And Justice Brandeis is spinning in his grave.
Jefferson Crowe in his September 5, 2010 op-ed in the New York Times, "That '70's Feeling," pointed out the changes in attitude that labor has undergone in the last forty years:
"Most workers weren't angry over wages, though, but rather the quality of their jobs. Pundits often called it ' Lordstown syndrome,' after the General Motors plant in Ohio where a young, hip and interracial group of workers held a three-week strike in 1972. The workers weren't concerned about better pay; instead, they wanted more control over what was then the fastest assembly line in the world."
Later in his op-ed Mr. Crowe points out what happened next:
"When the economy soured in 1974, business executives dismissed workers' complaints about the quality of their occupational life -- and then went gunning for their paychecks and their unions as well, abetted by a conservative political climate and the offshoring of the nation's industrial core. Inflation, not unemployment, became Public Enemy No. 1, and workers bore the political costs of the fight against it."
The American people must remember the power of the strike and the peaceful protest. There is nothing that scares the oligarchs of the ownership class more than tens of thousands of Americans saying, "Hell, No!"
Our brothers and sisters in Europe remember that real power lies with the people, and not an armed populace taking to the streets. The oligarchs know how to deal with armed insurrection: brute force. They don't know how to deal with peaceful demonstrations in large numbers. If someone at a demonstration wants to turn it into a riot with looting, etc., you can be certain that they are criminals, insane, or agents of the police. If you have doubts about the power of strikes, here are some stories from Europe for you to look at:
9/7/2010 "Strikes in France, London Foreshadow More Protests," Associated Press, reprinted in Common Dreams
10/20/2010 "The Growing Struggles of the Working Class in Europe," The Greanville Post
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