Today In Labor History: April 8

April 8, 1864—13^th amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, banning chattel slavery, but allowing a continuation of wage slavery and the forced labor of convicts without pay. (From the Daily Bleed)

April 8, 1911 – 128 convict miners, mostly African-Americans jailed for minor offenses, were killed by a massive explosion at the Banner coalmine near Birmingham, Alabama. While the Triangle Shirtwaist fire, which occurred just two weeks earlier, elicited massive public attention and support for the plight of immigrant women working in sweatshop conditions, the Banner explosion garnered almost no public sympathy, probably due to racism and the fact that they were prisoners. (From Workday Minnesota)

Emma Goldman 1911 (Library of Congress)

April 8, 1916—Emma Goldman was arrested for giving a lecture on birth control. (From the Daily Bleed)

April 8, 1937—The UAW struck a GM plant in Ontario to win union recognition. (From the Daily Bleed)

April 8, 1952 - President Harry Truman sent the U.S. Army to take over the nation’s steel mills to avoid a strike. The U.S. Supreme Court later ruled the president’s action to be illegal. (From Workday Minnesota)

Today In Labor History: April 8

April 8, 1864—13^th amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, banning chattel slavery, but allowing a continuation of wage slavery and the forced labor of convicts without pay. (From the Daily Bleed)

April 8, 1911 – 128 convict miners, mostly African-Americans jailed for minor offenses, were killed by a massive explosion at the Banner coalmine near Birmingham, Alabama. While the Triangle Shirtwaist fire, which occurred just two weeks earlier, elicited massive public attention and support for the plight of immigrant women working in sweatshop conditions, the Banner explosion garnered almost no public sympathy, probably due to racism and the fact that they were prisoners. (From Workday Minnesota)

Emma Goldman 1911 (Library of Congress)

April 8, 1916—Emma Goldman was arrested for giving a lecture on birth control. (From the Daily Bleed)

April 8, 1937—The UAW struck a GM plant in Ontario to win union recognition. (From the Daily Bleed)

April 8, 1952 - President Harry Truman sent the U.S. Army to take over the nation’s steel mills to avoid a strike. The U.S. Supreme Court later ruled the president’s action to be illegal. (From Workday Minnesota)

Clarence Thomas’s Wife Supported Armed Insurrection, Benefited from Citizens United

In a recent post, “Kids May Not Know Democracy, But They Know a Bum Deal When They See It,” I made the argument that our political system functions quite differently from the idealized system we are taught in school. I specifically argued that it was created and continues to operate to protect the property rights of a tiny minority of society. A recent example of this is the Citizens United case, in which the Supreme Court ruled that corporate funding of political broadcasts could not be limited, since corporations are entitled to the same 1^st Amendment protections as individuals. The case was close (5-4). Those who voted with the corporations in Citizens United were beneficiaries of corporate gifts, former board members and/or former CEOs of corporations, drawing into question their independence and objectivity in the case.

Clarence Thomas voted with the majority. His wife, Ginni Thomas, is founder and president of the Tea Party-associated lobbying group Liberty Central. Thomas incorporated her organization as a tax-exempt 501(c)4 just two months before the Supreme Court made its final ruling in the Citizens United case, according to a recent report on Alternet.org. Because Ginni Thomas received a salary and/or expenses from Liberty Centyral and because the ruling had a direct influence on the organization’s success in fundraising and lobbying, there was a very clear conflict of interest for Clarence Thomas, who did not recuse himself from the case, as he should have.

The AlterNet piece also said that Liberty Central was linked to the Missouri Sovereignty Project and Gun Owners of America, whose leaders called for war against the U.S. government, as well as another group, Tradition Family and Property, whose leader called the Spanish Inquisition “a beautiful thing.” These groups were listed as “Friends of Liberty Central” on its Web site. It is highly dubious that a man could serve objectively and independently on the nation’s highest court and fulfill his mandate to uphold and defend the constitution when his own wife is supporting armed overthrow of that same nation.

Liberty Central actively opposed Obama Care, another potential conflict of interest since Clarence Thomas solicited donations for Liberty Central, and since the Supreme Court would likely have to rule on the constitutionality of the law. Clarence Thomas also received money for speaking at a Koch Brothers fundraiser in Palm Springs, California. Antonin Scalia also appeared at the gathering (and voted in the majority in the Citizens United case). The Koch Brothers were large beneficiaries of the Citizens United ruling and would appear to have bought the votes of several members of the Court.

Supreme Court Sides With Wal-Mart--Surprised?

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Wal-Mart in a sex discrimination class action lawsuit affecting 1.5 million current and former female employees seeking billions in damages. Democracy Now called it a major victory for corporate America.

Should we be surprised?

Of course not.

The Supreme Court was just carrying out its mandate. It and all branches of government were created to protect the property rights of the richest and most powerful members of society (See Kids May Not Know Democracy, But They Know A Bum Deal When They See It). The Supreme Court, specifically, has a long and sordid history of ruling against workers’ rights, safety and wellbeing. However, the current Court has been particularly hostile to labor.

What is our recourse as workers?

We can continue to try to use the courts when necessary. Occasionally they rule in our favor (more often in the lower courts.) However, there is no substitute for direct action. It is the only effective tool labor has to defend its interests. Effective direct action, though, requires an organized, educated and militant workforce, something that currently does not exist in most industries because the unions have largely abandoned this tactic in favor of litigation and campaign financing. For example, in many teachers unions there are no full-time organizers within the locals who meet with teachers on a regular basis. 

Organize! Educate! Agitate! Mobilize! Strike!

Georgia Supreme Court Attacks Children and Private Profit?

By now it’s old news, but the Georgia Supreme Court recently struck down, in a 4-to-3 decision, a law allowing a special statewide commission to approve and finance charter schools, even over the objections of local school boards. Charter advocates, corporate education vultures, and astroturf parent power groups have all got their panties in a bunch claiming this is an attack on kids and families and their right to a quality alternative to the dysfunctional public schools (and an unfair intrusion on entrepreneurs’ right to earn a profit selling educational services).

Charter schools are not just big money for for-profit educational management organizations and they are more than just a way to weaken teachers unions. They also reduce community control over local school systems. In many states, including Georgia, state law grants local school boards the authority to open and finance schools. When states impose charter schools on districts, regardless of whether those schools are profit-driven, they supercede the authority of local school boards. They also divert local tax dollars that had been earmarked for the districts to the charter schools without the consent of the taxpayers. So, on the surface, the ruling seems to be a victory for local control of community resources and decision-making.

The court ruling came in response to a lawsuit by seven school districts that wanted to maintain local control of their schools. It was initiated by Gwinnett County, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Gwinnett County is one of Georgia’s most affluent, with a median household income of $58,732 in 2009, according to U.S. Census data. Not surprisingly, Gwinnett has some of the highest ranked schools in the state and 17 high schools on Jay Matthew’s list of best high schools in America (Gwinnett Daily Post). So perhaps the ruling was a nod to Gwinnett’s wealthy parents who actually like their local public schools and who want to keep their tax dollars in their children’s schools.