast-food workers at national restaurant chains and were able to attract some prime-time media attention. Granted, their time in the limelight was short-lived and ephemeral, but these orchestrated protests were not only a step in the right direction, they were way overdue.

And Thomas Perez, who replaced Hilda Solis (and the interim Seth Harris), finished his first full year as Secretary of Labor in the Obama administration. Among the groups to endorse Perez's nomination were the AFL-CIO, UFW (United Farm Workers) and NAACP, so at the very least, Perez looked good on paper.

FULL story at link.