re: #214 Lidane

[Embedded content]

That reminds me of being in the State Credit Union yesterday, talking to the 60-something woman in front of me who related that she was now eligible for her deceased husband’s Teamster pension—he was a trucker. I asked her if it still included health care coverage and she said it did. She said the best thing she ever did was not remarry after his death and was floored at the amt of the monthly retirement check. I told her, well, you should have a pretty comfortable retirement and she agreed. I also said something to the effect of, you see? Unions are great—but sometimes people don’t realize it until they see the real benefits they get from being a union member.

The demise of unions is going to really impoverish working people in this country. You shouldn’t have to have almost 20 yrs of schooling to get a decent paying job in the US, to make a living wage. Either our labor is valuable without a Ph.D or it isn’t. And if it isn’t, we’re totally fucked.