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May 21, 2013
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 French Employees Hold Bosses HostagePosted on Mar 31, 2009
Four higher-ups at the Caterpillar construction equipment office in Grenoble, France, were taken hostage on Tuesday by hundreds of employees demanding negotiations after the company announced it would cut 700 jobs. Even more startling is that this latest episode was but one of three similar boss-blockading incidents in France this month.
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Too Soon to Tell: The Case for Hope, Continued
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By KDelphi, April 3, 2009 at 12:58 pm Link to this comment
Crysrtal Clear—Thanks. It gets lonely out here…the poor “sticking up for the middle classes” is starting to be an exercise is masochism!
The words “poor” and “poverty” seem to be political poison, especially here in the US. Of course, there are no “poor” here—just those “strtiving for middle-class-hood”. Right.
Despite all the propaganda I cannot help but be amazed haht the baby boom generataion , who were supposed to be so “about change” continue to feed at the duopolistic trough! If someone had told me that those who participated in 68 France and 69 Calif. would now be Democratic Party DELEGATES (!!) I wouldve said that they were lying…
The world would really like to know….
Report thisBy Crystal Clear, April 2, 2009 at 6:14 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
KDelphi,
“The US also hangs onto the Cold War era fear of anything—socialist. The working class will continue to suffer for it.”
The one thing the USA is good at is “marketing,”
Report thisOr shall we say propaganda. The working-class and middle-class, have been led to believe that worker representation is anti-American—Reagan really started that ball rolling; it’s interesting to note, that in his early years in Hollywood he was liberal minded, and head of the Actors Union—talk about a turn around. Over the last 30 years a conscious attempt has been made to disband unions, to deregulate enterprises and to privatize and “corporatize” almost everything. In addition globalization has jeopardized the American workers power, since it has been clearly demonstrated, that if you don’t have like your wages or working conditions—we don’t need you, we can manufacture our goods in Indonesia or any place around the world.
So the middle-class or working-class have been screwed-over with propaganda, causing them to become politically unconscious, or to behave like willing stooges who are only to happy to vote against their own interests.
By KDelphi, April 2, 2009 at 2:05 pm Link to this comment
Xntrk—One reason the “Left” cannot orgsanize in the uS is because we have no party that truly represents Labor. Another problem with Labor in the uS, is that the Labor leaders have been able to destroy the reputation of the unions. The Left often dismisses Labor as just “Joe the plumber”—-if many are, it is from the lack of representation. Until they feel threatened, by lies from the neo-cons,Labor generally just stays home!
The US also hangs onto the Cold War era fear of anything—socialist. The working class will continue to suffer for it.
Until we have a multiple party system in the US, the majority of our citizens will remain in the dark, and, buy the corporate bullshit about Unions destroying jobs.
There has never been an industrialized country on the face of the earth, that has a thriving middle class, without Unionization. For those in white collar positions who think it makes no difference to them—how long will you be able to hold out against corporate power by yourselves?
If the US does not promote Unionization, we will continue on the road to Third World military dictatorship.
Report thisBy Xntrk, March 31, 2009 at 3:16 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
These actions take courage, organization and a willingness to pay the price - what ever it is. This communal morality is sadly lacking in the US.
I read a throw away mystery about the Capitalization of Russia in the 1990s. On of the Russian Mafiosos says ” In America whatever is good for business is legal. If it is bad for business, it’s illegal…”
Boy is that true. Just look at the trouble the Union Card Check Bill is having because it might energize the Unions.
Good luck to the French Workers. I don’t expect this to happen here. The Caterpillar workers in Ohio[?] were on strike/locked out during the 90’s [?]for a couple of years, and no one gave a damn that permanent strike-breakers replaced them. I remember photos of the strikers huddled around barrels with fires in them trying to stay warm and keep up their spirits during the depths of winter.
Did the working Class/Middle Class wannabe Millionaire Class give a damn? Hell No! It might cause them trouble at their non-union job where they get a week of vacation and no health care if they are lucky.
Report thisBy Crystal Clear, March 31, 2009 at 2:22 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
Yes, it’s startling to see how a real democracy works—union strikes; workers power—anachronistic behavior in the USA.
Report thisBy KDelphi, March 31, 2009 at 1:20 pm Link to this comment
Ed—Yes. Time to step up to the plate and show the world that we run our own country—if, in fact, we do…if not, we’d best get started, before it is all gone.
Report thisBy Ed Harges, March 31, 2009 at 1:08 pm Link to this comment
The French are showing the wussy workers of America how it’s done.
Report thisBy KDelphi, March 31, 2009 at 1:00 pm Link to this comment
There is a strong move towards Anti Capitalism in the EU that the uS seems scarcely aware of!
Of course it is “not helpful” to Caterpillar—its is not supposed to be!!
http://www.internationalviewpoint.org/spip.php?article1614
Europe
Towards an anti-capitalist pole
Jan Malewski
For several years the organisations of the European Anti-Capitalist Left (EACL) have built links and met regularly to debate, gain familiarity and try to act together on a continental scale. On May 31 and June 1 2008, such a meeting in Paris allowed a step forward to be made: around a hundred representatives of 37 organisations from fifteen European countries debated over two days the capitalist offensive and how to pass to the necessary counter-offensive, the evolution of social democracy and the Communist Parties, the dynamic of the class struggle.
Read more.
http://www.internationalviewpoint.org/index.php
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