AFL-CIO: 100,000 protesting in Madison Wisconsin today. For gods sake put some demands on the table

I was at a demo in support of the Wisconsin workers in San Francisco today.  It was called by the San Francisco Labor Council and the theme was defend the middle class and fight for the American Dream.  Firstly, I agree with Naomi Klein that the American Dream needs reviewing.  We consume too much; we are a wasteful society and there is no way the rest of the planet could live at this rate, the planet couldn't sustain it.  With 5% of the world's population we consume 25% of its energy. And perhaps I was there illegally as the call for the demo said it was to defend the "Middle Class" and middle class jobs.  Being a working class person I assumed I had better keep my mouth shut.  There's nothing quite so insulting as being called middle class.

The Union officials I heard speak were too nauseating for me to stomach it.  An AFSCME Business Agent who I know spoke about our rights and the right to form Unions and negotiate with the employers.  Like her counterparts in Wisconsin (the Union bureaucracy takes great pains to ensure its army of staffers follows the party line or else they will lose their jobs) she stressed vehemently that the struggle in Wisconsin and other states is "not about money".

As we have said before the Union hierarchy that staffers like this represent want to ensure that no economic demands, no demands that cut in to the profits of capital are raised.  They do not want to raise the expectations of what already is a movement that could get out of their control and want to limit the demands to those that defend their interests.  They are opposed to dues checkoff being taken away where the employer's collect the Union members money for them, normally through the paycheck.  This is their income and they don't want it messed with.

They also are worried about collective bargaining rights but not because they want to negotiate a better standard of living for their members and increased services for the communities in which we live and work, but because they have no role in society if they can't get a seat at the bosses table. They have offered their members livelihoods to the bosses on a platter; just let them stay in the game. Gerald McEntee, the president of AFSCME, one of the Unions involved is a millionaire and earned over $500,000 total compensation in 2007.

Of course its about money. It's about money, benefits, services and a decent life for all.  For gods sake put some damn demands on the table and lets seize the time.  The AFL-CIO said there were 100,000 in Madison today, and for what, to ensure our leaders go meet with the boss and give away our wages and benefits. Surely we can do better than that. If they won't change their concessionary course the movement must take the helm and push these folks over the side.  I didn't stay for long and was about to head home when I saw the Libyans demonstrating against Gadhafi.  This was inspiring and I got a chance to speak at it. I took some video and will get that up by tomorrow morning; a great rally.