Trump is a scab
The Teamsters International president, Sean O’Brien, has been accused by senior members of the union of disgracing it by agreeing to an unprecedented appearance at next week’s Republican national convention.
Wtf. Trump is not a friend to the workers. The Republican party is not a friend to the workers.
O’Brien’s decision was branded “unconscionable” by John Palmer, vice-president at large at the Teamsters, who accused him of lending support to the “most anti-union party and president” in a generation.
Or perhaps in our entire history.
Earlier this year James Curbeam, national chairman of the Teamsters National Black caucus, warned members that Trump was a “scab masquerading as a pro-union advocate” in a letter, reported by the New York Times, responding to O’Brien’s meeting with the former president.
As O’Brien prepares to speak in Milwaukee, Palmer sounded the alarm.
“A speaking engagement at the Republican national convention by Teamster president Sean O’Brien, regardless of the message, only normalizes and makes the most anti-union party and president I’ve seen in my lifetime seem palatable,” he wrote in his letter, outlining anti-union policies being pushed by Trump and the Republican party.
Palmer pointed to the recent supreme court decision overturning the Chevron decision which paves the way for corporate challenges to rules meant to protect workers, and cited the open opposition to union drives from Republican leaders.
“It is unconscionable for any labor leader to lend an air of legitimacy to a candidate and a political party, neither of which can be said to have done, or can be expected to do, anything to improve the lives of the workers we are pledged to represent,” he added.
Class treason.
H/t Helicam
Which US political party represents workers? Be it the Wonkey Donkey or the Jumbo Dumbo, neither seems to care one iota about workers, only about their donors and their future sinecures after politics.
Around the world, once great left-wing parties have abandoned their militant roots, walked away from defending and enhancing workers’ rights, and given control of the economy to the 1%. They only serve self-interest.
And so, the comparative wealth of workers declines, wages are suppressed, and working conditions have returned to those of C19 and earlier.
And then along comes Jones, smooth talking Jones, Jones who “tells it like it is”, Jones understands, Jones knows who to blame, and Jones will bring back the Gilded Age. He stands before adoring crowds, dressed in a working man’s clothes, eating a working man’s lunch while slurping down Bud Lite. And the crowd falls in love with their newly minted saviour. They hang on his every word, they spread his philosophy, and they race to be the ones who give him their money.
Humans are gullible, humans are always on the lookout for the quick fix, the simple solution, black and white answers. They know that their future and their children’s and grandchildren’s futures have been stolen, but now Jones has given them someone to blame. They direct their anger at the immigrant, at the neighbour who doesn’t have the same accent, who’s not a man ’cause he doesn’t smoke the same cigarettes as me.
They go all in on Jones. Thus, furthering the sellout of Labour, their Union leaders, wanting to preserve their own power and privilege, are dragged along by the crowd and must be seen to support Jones lest they too be thrown on the scrap heap.
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None of the above is an endorsement of Sean O’Brien or advocating for more Union leaders to get into bed with Trump, just my observation of how the Labour movement was betrayed by those within it.