"They're Bankrupting Us!"
By Bill Fletcher, Jr.
By Bill Fletcher, Jr.
By Bill Fletcher, Jr.
By Bill Fletcher, Jr.
Part of Myths Made in America
Part of Myths Made in America
Category: Politics | U.S. History
Category: Politics | U.S. History
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$16.00
Aug 28, 2012 | ISBN 9780807003329
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Aug 28, 2012 | ISBN 9780807003336
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$16.00
Aug 28, 2012 | ISBN 9780807003329
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Aug 28, 2012 | ISBN 9780807003336
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Praise
âComing from a union family helped shape who I am today. Unions have been critical for African Americans, and for all working people, and are essential for social justice. Read Bill Fletcherâs important and timely book so we can reassert the humanity of working people and help them stand against the larger societal forces that are trying to crush them.ââDanny Glover, actor/activist
âAs someone who has written about the daily lives and struggles of working people I am constantly impressed and enlightened by Bill Fletcherâs work. In âTheyâre Bankrupting Us!â he answers the question of why unions are so essentialânot just for economic uplift, but for democracy itself. Fletcher is one of our leading labor intellectuals, and once again, he has the last word on a subject of central importance to all Americans.ââBarbara Ehrenreich
âItâs amazing how much nonsense about unions is believed, and how little is really known about their purpose and proud history. Bill Fletcher sets the record straight, and he tells us a thrilling story while doing it. A thriving union movement is crucial to the well-being of working men and women and to the overall health of our democratic way of life. This book â better than any other Iâve read â explains why.ââBob Herbert, Distinguished Senior Fellow at Demos and former Op-Ed columnist for The New York Times
âIsnât it curious that the loudest, most venomous voices against unions are the CEOs and Wall Streeters who profit by keeping Americaâs working families down and unions out? In this powerful book, Bill Fletcher exposes their self-serving lies, and points out the obvious: unions work. Not only do they advance our economy, but also our democracy and our nationâs historic pursuit of social justice.ââJim Hightower, author, radio commentator, public speaker, and editor of The Hightower Lowdown
âEven before I read Bill Fletcherâs new book, I knew it was a âmust read.â Having read it now, my instincts have been confirmed. Bill Fletcher is a brilliant thinker in Ella Bakerâs tradition. He is an organizer extraordinaire who writes from thirty years experience in labor and freedom movements. âTheyâre Bankrupting Us!â speaks to a very broad audience about the diversity, complexity and vitality of the United States labor movement. And who better to tell that story and teach that lesson, than this amazing intellectual, committed activist and tireless movement teacher.ââBarbara Ransby, Professor, University of Illinois at Chicago and author of Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement
âBill Fletcherâs new book is a must read for every worker in America. Full of surprising stories and useful facts, âTheyâre Bankrupting Us!â uncovers everything we ever wanted to know about how unions work, and the true role that unions have played in shaping the nature of our work today.ââAi-jen Poo, Director, National Domestic Workers Alliance
Table Of Contents
Introduction
What Is a Union?
Myth 1. âWorkers are forced to join unions, right?â
Myth 2. âUnions are bankrupting us and destroying the economy.â
Myth 3. âUnions are actually run by âlabor bosses,â arenât they?â
Myth 4. âPublic sector unions cause budget deficits, right?â
Myth 5. âUnions make unreasonable demands that result in lots of strikes!â
Myth 6. âUnions were good once, but we donât need them any longer.â
Myth 7. âUnions are only needed by workers who have problems and get into trouble.â
Myth 8. âThe union uses our money for political action and I have no say in the matter!â
Myth 9. âUnions hold me back from advancing, and if I join I will never be promoted.â
Myth 10. âUnions are corrupt and mobbed up!â
Myth 11. âUnions have a checkered history and were started by communists and other troublemakers.â
Myth 12. âUnions are all racist and people of color need not apply.â
Myth 13. âUnions have a history of sexism . . . what makes them better now?â
Myth 14. âUnions deal with wages, hours, and working conditions; what about other issues?â
Myth 15. âYes, unions are good for their members, but they hurt the rest of us!â
Myth 16. âUnions and corporations are both too big and donât really care about the worker.â
Myth 17. âLetâs face it, in a globalized world, unions are powerless.â
Myth 18. âWhere do unions stand on immigrantsâyou either ignore them or you ignore the rest of us?â
Myth 19. âIf unions are so good, why arenât they growing?â
Myth 20. âUnions are so partisan; they always side with the Democrats, right?â
Myth 21. âIf unions are so great, why arenât more people around the world forming them?â
Concluding Thoughts
Acknowledgments
Notes