UAW
Organized Labor versus "The Revolt Against Work" - John Zerzan
Article examining the role of unions in the exploitation of workers, focussing in particular on the US car manufacturing industry from the 1930s to 1970s.
Serious commentators on the labor upheavals of the Depression years seem to agree that disturbances of all kinds, including the wave of sit-down strikes of 1936 and 1937, were caused by the 'speed-up' above all.
USA: Auto-workers on nationwide strike at General Motors
Thousands of United Auto Workers walked off the job at General Motors Corp. plants around the country Monday in the first nationwide strike against GM since 1970.
UAW President Ron Gettelfinger said the union launched the strike after "one-sided negotiations" failed to reach an agreement.
"It was going to be General Motors' way at the expense of the workers," Gettelfinger said. "The company walked right up to the deadline like they really didn't care."
1911-1970s: Unions and workers: limitations and possibilities, by Martin Glaberman
Detroit auto-worker Martin Glaberman analyses the bureaucratisation and decline of the US trade union movement. An interesting article interspersed with historical information and personal reminiscences
Consider these two units of time: 36 seconds, the rest of your life. The job that takes 36 seconds to do that you're going to do for the rest of your life. I don't know a better definition of alienation than that...
Union calls off truck plant wildcat strike
With layoffs imminent, truck manufacturing workers in North Carolina walked out until union officials called off the action.
After the workers' contracts expired on Saturday, staff at the Rowan County plant went on the offensive and walked out on the evening of Monday 5 March demanding safer conditions and higher pay.
Employer Freightliner LLC announced in December it was to slash 1,200 of 4,000 jobs.
An open letter to rank and file labor activists
An open letter by the IMPACT group in Ohio, USA, to rank-and-file workers. The letter cointains short accounts of sell-outs and closed-door deals done by union leaders, as well as suggestions for grassroots activity.
