Union Leadership

There's an oxymoron if I ever heard one.

So 2010 is not only an election year for governor and a few senate and congressional seats, but the U.A.W. local that I belong to as well. And we'd better put on the boots cause it is deep over here.

We still have a few months before union elections, but already there are people out there introducing themselves and talking about how they feel about things. You will find that all of them have a fire in their belly and a general dislike for how the current leadership has been doing. They also are quick to remind us all that whom ever we have in the leadership positions will be the people that speak for us all at the bargaining table in 2012 when our labor agreement needs to be renegotiated. These people are very passionate about it too, they all have the same unhappy feelings towards the current contract we have with the company and the lack of ability or desire, seemingly at least, on the part of the union to fight for anything.

These are all good people though. I don't want to give the impression they are not, but the current leadership is even less effective at fighting for what is right then a Democratic Senate Super-Majority.

Everyone is most concerned with the fact that there really is not any clear candidates to hold election position within our U.A.W. local, and they are right there really isn't a good choice out there right now to run our local and fight for our rights under the current labor contract, let alone negotiate a new contract.

The problem, and reason for this is as follows.....

These people have all the passion and fire in the world, but we all feel that way.
None of them have any experience in organizing.
None of them have strong leadership skills.
None of them seem to have any experience with grassroots activism, which is at the core of what labor unions are all about.

If I actually cared enough about my jobs longevity I would throw my hat in the ring. I would lose because I have not worked there long and I am sure at least some people wouldn't want me running the union just because I am gay, but what ever. The main reason for doing so is that my experience in community organizing could dance circles around these other people and get others to think about what experience in organizing all these people have. Here is a short list of only the most impressive parts.....

Public Relations Director for Keweenaw Pride, (MTU gay, straight alliance group)
Campaigner and street canvasser for John Kerry 2004
Canvasser, precinct organizer for Democratic Party
Kalamazoo Community Aids Resource and Education Services Outreach
Kalamazoo Alliance for Equality
Project(!) co-founder (Aids prevention and community building organization)
Public and Press Relations, President, and Webmaster for The World Can't Wait

I know I am forgetting some things but this is just a list of the groups I held offices and committee spots for.

If the union would put some time effort and most importantly money in to building stronger leadership skills and get people that are active in community activism then not only would our local have good candidates to hold elected positions but all of our future prospects would be a little brighter.

Well Endowed Package

There are a lot of endowments for the arts. It is actually amazing how much funding the arts get in this way. But why does it always seem like traditional art is the only form, i.e. painting, sculpting..., that receives these things.

There should be a push to create cultural endowments too. I am thinking more about government grants then actual endowments but both would be welcome.

I am also thinking specifically about the culture, art, and history of the native tribes of North America. The culture is so spiritual and the art is so natural and beautiful. The history is so devastating and shows a whole other view of how the European settlers acted then they came here.

But imagine a government grant program to teach the language, art, history, and culture of the Native American tribes. As it is the languages of these tribes are fading with time.

A well funded program to bring these things in to the classrooms and teach the languages, arts, and cultures of the original Americans would do more to help us understand our own heritage and the true history of our country. And who knows maybe we would all learn to respect the native tribes a little bit more and give them a little of their dignity back too.

Proud and Union

"I would really be honored if I could walk in the Michigan Pride parade...underneath the UAW banner."

This past Tuesday, the 9th, was my one year anniversary at my job. I have now worked for the American Auto Industry for a year and been a member of the UAW for the same amount of time.

For about a week I have been thinking about it all. About how much pride I have in being a part of unionized labor, even though labor unions are weak anymore. About how much pride I have in myself for overcoming some fairly major obstacles in my life. About how happy I should feel for still having a job in Michigan during this economy.

On top of this new found pride I have hit a new stride it would seem with my personal life as a gay man. I am sooo passed the random hooks ups phase. I am past the phase of assuming every guy I meet is the one. I have found the stage where I am able to go on a date, get to know that person, and address everything in a slower and more reasoned way. I still want to find Mr. Right but I am willing to go slowly and do things the right way to set myself up for a successful long term relationship.

In all these ways my life is changing and I really feel like there should be a moment to really usher in these changes. In that way I would really be honored if I could walk in the Michigan Pride parade, which is the Gay and Lesbian pride parade that takes place in Lansing Michigan, underneath the UAW banner. I can't be the only gay member of the UAW after all, and would honestly mean a lot to see the GLBT members of the UAW walking behind a UAW banner that would say "GLBT, UAW, and Proud" then rework the UAW logo so that five of the people in the circle of people holding hands are colored to resemble the pride rainbow.

Lets make this happen. I would love to be a part of this.

Lets create some jobs. Again

Here is a quick little jobs creation idea.

Combat Urban Sprawl.

If you could clean up America's urban centers and make them a place where people wanted to live you would be creating a lot of jobs.

Police to clean up the streets.
Garbage men to clean up the streets.
Increased employment for city departments of water and power.
Taxis drivers
Public Transportation oporators
Not to mention all the jobs that would have to be created to repair the countries failing urban centers.

The benefits would include
Stronger tax base for each city
Shorter commutes = fewer carbon emissions
It is just plain more effiecent than a larger sprawled out population.

Think about it.