Song and Struggle : "There is power in a union"

by: DAVID BESTER

The Industrial Workers of the World, or IWW, was founded in 1905 by a group of socialists, anarchists, and militant trade unionists. At the cutting edge of the labor radicalism, it allowed women, black, and immigrants to join the ranks of its members, who were called "Wobblies."
The preamble to the constitution set out the organization's premise:
"The working class and the employing class have nothing in common. There can be no peace so long as hunger and want are found among millions of working people, and the few, who make up the employing class, have all the good things of life...
"These sad conditions can be changed and the interests of the working class upheld only by an organization formed in such a way that all its members in any one industry, or in all industries, if necessary, cease work whenever a strike or lockout is on in any department thereof, thus making an injury to one an injury to all."
One Big Union was the idea. According to the theory, craft unions keep workers separate, but with OBU an injury to one can be responded to by all. Ultimately, OBU can organize the mass strike and seize the means of production for the working class. As a modern day Wobbly put it, "when the flight attendants, pilots, mechanics, and staff are in the same union, that's when we'll see an airline taken by workers."
The idea of OBU is not outside of Marxist tradition. For instance, Engels thought, "At the side of, or above, the unions of special trades there must spring up a general union, a political organization of the working class as a whole." Many IWW members went on to join the Communist Party founded after the Russian revolution, including Elizabeth Gurley Flynn and Big Bill Haywood. It was a natural transition, as Wobbly-turned-Communist, J. P. Cannon, explained:
"The IWW, while calling itself a union, was much nearer to Lenin's conception of a party of professional revolutionists than any other organization calling itself a party at that time. In their practice, and partly also in their theory, the Wobblies were closer to Lenin's Bolsheviks than any other group in this country."
Joe Hill's song "There is Power in a Union" is from the heyday of the IWW's OBU campaign. It is typical Hill - set to a religious tune, mocking religion, and urging workers to organize in the Big Union.

Lyrics:
Would you have freedom from wage slavery

Then join in the grand Industrial band;
Would you from mis'ry and hunger be free,
Then come! Do your share, like a man.

There is power, there is power
In a band of workingmen.
When they stand hand in hand,
That's a power, that's a power
That must rule in every land
One Industrial Union Grand.

Would you have mansions of gold in the sky,
And live in a shack, way in the back?
Would you have wings up in heaven to fly,
And starve here with rags on your back?

If you've had 'nuff of the blood of the lamb,
Then join in the grand Industrial band;
If, for a change, you would have eggs and ham.
Then come! Do your share, like a man.

If you like sluggers to beat off your head,
Then don't organize, all unions despise,
If you want nothing before you are dead,
Shake hands with your boss and look wise.

Come, all ye workers, from every land,
Come join in the grand Industrial band.
Then we our share of this earth shall demand.
Come on! Do your share, like a man.

Links:

By folk singer U. Utah Phillips:
Sung by a labor chorus:

Photo: Joe Hill, via Wikipedia

july 1 2011  tags: music, art, entertainment, culture, labor

Courtesy: People's World

Spouses Praise New Employment Program

By Elaine Sanchez American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, June 30, 2011 - Yesterday, I attended the launch of the Defense Department's Military Spouse Employment Partnership at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C. Through this new program, officials hope to expand career opportunities for military spouses worldwide, and to recognize the numerous job skills and talents they bring to the table. Dr. Jill Biden greets audience members at the Military Spouse Employment Partnership kick-off at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C., June 29, 2011. The partnership promotes meaningful, long-term employment opportunities between America's employers and military spouses. DOD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley  More than 70 employers already have signed on with the partnership, signifying their commitment to increase employment opportunities for military spouses, provide promotion opportunities to deserving spouse employees, ensure pay equity and spread the word about spousal support. Partners also have pledged to post job opportunities on the Military Spouse Employment Partnership Web portal located on ourmilitary.mil. After the ceremony, I spoke with several military spouses, who unanimously voiced their approval of this new program. "We have very valuable skills to bring to the private sector, the public sector, the nonprofit sector," said Navy spouse Vivian Greentree. "This employment partnership is just opening a door where there wasn't one before, and the military spouses are going to rush through it. "This is a very powerful message for military spouses who by and large feel mostly discriminated against because of their military spouse status," she added. Pamela Stokes-Eggleston, spouse of wounded warrior retired Army Staff Sgt. Charles Eggleston, recalled when her husband was recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. She was laid off at the time, and had a tough time finding a job with a wounded warrior husband, she said, and also was considered overqualified for most available jobs. "There wasn't this kind of support you see here today," she said. "I'm excited as a spouse of a wounded warrior that MSEP is actually going. This is a good step in the right direction." Air Force spouse Sandy Cazares said she has changed careers several times during her husband's 10-year military career. "It's great to give military spouses the opportunity to actually be heard," she said, "to be given the chance to be able to be recognized for our accomplishments, our education level, and also take into account the fact that it's often out of our hands when we have to move." Her husband, she added, is preparing to deploy and she will have to pursue yet another career to provide a better work-life balance for their children. "I think this is a great opportunity for all military spouses -- a greatly underappreciated population in the military," Cazares' husband said. "Seeing that now, regardless of what base we move to around the world, she has opportunities is a great advancement for military spouses in general." Kristi Hamrick, an Air Force spouse who has moved 11 times in 17 years, agreed. "It will make our lives as military spouses so much easier, because right before you move, there's that ramp up of getting that resume ready and all that on top of moving. If you can get a job where you have another job waiting on the other end ... that would reduce so much stress." "I'm overwhelmed," added Jennifer Pilcher, wife of Navy Cmdr. Eddie Pilcher. "I truly think it's the first time in history that the military spouse has been recognized. To sit here and hear the program is for us is overwhelming and exciting." Barbara Thompson, director of the Pentagon's office of family policy/children and youth, also lauded the new program. "We've had spouse employment programs over the years at family support centers, but this is the first organized program across the military services," she said. "It's leveraging all of the military services to get these corporations. "This is just the opening for all America to step up to the plate to tap into this incredible work force." For more on this program, read my American Forces Press Service article, DOD Launches Military Spouse Employment Partnership, or visit ourmilitary.mil.

Related Sites: Photo Essay Family Matters Blog Family Matters on Facebook

We are trying to collectively seek answers......!

OPEN INVITATION

Public Convention

on

SAVE DEMOCARCY

Desh Bachao – Desh Banao

June 27th, Monday / Constitution Club, Rafi Marg, New Delhi / 2 – 7 pm

Forbesganj, Bihar, Six dead; Bhatta Parsaul, Uttar Pradesh Four dead; Dhanbad, Jharkhand, Four dead; Jaitapur, Maharashtra, One dead; Kakkarapalli, Andhra Pradesh, Two dead; Sompeta, Andhra Pradesh, Two dead; Narayanpatna, Orissa, Two dead; Mudigonda, Andhra Pradesh, Eight dead; Nandigram, West Bengal, Eleven dead; Kalinganagar, Orissa, Twelve dead and the list goes on. These farmers, adivasis, dalits and working class of Bharat have sacrificed their life on the altar of development, while trying to defend the piece of mother earth to which they belong and eek their livelihood.

Even as we invite you to join us in this endeavour, communities across the country are struggling in Jagatsinghpur, Orissa against POSCO; Golibar, Mumbai against Shivalik; Raigarh, Chattisgarh against Jindals; Mundra, Gujarat and Chausra, MP against Adani; Kalinganagar Orissa against Tata and thousand other places. The struggle against Reliance, Jindal, Tata, Adani, Jaypee, Mittals, etc. and the collaborating State power is not only to protect their livelihood but central to this is defending the basic tenets of our democracy. The overall struggle is for deepening of democracy in the country – to establish the rule of law, to ensure right to life and livelihood with dignity, to ensure democratic control over natural resources – jal, jangal, jameen and Khaniz (land, water, forest and minerals).

Every year on June 25-26^th we remember this period as the darkest period in Indian history for democracy but at the same time we also remember the dream of 'total revolution' – Sampoorn Kranti. The dream remains unfulfilled and our struggles continue to challenge the systemic corruption, oppression and exploitation. We emerge victorius at times and at times feel defeated but never at any time the dream for a just society with dignity, freedom, justice seems unreachable and we continue to struggle. The social and political churning witnessed at this moment in the country is encouraging. In a political context where the questions of working class and poorest of the poor assumes prime importance we would like to invite you to this convention to ponder over some of these questions.

• Where is our collective struggle heading ? The million mutinies blooming in the country today, what is the significance of it ? Are we winning again ?
• In the wake of seemingly increasingly oppressive power of State and Corporations, are collective struggles of dalits, adivasis, women, the displaced, workers, farmers etc. in a condition for a long sustained struggle ahead which will shake the inner walls of the capitalism and the establishment ?
• In this struggle, who will stand with us ? Is the middle class, the intelligentsia willing to participate and stand by the side of the struggle against exploitation, oppression and inequality ? Are they willing to be a part of this process towards developing a planetary vision and secure justice and dignity for everyone ?
• Can the exploited and the distressed become the spearheads (leaders) of an independent, strong, sharp and people-oriented politics when the elected representatives of today's political set up turn out to be insensitive and devoid of all moral and ethical values ? Can such a leadership create a space for itself in the present set up, can it be a respectable entity in the current set up?
• Can a national and international structure based on the principles of non-violence, sister-brotherhood, equality, sustainability and justice be born from such a leadership, which will reject imperialism in toto? Depending upon the sovereignty of its people, space and resources can we create a nation which includes plural and diverse nationalities within itself ?

This Public Convention is an attempt to once again allow all of us to join the dots that link our struggles against deeply entrenched structures of oppression and corruption in our society with a view towards total revolution. We are trying to collectively seek answers to these questions. We met on May 8 in Delhi and will meet again in Wardha, Maharashtra on July 3^rd to keep the conversations going. We do hope you will be able to join us !

Medha Patkar - NAPM; Swami Agnivesh – Bandhua Mukti Morcha; Ram Dheeraj, Sarv Seva Sangh; Ashok Chaudhary – NFFPFW; Ajit Jha – Lok Rajniti Manch; Gautam Bandopadhyay – Sangharsh; Rakesh Rafiq – Yuva Bharat

For details contact : Madhuresh Kumar, NAPM 9818905316

--
National Alliance of People’s MovementsNational Office: Room No. 29-30, 1st floor, ‘A’ Wing, Haji Habib Bldg, Naigaon Cross Road, Dadar (E), Mumbai - 400 014;
Ph: 022-24150529

6/6, Jangpura B, Mathura Road, New Delhi 110014
Phone : 011 26241167 / 24354737 Mobile : 09818905316

E-mail: napmindia@gmail.com | napm@napm-india.org
Web : www.napm-india.org

Sergeant Tops Push-up Record

By Army Staff Sgt. Brad Staggs  Camp Atterbury Public Affairs BUTLERVILLE, Ind., June 23, 2011 - Have you ever wanted to break a world record? Army Staff Sgt. John Halsey didn't know that he wanted to -- until he discovered that he had something to prove to his student soldiers. Army Staff Sgt. John Halsey of the Patriot Academy attempts to break a world record for the most push-ups in one minute while wearing a 40-plus-pound pack at Muscatatuck Urban Training Complex, Ind., June 17, 2011. Halsey broke the record by performing 60 push-ups in 60 seconds. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Brad Staffs  Halsey, an assistant platoon sergeant in Bravo Company for the Patriot Academy at Muscatatuck Urban Training Complex, Ind., noticed that the students under his watch were being a bit lethargic on their day off. "I challenged them to go do something productive, go break a world record," Halsey said. "They laughed about it and told me to go break a world record." Halsey said he replied, "I will," to the students. Halsey set his sights on the record for most push-ups in one minute with a 40-pound pack -- a record that was then held by Britain's Paddy Doyle, who'd performed 51 push-ups in one minute with a 40-pound pack on his back Oct. 11, 2010. Halsey said he felt that he needed to not only break the record, but to beat it decisively to show his soldiers that anything is possible. The barrel-chested Halsey trained every day for two months. The rules for breaking a world record are specific and include having witnesses present who aren't affiliated with the attempted record breaker or the organization. Shana Richmond of North Vernon; Connie Rayburn, North Vernon city councilor; and North Vernon's First Lady Joanne Campbell all volunteered to witness the event and act as unbiased judges. With more than 100 Patriot Academy students present in the old school house gymnasium, a 40-pound kettle bell weight was placed in a three-pound backpack, more than tipping the mandatory weight of 40 pounds as it was officially weighed and documented. When Halsey was told to go, he was more than ready. By the time 30 seconds had elapsed, the students were out of their seats and pounding the gymnasium floor, cheering louder and louder for Halsey until it was nearly impossible to hear the time keeper over the public address system. As soon as the members of the crowd, who were counting the number of Halsey's push-ups, shouted "52," everybody started cheering. But Halsey didn't stop. He wasn't satisfied with simply breaking the record. Stop was called at 60 seconds and the official final count was 60 push-ups. Halsey had performed 60 push-ups in one minute while wearing a 43-pound backpack -- an average of one push-up every second. Rayburn was in charge of counting the number of push-ups using a hand counter. "I was so excited, and I was looking at how much time was left. I knew where I was at on the count and kept thinking, 'This is too cool, but remember to focus on what you're doing,'" she said. "I knew the previous record was 51," said Richmond, the other official counter. "So the second I hit 51, I was cheering as hard as the soldiers behind me. I can't wait to tell my kids at school. They are going to think it's the greatest thing that's ever happened." Campbell said she was excited to be present at the breaking of a world record. "I have never done anything like this before. What an experience," she said. "I'm so proud of him and his motivation. It's awesome." After his record-breaking performance, Halsey didn't appear any worse for wear. "I'm just glad it's over with," he said. "My goal behind this was to show the students it can be done. I have a feeling a lot of them will be gunning for this record just because it was me who broke it. I want to watch them do it, because any time they are trying that hard, they are just becoming better soldiers." It may take as long as six weeks for the Guinness World Record committee to verify Halsey's record, at which point he will be sent a certificate to commemorate the achievement. But, for Halsey, the true accomplishment is the example he set for his soldiers.

Doctors-in-Training Learn Basic Combat Skills

By Donna Miles  American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, June 22, 2011 - First-year medical students here at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences rappelled down a 63-foot wall yesterday as part of their preparation for a two-week field training exercise where they will learn some of the basic combat skills required to provide battlefield medicine. Army Sgt. 1st Class Ronald Wilson, operations noncommissioned officer for the Uniformed Services University of the Health Science, checks Air Force 2nd Lt. John Richardson's Swiss seat harness as first-year medical students prepare to rappel down a 63-foot wall. DOD photo by Donna Miles  Operation Kerkesner will kick off in two weeks at Fort Indiantown Gap. Pa., providing many of the students their first basic combat skills training in a field environment, explained Navy Lt. Chris Stede, a physiologist serving as the course director. For some of the students, particularly the 70 percent of the class without prior military service, it will be their first experiences living and operating in the field, firing a weapon, navigating in an orienteering course and wearing chemical protective gear after a mock attack. The exercise will run concurrently with Operation Bushmaster, a more advanced exercise that exposes fourth-year students to the challenges of delivering medical care in support of warfighting, peacekeeping and humanitarian-assistance operations. The first-year students will play the role of patients for Bushmaster, giving them exposure to these challenges and a sense of what it feels like to be a wounded patient in the hands of a military doctor. But Stede said the FTX and preparations also provide the doctors-in-training a glimpse into how their fellow military members operate and the physical and mental challenges they face. "It helps give them an understanding of the stressors of operating at the tactical level," he said. Meanwhile, he called the training a confidence builder that helps the students meld as a team and pressed them in ways they may have never experienced. "For some people, the training today and in the field is the hardest thing they have ever done," he said. "It's taking them away from the comfort of the black and white of academics, and challenging them." Some of the students admitted to a slight case of the jitters as they prepared to rappel off the university's administration building. They looked on as Army Sgt. 1st Class Ronald Wilson, operations noncommissioned officer for the university, explained how to tie a Swiss seat climbing harness and checked each student to make sure they'd gotten it right. "I love my job. I love teaching," said Wilson, the rappel master for the exercise. An Army medic, he served three deployments to Iraq and said he understands exactly what the students will bring to the force and fleet. "These are the doctors of tomorrow, the young lieutenants who will be our future doctors and leaders," he said. Air Force 2nd Lt. John Richardson, one of the prior-service students at the university, said he, too, understands the importance of his calling. He spent two years as a Marine Corps infantryman, then nine years as an Army search-and-rescue pilot. Now he's training to be an Air Force doctor, inspired by the dedication of the military doctors he has known. Richardson said he can't wait to take his Uniformed Services University education to the field. "I love serving soldiers," he said. "I joined the military and came to USUHS for a reason." At the university, he's drawing on his military experience as a class platoon leader to help teach his fellow students combat skills. "Left hand! Break hand! Air assault!" Army 2nd Lt. Vanessa Hannick yelled out as Wilson made a safety check on her Swiss seat. She bounded to the roof of the university's administration building, then took a tentative first step before beginning her 63-foot descent. As Hannick strived to keep her body in a tight "L" position, her classmates below cheered her on with hoots and hollers. Navy Ensign Alison Lane said it's this supportive attitude so prevalent at the university that led her to choose it over a civilian medical school. "It's what really sold me when I was interviewing at the school," she said. "It's not all about competition. It's about being part of a team."

Related Articles: Top Pentagon Doctor Dispenses Leadership Message

008 Air Force 2nd Lt. John Richardson, a prior-service medical student at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Science, left, helps Army 2nd Lt. Vanessa Hannick adjust her Swiss seat harness during a rappelling exercise. DOD photo by Donna Miles  Download screen-resolution Download high-resolution

Guard Continues Midwest Flood Relief Efforts

By Air Force Tech. Sgt. John Orrell  National Guard Bureau ARLINGTON, Va., June 21, 2011 - About 2,000 National Guard members from nine states are continuing relief operations in the wake of the 2011 Midwest floods, which have ravaged thousands of acres and potentially caused billions of dollars in damage, National Guard officials said today. Soldiers of the North Dakota National Guard's 816th Engineer Company provide sandbags to raise the height of the levee near Burlington, N.D., June 14, 2011. Because of the heavy rain the state received, the 816th was tasked to raise several low spots on levees throughout their area. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Cassandra Simonton  Guard members from Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming have been working tirelessly, some for about three months, to protect their states and citizens from the devastation of rising rivers. The Arkansas Army National Guard is providing soldiers to the Joint Operations Center and as well as interagency liaison officers for better command and control. In Iowa, where the Missouri River has caused the shutdown of much of Interstate 29 in the western part of the state, the National Guard has been evacuating citizens and patrolling levees in multiple counties. Due to the June 13 rupture of a primary levee on the Iowa-Missouri border Iowa Guard members working with the Army Corps of Engineers on June 15 built a secondary levee to protect the southwest Iowa community of Hamburg from an overflow of the Missouri River. Kansas Guard members are continuing to patrol threatened levees, monitoring them for potential weakness from the pressure of the rising Missouri River waters. Guard members from Louisiana are performing levee patrols and area security, providing aviation support and resource transportation for critical areas affected by the flooding. With seven counties heavily affected by the floods, Missouri National Guard members are providing liaison officers and have been moving non-mission-essential equipment to Forbes Field in Topeka, Kan., in preparation for a potential relocation of Rosecrans Air National Guard Base. Nebraska Guard members are providing levee monitoring for the city of Omaha and have prepared generators in the event they are needed for critical areas. North Dakota Guard members are still running 24-hour operations. They are providing quick response forces and ground search and rescue teams to multiple counties throughout the state. North Dakota Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters with hoist capabilities also are being used to place one-ton sandbags along weakened levees. In South Dakota, Guard members are providing air assets for sandbagging efforts and personnel transportation. They have deployed a Joint Incident Site Communications Capability team and more than 100 hand-held radios to increase communication throughout the state. The Wyoming National Guard has activated its emergency operations center while performing flood mitigation in several counties. The Guard also is in full swing for the annual hurricane season, but will continue its current operations both at home and abroad, the chief of the National Guard Bureau said. "Your National Guard has been fully engaged in the war fight overseas, and we also stand ready to answer the call domestically when a disaster happens," Air Force Gen. Craig R. McKinley said.

Related Sites: National Guard Bureau

Airman Honors Father With Bronze Star

By Air Force Capt. George Tobias 
Air Force Space Command Public Affairs
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo., June 21, 2011 - An Air Force Space Command chief master sergeant used the occasion of her retirement ceremony here to take care of one last troop -- her father, who was presented with the Bronze Star Medal he earned four decades ago.

Army Col. Timothy Coffin, deputy commander of Space and Missile Defense Command and Army Strategic Command, pins the Bronze Star on retired Army Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Porter as his daughter, Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Nancy Geisler, looks on during her retirement ceremony June 13, 2011, at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. Porter earned the Bronze Star for his service in Vietnam from 1969 to 1970 while serving with the 4th Infantry Division, currently located at Fort Carson, Colo. U.S. Air Force photo by Dennis Howk

Chief Master Sgt. Nancy Geisler, a contracting superintendent and area manager for the command, recognized her father, retired Army Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Porter at her June 13 retirement ceremony. Geisler coordinated with the Army to present Porter with the medal he earned for service in Vietnam from 1969 to 1970 with the 4th Infantry Division, currently located at Fort Carson, Colorado Springs, Colo.
For Geisler it was important to recognize her father's service.
"My father told me while I was young that he had received a Bronze Star," she said. "So I kept that in the back of my mind, and with my upcoming retirement I wanted to present a shadow box to my father of his Bronze Star and his citation, but he told me that the Army never presented him his Bronze Star."
Geisler then decided that at her retirement ceremony, her father should be presented his Bronze Star medal. While they had the orders that showed Porter earned the medal, no records of the citation could be found.
This prompted the 4th ID to regenerate the citation, allowing Army Col. Timothy Coffin, deputy commander of Space and Missile Defense Command and Army Strategic Command, to present it and the Bronze Star to Porter.
"Now is the time to make history right," Coffin said as he presented the medal.
Service members today enjoy great support from the nation, but "that was not the case back in 1969 and 1970 during the period of time that Sgt. 1st Class Porter was in Vietnam," Coffin said.
"The 4th ID is still today overseas serving in Afghanistan, serving in combat operations," he said. "We have young soldiers today doing the same things that, 41 years later, Sergeant Porter has been recognized for."
Geisler also commented on the disparity of support that today's service members enjoy, as compared to their predecessors who'd served in Vietnam.
"It is very rewarding to me to see that he finally got recognized for his service," Geisler said of her father's award.
Geisler said her father was very pleased when he heard he would be presented his Bronze Star.
"He said he was so proud and told all his friends where he lives that the Army finally did him right," she said.