Thursday, July 03, 2008

An Encouraging Sign of Global Change


The United Steelworkers Union has officially merged with Unite the Union, the largest labor organization in Ireland and the UK, to continue the growth of globally organized labor.
The establishment of of an organized and globally coordinated labor movement is a necessity in an increasingly global marketplace. The presence of a powerful voice for labor can enhance worker protections, promote fair wages, create incentives for a decent work environment, raise the over-all standard of living in developing countries, discourage exploitation, and remove many of the root causes of terrorism.
Now, if this were not all good enough, I'd also like to mention that this is a very radical and very Irish idea. In 1908, James "Big Jim" Larkin founded the Irish Transport and General Workers Union, which was a forerunner of the Services, Industrial, Professional and Technical Union and the British Transport and General Workers Union, some of the constitutents of "Unite the Union."
Tiocfaidh Ár Lá.