There certainly is a difference between the two parties in this country. The Fascist Republican party goes out of its way to cater to its fringe base, while the Democratic Party goes out of its way to alienate what should be its base. In this case, I’m talking about unions, which were once a major political force in this country and were also a solid part of the Democratic base.
Unions have lost a lot of their power, and some of that loss is attributable to their own missteps. I recall, for example, the unions abandoning the Democrats in 1972 because the party dared to nominate a guy who opposed a war that subsequent history has proven we should never have fought.
But lets get back to the present, when the Democrats see fit to pass legislation that imposes a settlement on railroad workers that essentially sells out the union members and gives a gift to the railroads, which have been systematically exploiting the workers and allowing rail services to deteriorate in order to maximize their own profits. We read here that a group of labor historians has penned a letter to Biden opposing what the Democrats are doing:
That view, expressed in an open letter to Biden and Secretary of Labor Martin Walsh, was that Biden screwed up. The letter, which Barker helped write, said the historians are “alarmed” by his decision to impose a contract four unions rejected despite the “eminently just demands of the railway workers, especially those that provide them with a livable and dignified work life schedule.” Railroad workers are fighting a corporate regime that has shrunk the industry’s workforce by 30 percent in recent years then blamed crew shortages on the “supply chain” and imposed draconian work schedules that have workers tired, sick, stressed, and unable to spend meaningful time with their friends and families, all while raking in record profits. Four unions have rejected the tentative agreement and freight rail workers generally support a strike because they view the corporate greed motivating these decisions as an existential threat to their industry and the safety and economic security of the American people.
How can I complain? The legislation was bi-partisan after all! Of course, these days almost all bi-partisan legislation amounts to a Democratic surrender to Republicans along with Manchin and Sinema. The Republicans got a bill that benefits corporations that will no doubt contribute to their coffers, while the Democrats got a bill that will make it easier to lure more working class folks to vote against their own interests and for the Republicans. So, a great opportunity for the republicans to firm up their monetary base and add to their whackjob base. Win-win for the Republicans, lose-lose for the Democrats.
By the way, if the grammatically defective title to this post confuses you, the explanation is here.
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