Tuesday, October 31, 2023

How to sell mandatory union elections -- to progressives

https://onlabor.org/why-not-hold-union-representation-elections-on-a-regular-schedule/

When I was 16 (1960), I got more new customers than any other NY Post paper delivery boy (out of 700) by getting past a "psychological quirk."

I wanted to offer a free week to everybody on my paper route -- there were several reasons to believe a third might take the paper permanently -- did pay for itself.  But I knew nobody would want to get involved with some kid at the front door.

So I brain stormed it (learned from Reader Digest).  I came up with printing coupons.  Now, when you opened the door (nobody was afraid to open their door in those days) I slapped a coupon in your hand, saying "This coupon entitles you to one free week of the NY Post delivered."

Now you had a different psychology -- now you had money to spend, and only one place to spend it.  Doubled my route temporarily -- one-third stayed.
  * * * * * *
The only reason I get from progressives for not going after regularly scheduled, cert-recert-decert elections is that it "must" be impossible to turn the whole country around just like that. Can't be done.

So, let's reformulate the pitch:
Unions couple labor directly to the paying customer.  Not face to face, setting product prices; but having the power to set wage demands based on what we think the consumer will tolerate.  Without that, ownership will be in effect, selling labor for the deepest discount possible.

Setting up a three way tug-of-war -- instead of today's two way.

Now, it looks impossible NOT to have a union -- switching "impossibilities."


 P.S.  Mandatory, periodic union elections would be the perfect issue – really the only issue – that can bring back Obama-Trump voters to the political fold where they belong, in droves.  

“[P]inning Mrs. Clinton’s loss on low black turnout would probably be a mistake. Mr. Obama would have easily won both his elections with this level of black turnout and support. (He would have won Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin each time even if Detroit, Cleveland and Milwaukee had been severed from their states and cast adrift into the Great Lakes.)”
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/23/upshot/how-the-obama-coalition-crumbled-leaving-an-opening-for-trump.html

What argument could Republicans possibly foist to oppose re-raising American workers to their should-have-been-accustomed-to level of economic – and political – power?!  Hillary lost because Democrats didn’t do enough for our lost souls during their span in the White House; not so they could see their lot seriously improving.  

Welcome back to the Democratic Party, working America.

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