Labor Icon dies at 87, you likely heard nothing about it.

I certainly didn't, and I pay attention to this kind of stuff.

Clinton Jencks was the figure portrayed in the amazing Salt of the Earth, a film about striking latino miners. It's well worth your dough to track this down.

Jackie, Oh.

Read this Washington Post story on Jack Abramoff.

Corruption, anyone?

I had no idea that Jackie, Oh had done work on behalf of the apartheid government in South Africa and murderous dictator Jonas Savimbi. Wowza. That's a scorecard from hell.

In other news, the Department of Homeland Security is apparently horribly mismanged and open for corruption as well.

I certainly feel safer, I don't know about you.

My First Contract

I said earlier that I'd post more of the details about the contract I'd settled earlier in December. Let me first say I'm tremendously proud of my hard work, and I wouldn't have been able to do any of it--absolutely none of it--without the leadership of the local. They're hardworking folks trying to right a lot of wrongs, but more about that later.

The skinny on the contract goes like this: Four years, 11.5% in salary increases over that time, a two year ban on subcontracting, increased sick days and an early retirement incentive.

Of these, the things I'm most proud of are the ban on subcontracting and the increased sick days. Here's why: school districts all across this great state are hiring private companies to come into schools and perform jobs that our union members currently perform. They often save the districts money by paying dirt wages with no benefits. This is obviously bad.

I was speaking to a friend about this ban on privatization and he said "isn't this kinda what unions do?" I said yeah, but without a specific clause in your contract the employer can get away with it. The union can still fight like hell, but management has the right to engage in this kind of activity unless otherwise prohibited.

On the sick days, we got a doubling of their extended sick leave (the kind you use if you're out for a while) and kept a clause in their contract regarding how that leave can be used. That was a pretty major victory.

The thing I took away from all of this was the vicious shellacing we as a bargaining team took from a heated minority of the union's members. They were upset because the rules about distribution of overtime details were re-rigged to be very slightly more redistributionist. To be blunt, they wanted it all, and anything less was viewed as one person put it, as our 'punking.'

Apparently for insisting on some measure of equity of opportunity for all the union's members we got punked. I never saw Ashton Kutcher at the bargaining table, but I suppose he could have been hiding behind the superintendent's desk.








It was an ugly display all around.

The thing about this round of bargaining is that we were only able to get accomplished what we could because of the relationships we had been able to build with the employer. That sounds at once obvious and strange. Obvious because, well duh. Strange because isn't bargaining supposed to be a bunch of screaming and yelling and people hitting the table with their shoes?

I dunno. There are whole philosophies where people get in touch with their inner wet noodle and bargain accordingly and some people wouldn't bargain without screaming. I didn't know any better so I approached it thusly: I know what managment wants so I'll ask for what we need from that perspective.

I'd say that largely it worked. Also, it didn't help that the previous union's leadership was hated by management, as they were largley perceived as a bunch 0f self-interestd yobs.

The new team was able to build a level of trust and credibility that frankly, had never existed at the table for this group before. The funny thing is that slightly under half of their own membership doesn't know a good deal when they see one.

But I bet they take the raises and benefits regardless.

Transit Strike Settlement

Jonathan Tasini has the rundown, and he chalks it up as a bad deal overall because of the increased cost in health care. I say differently. To my mind, the key issue wasn't health care, but the idea that new workers would have different benefits and pension rights than more senior workers. The TWU might have had a rough go of it by increasing costs in health care, but to accept a tiered wage and benefit package would have been long-term suicide. To that end, I'd say it was a success.

Tasini also points out the attempt on the part of the mayor (who was labor backed by the way--great job guys!) to pit the striking workers agains NYC commuters--other workers. I'd take his analysis one step further by pointing out that it failed generally. People in NYC probably didn't enjoy the trevails of a transit strike, but according to Survey USA more than half supported the union over management.

In the transit strike, whose side are you on...the union? Or Management?

Union--52%
Management--40%
Unsure--8%

So there you have it. By and large, people expressed solidarity for workers whose struggle for economic justice made their own lives a living hell. Sometimes, although rarely, humanity does not disappoint.

A good book right now.

Is Hardcore Zen, by Brad Warner. Warner was a bassist in a band you've never heard of in Ohio in the mid-80's. A hardcore band. Hence the name. And it is in fact a Zen book, which I'm enjoying immensely. It's very much not a scholarly work, if it were intended for a punk audience (or an audience with a punk-philosophical bent), then it's succeeded. I will note only that it's the only Zen book I've seen with a toilet on it.

Top trends in groupthink

Andy Kohut of the Pew Center has the rundown on the top 10 (it is the end of the year, after all) public perception trends, plus five that weren't.

It's worth a moment of your time.

The headline says it all, man.

In other news, I'm hoping to get richer, better-looking, and more powerful as practitioner of the dark arts.

All of which is true as far it goes, except for that part about the dark arts.

Hey Wal-Mart, I really think you suck.

I may have pretty subtle about it before, but now I'm going to just come right out and say it, and let the chips fall where they may.

I think Wal-Mart is a bad employer.

And I'm not alone.

Bush: Trying to Milk This War Thing for All It's Worth

According to Howie Kurtz, the Generalissimo has been leaning on the nation's top paper editors to gussy up their coverage of his perfect (we just don't know it yet because of our fool desires to question authority) administration.

Tom Tomorrow often laments the difficulty of satirizing people that are themselves beyond satire. As someone who loves both satire and reality, I'd have to agree.

Death strikes again

Vincent Schiavelli, I never knew your name, but recognized your face easily from Lord of Illusions, Batman Returns, Ghost, and the People vs. Larry Flynt.











This headline from the Chicago Tribune says it all: Vincent Schiavelli, 57; Actor Was Known for Creepy, Eccentric Roles.

Better than: Weird lookin' guy passed on. No one cares.

Christmas

Was good to me. Good times, with Mamainallmyears in town, along with the warm and charitable parents of Dr. Mrsinallmyyears.

How about you?

I'm speechless

The following was posted on the Against me! website:

"SUBMITTED FOR YOUR MESSAGE BOARD DISAPPROVAL!"
- Against Me! has signed to Sire Records. Expect a new album in 2007! For real.

Wowza. Dirty punks of the world will unite in their opposition to that one. Sire records, huh?

And the hits just keep on comin'.

William Arkin over at Early Warning has the real scoop on the domestic spying fiasco and claims (and see if you can believe this) that the Pentagon is actually breaking the law, knows they're breaking the law, and fully intends to keep breaking the law.

At least they're consistent.

At times like these, I remember some words of wisdom from George Carlin.

To wit, "I never believe a word that the government says. Nothing."

















Would the star (yeah, you heard me) of Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure steer you wrong?

Perish the thought.

On Feingold

So far, the Democratic field for President in '08 looks poor. Piss poor, as my pop would put it.

Of the field, I like Feingold the most. He has pretty much been in the President's rectal area over the recent FISAgate scandal d'jour. He's the only Senator to vote against the Patriot Act. He's leading the (so-far successfull) fight to stall its reauthorization.

He pissed off a lot of people (myself included) with his vote to confirm John Ashcroft as Attorney General, but he was claiming a principle* as his basis for doing so, and I can't for the life of me figure out why the hell else anyone would vote to confirm Ashcrack.

So, it's good on you Russ. I'd much prefer to see you be our standard-bearer than Hillary Clinton.

*the principle in play was that Feingold thought the Prez should be able to nominate whomever for the AG slot. Weak, but there you are.

Your Honor

This was a truly admirable thing to do.

If you're one of the justices involved in the FISA court system and you perceive grave wrongs happening, to resign in protest is a honorable action to take.

I'd sure as hell like to get an interview with this cat, though.

She's Crafty

But this isn't just my style.

I do have to say though, that it's good for women to help get over the stigma attached to menstruation, and to that end, maybe, somehow this helps.

It is pretty funny.

I wonder where the organic tampon art is?



















via feministing.

Cegelis v. Duckworth

I hadn't seen this Dick Simpson editorial from a few weeks ago. Essentially, it lays out the case why the national Democrats should jump in on Christine's side. I'd be thrilled to death if they did, but I would absolutely settle from them staying out altogether.

Meanwhile, Archpundit is excoriating Cegelis supporters for implying that Duckworth is a tool of Rahm Emannuel's, to which I can only respond that if it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, the chances are good that it's not a cat.

A little birdie told me that a call was received by a Cegelis supporter from a Virginia location. The caller on the other end wanted to know if the individual in question could spell Cegelis' name, if she knew she was running for congress, etc. The implication was pretty clear, even to a novice like me. Someone found this individual's name connected to the Cegelis campaign, and is polling Cegelis supporters to feel for the depth of their support. Someone like a campaign adviser based in Virginia.

I for one do not appreciate efforts by the DCCC to undermine an effective grassroots network in favor of top-down political machinations. Let's call it what it is.

This has precious little to do with Tammy Duckworth and everything to do with the DCCC. My wife, who is not a nerd like I am on this stuff nailed it.

"Why would they blow a ton of money in a primary race when they could save the money for the general election?"

Indeed. I can only assume it's because something about Christine vexes the shit out of the national Democrats. The word is that Dick Durbin is in on the game too, that it's not just Rahm and his 'folks' from Chicago. I can't imagine that the senior Democratic Senator from Illinois didn't know anything about this before it went down, and he never came out in favor of Christine this go-round.

Bad Faith Bargaining

Here was something I hadn't been paying much attention to. Apparently the House and Senate negotiations over some atrocity or another had concluded, and after they were done contorting whatever provisions had been brought to the Conference Committee (these are the assholes who get together to negotiate the differences between House and Senate versions of bills) the House just went and inserted a bunch of extra shit.

If I pulled this at the bargaining table, I'd have unfair labor practice charges filed against me by the district and I'd be fired by my employer.

And they'd be right to do so.

Kevin Drum calls it the Potemkin legislature, but I'd just call it more undisguised criminality. The veneer is gone and the bloom is off the rose. It is what is.

In other news, the Senate is about pull some other snaky shit, inserting an ANWAR provision into the defense spending bill.

Now, they wouldn't be doing that just to prepare their ads for the next election cycle when they can say Democrats care more about the spotted owl than our troops would they?

Would they?

No, I'm sure that's beneath them. Ahem.

Hey, who's that standing over my shoulder?

So, it looks like Generalissimo Bushe has authorized the NSA to spy on Americans without a court order. Clearly, it only happens for terrorism related reasons. I mean, the President said so.

Now if the President wants a court order to eavesdrop on you, all he has to do is file a petition before a secret court under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). He can even do it up to three days after he's eavesdropped on you. It's perfectly legal.

But he decided to just throw the law away and do things his way. The Bush way. The illegal way.

And he's apparently been (shock, gasp, yawn) lying about it.

Secondly, there are such things as roving wiretaps. Now, by the way, any time you hear the United States government talking about wiretap, it requires -- a wiretap requires a court order. Nothing has changed, by the way. When we're talking about chasing down terrorists, we're talking about getting a court order before we do so. It's important for our fellow citizens to understand, when you think Patriot Act, constitutional guarantees are in place when it comes to doing what is necessary to protect our homeland, because we value the Constitution.

Got that? A year ago he told us all he was using the legal and proper channels to do his duty in the fight against Eurasia (I mean terrorism). That turns out not to be true. You should read the rest of the thing to get a real sense of his genius as a leader. In that same meeting he let fly with this pearl of wisdom:

But a roving wiretap means -- it was primarily used for drug lords. A guy, a pretty intelligence drug lord would have a phone, and in old days they could just get a tap on that phone. So guess what he'd do? He'd get him another phone, particularly with the advent of the cell phones.

Wow. He'd get him another phone. He ought to be impeached just for that. Man, would it be possible to have the leader of the free world not butcher his native tongue. Would it be possible?

Now back to the original offense. What the President did is patently illegal. He authorized an intelligence agency to spy on American citizens without a court order, in direct contradiction of a post-Watergate law prohibiting such action. He set himself up above the law. King-like.

Yesterday in a press conference to control the damage on the issue, the Generalissimo made the claim that congress knew and had approved of what he was doing. The punchline--the only Democrat in a position to know or say anything wrote a letter to Cheney protesting this decision.

That makes lie #2.

The Generalissimo also stated that the purported reason for all this law-breakin' was that he felt the need, the need, the need for speed (all honor to Anthony Michael Hall's Goose). Except that as earlier noted, he can get a warrant up to 72 hours. There are even immediate appeals processes set up all the way to the Supremos.

So make that lie #3.

I was listening to Ed Schultz on WCPT yesterday afternoon, and he posed a simple question: Did George Bush use the NSA to spy on the Kerry campaign? John Aravosis of Americablog asks whether or not he spied on journalists (another question; if he did, would they care or would they just roll over again?) .

Now, the fact that we're having to ask these questions says far more about where we are as a nation than anything else. We simply don't know the answers to these questions, and we can't count on the House of Reprehensibles to do an investigation.

We can't count on the President to tell the truth, and we can't count on the media to do its job, considering the New York Times sat on the story for a year, even up through last year's election.

Think folks would have wanted to know this little tidbit before casting their vote?

So where are the checks and balances that make this such a great country?

Anyone? Anyone?

Stop my beating heart.

George W. Bush made selective use of some facts.

Holy crap.

Next.