1.04.2009

Class and distributional conflict in California

From a recent article in the Sacramento Bee (cited by Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis and Naked Capitalism):

State workers donned their rhetorical boxing gloves in 2008 and slugged it out — with each other.

This column and its companion blog chronicled some of those battles: state workers in Sacramento vs. those everywhere else, staff vs. management, sworn law enforcement officers vs. non-sworn public safety workers, dues-paying union members vs. workers who pay reduced "fair share" fees and just about everyone, it seemed, vs. the correctional officers union.

Online, state workers defended themselves from attacks by private-sector workers and jabbed the governor (not so affectionately referred to as GAS) for wanting to furlough or lay off workers. And they attacked each other.

Forms of solidarity, such as unions, are most severely tested (and are most difficult to create) during those moments when they are needed most. Groups, organizations and the like will decompose when individuals feel compelled to survive as individuals without also affirming a sturdy commitment to any or most other individuals. Abstractly put, solidarity is the non-rational solution to the actual or potential lack of solidarity.

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