We Eat for You, We Shoot You, We Fool You, We Rule You

GUEST: Joseph Sanchez, organizer and delegate for the International Workers of the World, talks about the importance of progressive labor unions like the IWW Starbucks Workers.

Joseph Sanchez gave a good overview of some local labor organizing, including the story of Amy's Bread. Prized by celebrities for its taste and natural baking process, the NYC company actually abuses its employees. The IWW is at the forefront of organizing service workers like these. 

Will radical unions make a comeback? Traditional labor unions have seen their influence gradually shrink to nothing while the workers of American are robbed of their benefits, their retirements, and their standard of living. Having devoted all their efforts to electing Democrats, these unions have been betrayed time and time again by a party that talks social justice but gets its funding from Wall Street. The IWW refuses to support any party, and emphasizes workplace resistance over back room deals with the powerful elite. 

How about the millions of students with huge educational debts and no way to pay them off? Will they be angry enough at being exploited to join a new type of union? Maybe the time is right for labor to wake up and shake the classes above it: "We Eat for You, We Shoot You, We Fool You, We Rule You."

Click on the IWW poster from 1911 above.

For the last chorus of "Hasta Siempre, Comandante" that we played on the program:

We will go forward,
as we used to go with you,
and with Fidel we say to you:
Forever, Comandante!