Just Making Sure

Robert Reich’s blog is on my list of blogs but I wanted to make sure you caught this one.

Why We Need Stronger Unions, and How to Get Them

”At the center of this virtuous circle were unions. In 1955, more than a third of working Americans belonged to one. Unions gave them the bargaining leverage they needed to get the paychecks that kept the economy going. So many Americans were unionized that wage agreements spilled over to nonunionized workplaces as well. Employers knew they had to match union wages to compete for workers and to recruit the best ones. “

It’s just another reason to love the little big man. A towering intellect with the heart to match it.

From Wikipedia:

”In 2008, Time Magazine named him one of the Ten Most Successful Cabinet Members of the century, and the Wall Street Journal placed him among America's Top Ten Business Thinkers.”

“He later joined the administration as Secretary of Labor. During his tenure, he implemented the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), successfully promoted increasing the minimum wage, successfully lobbied to pass the Pension Protection Act and the School-to-Work Jobs Act, and launched a number of job training programs. At the same time, he lobbied Clinton to address bigger societal issues, and pushed for improvement of conditions for those in poverty.”

By the way, I highly recommend Mr. Reich’s book Supercapitalism. I can’t believe I didn’t write a review of it already. But after searching my blog (three times), I can’t seem to find it. It’s tough getting old and forgetful.

Don Brown
January 29, 2009