
The Unemployed Now Have Their Own Union - daniel-cussen
http://www.alternet.org/economy/145797/the_unemployed_now_have_their_own_union%2C_and_it%27s_catching_on_quickly
======
jerf
Yes, form a union to demand more benefits from the world's most indebted
entity! Get yours while the gettin's good. That's the way forward... more
people on the dole!

Are you really coming out ahead begging Congress for jobs when they've shown
no ability to create them? The average cost of a single "created job" lately
would be enough to run a small business in the private sector. What you really
need to ask them to do is stop draining the private sector of a quarter of a
million dollars (plus interest, since it's borrowed) to provide you with a
low-end temporary job for a year.

~~~
bluedanieru
There are plenty of countries with larger debt problems than the US. I don't
think this union is so much about getting a check from Congress than it is
tipping the legislative balance a little bit less in favor of giant
corporations than it currently is. US law has little in the way of worker
protection, and is quite hostile to small business as well. Reminder that
Congress is basically owned by the richest 99.99th percentile (who have seen
their wealth increase of late, I might add).

It's too bad that it takes a collapse of the economy before we can see
agitation for this sort of stuff, rather than during fatter times when it
should be easier, but I guess it's hard to think about the future for a vast
majority of the population.

~~~
jerf
I cheated and used absolute debt. Relative debts aren't 100% applicable,
because the US' absolute debt is large enough that they may face a problem few
if any others will face, which is the world running out of money to lend, but
it's anybody's guess how that will affect anything, if it has any effect at
all.

Increasing union-style protection is not going to _help_ small businesses.
Everything the current Congress is capable of thinking involves raising the
price of employees. They don't even always understand that's what they are
doing, i.e., "making an employee harder to fire", regardless of how sweet it
sounds in a politician's speech, means making them that much riskier and
therefore that much more expensive to hire.

------
tjic
I shudder to think about what happens if the unemployed all simultaneously
stop ... what? Surfing the web?

~~~
bluedanieru
Well if you can't think of any negative consequences that might result from
having a large organized group of people with little to do and less to lose,
I'd say you have a poor imagination.

------
jrockway
Good idea, but this is more like a lobbying organization than a union. Are
they going to walk out of their job if they are not paid well? Probably not.

~~~
daniel-cussen
Sure, yeah. But they can vote in an organized fashion.

------
daniel-cussen
Not the greatest article, but I submitted it because of the idea; it very
novel, and illustrates the "elusive obvious."

------
nitrogen
What leverage does a union of unemployed people have? What will they do, go on
strike? Or just clog the sidewalks around state capitol buildings?

~~~
idoh
They can vote. Even small groups of people can do interesting things in local
elections with low turnouts, for example teacher's unions and school board
elections.

------
guelo
A more powerful idea would be a union of freelancers/contractors. Imagine all
freelancers stopped working for a company that lobbied against health
insurance reform, or a company that engaged in patent abuse. They would have a
lot of power but the problem would be scabs and foreign outsourcing.

~~~
stellar678
There is a freelancer's union: <http://www.freelancersunion.org/>

Not sure how much the focus is on organizing around pressuring potential
client companies, but there is some issue advocacy, along with group insurance
and retirement plans, etc...

------
epochwolf
I'm wondering if they have to pay dues.

------
aresant
What would be a lot more compelling is to see the unemployed form their own
angel investment networks in a similar "local node" format.

Unemployed don't have lots of bucks to invest, but take $1000 each from 10 -
20 people, invest in best local biz plan, and you’re going to be creating
jobs, stimulating the local community, and can at least give the unemployed
people something to market (and earn an ROI on eventually).

