Over at Unbossed, they didn't:

Did you know that February 11 was White Shirt Day? And do you know its significance in Michigan history?

White Shirt Day was first celebrated on February 11, 1948, as a way of honoring the men and women who participated in the 1936-37 sit-down strike at Fisher Body Plant No. 1 in Flint.

The strike began on December 30, 1936, when the night shift stopped the company from loading dies and shipping them to places where the labor movement wasn't as strong. The fledgling UAW, led by a young organizer by the name of Walter Reuther, urged the workers to sit down inside the plant and lock themselves in to keep GM from outsourcing their jobs. There's a good account of the sit-in and the events that led up to it in the Detroit News Michigan history archive.

I regret not wearing a white shirt that day.

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I'm a voracious reader. It's true, I'm geeky like that. I think it's my mom's fault. She always had a book in her hands. Today, it's not just books or newspapers or even magazines that capture readers, it's also the web. I know, this is now surprise to you, the intrepid web-reader. But, I think it's still something that should be said, out loud.

Okay, so let's get to my point. Economics.

This theory has always been a complete mystery. It's this social science that seems to pretend to be more science than social study. It's as foreign to my thinking as say Physics. Funny thing is, that apparently, Economics is based, in part on Physics. So, when I read the recent Reuters piece on Economists getting it wrong, once again:

Factory activity surveys in the United States were also expected to show a steeper contraction in December, as demand collapses in the Western countries that developing nations rely on as export markets.

Economists and policymakers had seen China, Russia, India and Brazil, with their vast markets and rising wealth, as the engines of growth that could save the world from recession. Those hopes are fading fast and forecasts are getting gloomier.

I know, you're surprised, right? 'Cause Economists have gotten so much right lately, huh?

Well, this is where my voracious reading thing comes in.

Earlier this week, one of my all time favorite writers, Shirah (Unbossed and Dailykos) decided to take her knowledge of history and economics and combine it into a story about Massive Economic Experiments. Before I exerpt her, let me first say, you've got to head over and read the entire thing. My excerpt just doesn't do it justice. Okay, so let's just get to the meat:

What we have learned from these natural experiments is that regulations are helpful in safeguarding us - something markets are uninterested in- and they do so, in part, by providing needed information so we can protect ourselves. This is an interesting point, because market theory tells us you need complete information to have a functioning market. By removing regulations, the free marketeers took away something that supports a functioning market.

Now, obviously, I lied when I told you that we were going to test these theories. The truth is that the proponents of free markets never really test these big theories. Rather, they treat them as if they were religious dogma, something that need not be subjected to testing. The inadvisability of doing so can be found by looking at how classical economic theory developed. This article from Scientific American provides an overview:

The 19th-century creators of neoclassical economics—the theory that now serves as the basis for coordinating activities in the global market system—are credited with transforming their field into a scientific discipline. But what is not widely known is that these now legendary economists—William Stanley Jevons, Léon Walras, Maria Edgeworth and Vilfredo Pareto—developed their theories by adapting equations from 19th-century physics that eventually became obsolete. Unfortunately, it is clear that neoclassical economics has also become outdated. The theory is based on unscientific assumptions that are hindering the implementation of viable economic solutions for global warming and other menacing environmental problems.

The physical theory that the creators of neoclassical economics used as a template was conceived in response to the inability of Newtonian physics to account for the phenomena of heat, light and electricity. In 1847 German physicist Hermann von Helmholtz formulated the conservation of energy principle and postulated the existence of a field of conserved energy that fills all space and unifies these phenomena. Later in the century James Maxwell, Ludwig Boltzmann and other physicists devised better explanations for electromagnetism and thermodynamics, but in the meantime, the economists had borrowed and altered Helmholtz’s equations.

The strategy the economists used was as simple as it was absurd—they substituted economic variables for physical ones. Utility (a measure of economic well-being) took the place of energy; the sum of utility and expenditure replaced potential and kinetic energy. A number of well-known mathematicians and physicists told the economists that there was absolutely no basis for making these substitutions. But the economists ignored such criticisms and proceeded to claim that they had transformed their field of study into a rigorously mathematical scientific discipline.

Shirah goes on to discuss behavioral sciences and how the latest breakthroughs in behavior studies show that humans as well as numerous animal species work toward cooperation. Cooperation, not self interest is a much higher order concern or desire. Now, this was news to me. It's not like I just crawled out from under a rock, but what I always get from anti-union folks is that they think that human beings and especially themselves are held back by cooperation. That if they can work on their own, they'd be more successful. Given the opportunity, they could lead a team of folks based on their abilities alone, without the interference of cooperation.

now, anyone who's worked on or lead a project from building a house to designing a web site knows that no one works in a vacuum. That when we all work together, we are stronger, better, faster, more accurate and damn it, we get things done. Take the 2 hour house, yeah, I said it, 2 HOUR HOUSE:

The Two Hour House was a perfect mix of clear vision, a willingness to live big, the determination to manifest a dream, the power of group focus, systemic psychology, passion, and the recognition of the willingness to play the biggest game of your life. Volunteers came together across industry lines and together they created something amazing.

It's impossible to build a house in 2 hours. No, seriously, do you know what has to go right to make something like this happen? From the footers being laid to the concrete being poured to the dry wall, plumbing, electrical, roofing and everything else that needs to be done in so many different areas in the same moments in time. And you thought Extreme Makeover Home Edition was ambitious!



Sorry, had to add the promo video, it is a good show.

My point here is that we get the doom and gloom today about more issues with slow downs and how economists are worried because, basically, they didn't predict this to be the case. They had hoped that Russia, China and India could keep the world economy chugging along. Problem is that the folks buying the products in Detroit, Dallas, Atlanta, Chicago, London, Paris, Marseilles, Oslo and just about everywhere else in the "1st world" countries, aren't buying now. There's a glut of products (come on, we all know this) and with savings down, home process shot and little credit available, many folks aren't about to put themselves out further on the limb to bring home more stuff that they don't need.

I know this isn't anything you haven't heard before. But let me hazard a guess, if you're an American, you've never heard about Disney giving away vacations:

Offer valid for most Disney resorts at varying rates for stays most nights 2/9 - 4/4 and 4/19 - 6/27/09.


Sample 7 Night Package at a Value Resort as low as $1375 including 7 Day Theme Park tickets

For a family of four in a standard room

For stays most nights between 4/19 - 5/21/09
That's like paying $50 a night per person for this package
Total package savings of $416

Plus, when you travel between 2/9 - 3/29/09, you'll also get a $200 Disney Gift Card

and I suppose if you do it on your Birthday, you get even more, because you can head to Disney for free on your birthday.

I'm 39 years old. I have never seen Disney post vacation prices for a family of 4 at any of their resorts for under $1500, but to through in $200, well, this was the moment that I realized, something is really wrong.

So, the next time you hear about an Economist talking, keep in mind that they may be using formulas that Physics gave up on in the 1800's. That Disney is giving away vacations and that cooperation is way more important than self interest. Next time you look into the eyes of your kid, you'll really get that last one, because few parents don't think kid first themsleves second. Hell, don't we all know this when we're on an airplane and they tell you to put your mask on first before helping your child? They have to actually tell you this, because as a parent, you do the opposite, thus disproving what Economics is really based on and that to me also reminds me of exactly why Free Markets don't work. They don't take into consideration cooperation. And for a union girl, well, we call that sort of thing SOLIDARITY.

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I've been struggling with what to say about the incestuous bias in the media against the UAW through the media's repetition of Right Wing lies, distortions and avarice. Problem is that I didn't really know how to sum it up. To boil it down to what I really wanted to say or maybe it was how I wanted to say it.

Until today.

I was over at Dailykos and noticed a comment in a diary on the Bridge loan to automakers:

The lazy, overpaid autoworker stereotype is outdated and tiresome. Just like any other industry, we have our share of slackers, but the overwhelming majority of our workforce "bring it" every day.

You say the UAW needs to accept concessions to help solve this crisis. Apparently you haven't been paying attention for the last 20 years or so. The companies have been asking for and receiving concessions for the last several contracts. The most recent contract allows for a nearly 50% lower wage for the next generation of workers, while also removing health care costs from the company books.

Apparently that's not enough. You want to see us all out of work.

The bottom line is that while the UAW and management have played a part in the past mistakes, both have been working to ensure a solid future for the industry for years.

Over that same time the government has done nothing to help regarding affordable health care, balanced trade and tax incentives that reward companies for keeping jobs here instead of outsourcing. The middle class (led by the unions) tried to sound the alarm years ago. Unfortunately, nobody listened because of their anti-union prejudices.

The comment comes from a 29 year veteran of an assembly line, a UAW member, in the Detroit Free Press.

There is so much anti-union blather out there in the ether that it’s hard to cut threw it and make sense of anything sometimes. Here, on Uniongal, we try to do that. We try to find a way to remind each reader that there is something bigger than the ether, than the anti-union comments you read or the blatant anti-worker bias in the media. There’s something so much bigger out there, it’s solidarity.

This weekend, I read a similar thread on .UnionReview and commented:

We do fight back. Everyday you remember that there are brothers and sisters in your union, you beat folks like National Review. Everytime you talk to some random person about what it means to be in a union, what it means to have brothers and sisters in the stuggle are always victories against these jack asses.
Solidarity means that we come together and everytime we do, they are afraid and when they are afraid, they will take a brush and with broad strokes, they will paint us with the actions they themselves take.
So, when you read their comments and they make their statements, say what you have to, clearly, loudly and with the strength and honesty of those who have come before all of us. From the women at the Triangle Shirt Factory to Wesley Everest and to the current struggles for representation so many are fired for trying to obtain.
And when you do speak, know that you're not alone. We're all with you.
In Solidarity
Uniongal

It was something small. Nothing I haven’t felt or meant to say in the past. It’s just that I don’t think I’ve really thought about it. About what it really means to fight for workers, I just do it. It’s a part of who I am.

Fighting for my brothers and sisters in labor is just something I do, naturally. I have never stopped to think about it and I’m sure many of you haven’t either. I don’t care about the infighting, the dirty laundry, the poaching from one union to another union; it just doesn’t matter as long as workers can bargain, collectively.

Then I met someone who made me actually stop and think about it. I’ve thought about the why and this came about not through the Big 3 or through the constant anti-union sentiments about the UAW or IAM (from the Boeing strike) or how Andrea Mitchell and Tom Brokaw shill for the anti Employee Free Choice Act every chance they get. I started to think about it on Saturday.

You see, I went out with a new friend on Saturday. He's really an absolutely amazing person, just being near him makes me feel this unbelievable electrical jolt, you know, that feeling, when you remember why you do what you do? That jolt from the passion that is taking on the system, or fighting the good fight?

He’d shared some stuff on being a firefighter and me, well, I’ve never been much of a fan of IAFF. On a scale from one to 10 and 10 being my love for my former union (you all know I was a Teamster, right?) and 1 being my feelings toward Right Wingers, IAFF was about a 3, okay, maybe a 4.

But this guy out of the blue had me thinking about stuff. I’m not a retrospective girl. I like things to be clear, kind of orderly and since I’d made up my mind on IAFF, I really just didn’t think of them in the same way that I did IBEW, UFCW, UFW, UNITE-HERE and many others, I just didn’t.

So, he’s read my blog and he and I have had a couple of side conversations about the IAFF. He's told me about the The Secret List.
and how he's seen too many firefighters injured due to new construction issues. He’s talked about how industry standards are so low now, that during a fire, you can’t always head into a building because the materials used in new construction are so flimsy that you fall threw floors or ceilings collapse and roofs as well. Just yesterday, a Firefighter on Staten Island lost his life while battling a blaze when the roof collapsed.


But this weekend for me was different. It started out like any other weekend, busy and then, he sent me an e-mail about solidarity.

Solidarity.

IAFF is as much a brother in the struggle as the 29 year veteran of GM.

Today, I’m reminded of what it is I fight, for my brothers and sisters and there’s no rest on the horizon for any of us and yeah, I also mean you right wingers who idolize the likes of Rick Berman. Be prepared to fight, because I am.

I am now, more than ever, clear that what we need is just a little concept called solidarity.

To my brothers and sisters in Labor, Uniongal Salutes you. And yep, I mean you all in IAFF, too. You’re now a 10 in my book.

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So, I've been reading and talking to Joe about the news of the lock out in Van Wert county, Ohio (my home state).

I decided to do a little digging into Kongsberg. Norway is a trade unionist country with very strong ties to the international trade unions among European countries. So, I decided to look at their 4th quarter annual report to see what they had to say.

Apparently, they had a loss of revenue (they lost money) when they closed their Amotfors seat heating system plant.

Norwegian vehicle components maker Kongsberg Automotive Holding ASA announced on Friday (28 September) that it has initiated employee negotiations regarding a possible closure of its seat heating systems plant in Amotfors, Sweden.

Kongsberg Automotive said that it plans to transfer the operations to its existing production facilities in Poland in order to reduce costs.

The reorganisation reflects persistent margin pressure in the European automotive industry, Kongsberg Automotive said.

"We are one of the world's leading suppliers of seat heating systems for cars. To maintain this position we must adapt our production costs to a level which yield acceptable earnings also in future," said Olav Volldal, CEO of Kongsberg Automotive.

"The potential closure is not because our employees have not performed. It is due to the significant cost gap between high cost and low cost countries," Volldal added.

The restructuring of the operations will affect 90 employees in Amotfors.

So, that had me thinking. They were willing to close a profitable plant on the hopes that they'll be even more profitable when they pay lower wages and move out of high environmental standard Sweden and into low environmental standard Polland. But best of all is probably the line form their Fourth Quarter 2005 annual report where they noted:

The Group is reporting a tax cost percentage of 26 % in 2005. The tax cost is around 28 % for all the countries where Kongsberg Automotive operates, except for Poland where the tax rate is 19 % and the USA where the tax rate is around 33 %. There are no taxes payable for the Norwegian operations due to significant tax loss carryforward related to the Raufoss acquisition.

Do you see the tax base numbers? 33% for the US and 19% when they do business in Poland. So, how long will it be before they move the Van Wert Teleflex operations to Poland?

Sure seems as if this is their kind of business model...acquire patent technologies and then burn the communities where these items are made as they move to less taxing, less environmental standard countries. I really doubt this lock out has anything to do with the workers and everything to do with the way Kongsberg sees the US, as 33% tax. Looks as if they just want to lower the tax rate, costs for doing business and of course labor costs to that of Poland. Come on Poland, what happened to Solidarity?

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