The Impotent Unions

Written By Mr Ish.

Let me start this article with an observation.

In January 1998, across France, unemployed workers launched a wave of protests and occupations. They took over unemployment offices and welfare centers. They occupied the Louvre pyramid and elite university buildings. They demanded higher benefits not just for themselves, but for all unemployed people.

Then something remarkable happened: other workers joined them.

Employed workers marched alongside the jobless. Students occupied elite universities in solidarity. The CGT, one of France's largest unions, helped organize and support the movement. Marchers chanted: "Unemployed, we're fed up! Unemployed, employed, solidarity!"

They did not know each other, They did not work the same jobs, But they struck and occupied for working-class strangers they would never meet. Now, compare that to the unions I have seen in the United States.

The Weakness of American Labor

Why are labor unions in the US so weak and impotent? Most workers are not unionized, and even established unions, in my experience, are rife with problems and largely ineffective.

Before I go further: I know that our oligarchic capitalist system has always pushed to weaken labor unions. That is true. But what I want to focus on here are the internal workings of unions and why I believe they have failed workers and the public in general.

Good examples of functional unions can be found in Europe. In Italy, France, and other countries, union workers have stable jobs with good benefits; they can afford to live with security and dignity. Despite the fact that the US has a much larger economy, workers in American factories and unionized workplaces often have less secure and less prosperous lives. (To be clear: unionized workers generally still have it better than non-union workers. That is not the debate.)

But consider this: Unionized workers in Italy have used their power to shut down ports and shipyards to force their government to withdraw support for genocide on the other side of the Mediterranean. Meanwhile, the last union job I held wanted me to do nothing except vote for Kamala Harris. That union would not have protected me if I had lost my job for supporting Palestinian rights.

That contrast explains everything. Let me break it down.

1. Unions for the Party, Not a Party of Unions

Since the 1960s, the Democratic Party has built its voter machine on the perception that it is the party of minorities, leftists, and workers. But that party was never serious about those people. Why? Because from its inception, it has always been the party of millionaires and billionaires. The Republican Party’s stance is almost identical, just delivered with a more conservative tone.

Unions and especially union leaders are often run by that Democratic Party apparatus. For example, when I worked in a government office as a part-time temp, the union was a complete joke. Half the workers didn't even join. The fee was $40 per paycheck, and health insurance was $900 for a single claimant. Yet, they insisted you vote Democrat. That was the only time you ever heard from a union representative: election season.

2. Nepotism and Decay

Let me tell you a story about the first time I worked at a unionized company. This was almost twenty years ago. A union worker could make a $15 starting wage—good money at the time. I had just finished college and went to work as a lab technician, not as a union worker but as a temporary employee, making $12 an hour with a $52,000 student loan. There was only one person in the lab and a night shift of 30 people in the plant.

The plant workers had two main jobs: fill the crude oil from the train, run it through heating processes to separate and hydrogenate it, and then fill the departing train with the finished product. Most of those workers had it easy—teams of five doing the work of one person.

One of their small tasks was to bring a sample to the lab so I could test and certify the product. On my first night alone—after only five days of training—my trainer gave me the production manager's number and said: "If the samples fail, do not let them move the train. And if they do, call the boss."

At 4:00 AM, I got the samples. They failed. I called to stop the train. The foreman told me the train had already been filled at 9:00 PM—hours before my sample even arrived. I explained that he should have sent the sample earlier , He called me names, Then he came to the lab to intimidate me into changing the results.

I refused and called the production manager.

Strangely, no one got in trouble. The company simply paid a $15,000 fee to bring the train back for reprocessing.

Here is what I learned later: The foreman, the lead, and two workers were all one family a father, son, and two nephews. My lab manager was the son-in-law of the shipping manager. One of the morning lab ladies was married to the production manager. These few families had worked at that company for generations. And the lab job I was doing? It was kept filled with temporary workers because the lab manager was holding the permanent position for his nephew, who was still studying chemistry.

That union gave those families good jobs. But it also illustrates what is wrong with decaying institutions: a union that protects only a few families, provides little value to the company, and actively prevents other workers from getting a fair opportunity.

Summary

I have been a worker for 29 years. It is sad to say that I have never had the opportunity to be a union worker myself. However, I have worked in two unionized workplaces and seen the potential benefits of organized labor. This is not an anti-union article; it is an attempt to highlight the real problems with unionized labor in my region.

The goal of unions should be to stand up for all workers. That is why the Italian shipyard workers shut down their ports because they see the people in Gaza as part of their own class. That is why French transportation workers strike in every city, so that another worker they will never meet gets a fair chance.

Here in the United States, we tell our workers to shut up and vote for Kamala. Here, we use nepotism to keep jobs away from "outsiders" so a union "mafia" family can hand a position to their nephew.

Until American unions remember what real solidarity looks like until they serve workers, not political parties or family networks they will remain weak, impotent, and irrelevant to the millions of workers who need them most.

Here Are My FULL DNA Test Results As A PALESTINIAN

In this video, content creator Wally Rashid shares his personal DNA test results to challenge the rhetoric that Palestinians are not indigenous to the land. He utilizes data from MyTrueAncestry, which matches his DNA against ancient archaeological burial sites, to demonstrate his deep genetic continuity with the region. Key points from his analysis include:

Genetic Continuity: The DNA analysis shows matches to archaeological sites in the region dating back to 7,000 BC, providing evidence of ancestry long before later historical shifts.
Addressing Narratives: Rashid addresses the common argument that Palestinians are recent "invaders" from the Arabian Peninsula, asserting that while religions and cultures have changed over thousands of years from Canaanite, polytheistic, and Israelite origins through the Roman, Byzantine, and Islamic periods the underlying population has remained consistent.
Distinction between Conquest and Colonization: The creator emphasizes that historical conquests, such as those by the Islamic Caliphate or the Ottoman Empire, involved shifts in governance and religion but did not result in the replacement or colonization of the local indigenous population.
Comparison with Modern Tests: He highlights the limitations of standard commercial DNA tests like 23andMe, which compare users to modern populations, arguing that ancient DNA mapping provides a more accurate view of historical roots.

Ultimately, Rashid concludes that regardless of genetic results, these facts do not justify the displacement of people from their homes. He advocates for acknowledging the long-standing history of the Palestinian people as a direct response to narratives that seek to erase their connection to the land.

The AI Backlash Has Reached a Tipping Point

In this video explores the growing public backlash against the rapid construction of large-scale AI data centers across the United States. The narrator highlights several key concerns regarding these developments:

Main points

Resource Strain: Data centers consume vast amounts of electricity and water, often putting significant pressure on local infrastructure and driving up energy costs for residents. The narrator notes that these facilities frequently receive tax incentives, meaning local communities lose out on potential tax revenue that could fund schools and essential services.
Community Resistance: Despite widespread local opposition, municipal governments often proceed with approvals. This has led to intense frustration and, in extreme cases, acts of violence and vandalism targeting those associated with these projects or AI technology.
The AI Industry Criticized: The video takes a skeptical view of the AI industry, particularly companies like OpenAI and its leadership. The narrator questions the narrative of "democratizing" AI, arguing that power remains concentrated among a few billionaires and corporations, while the social and economic consequences fall on the average person.
Corporate Accountability: The narrator emphasizes a growing divide between wealthy corporate entities and regular citizens, pointing to a perceived lack of accountability for big tech and the feeling that economic systems are rigged against the working class.

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