HP & DH Movie

[Tonks]

> Kemper:
> The writers apparently have different concerns, teaching their 
kids (if they got any) how to live within a budget and how to stand 
up for themselves.


Tonks:

When my union went on a (non-striking) picket I loved the country 
song called "Gotta Kick a Little A.." It is about standing up for 
yourself and what you believe. I have always thought of that song as 
the Union song!


> Carol, wondering whether Hollywood writers, like teachers, can 
> join a professional organization that doesn't strike in preference 
> to a union(in the case of teachers, the AFT is a union and the 
> NEA, of >which I was a member, is not)


Tonks:
Why would they want to? There can be Unions that don’t strike. The 
Union I was in was the AFL-CIO. We were prevented from striking 
because of the nature of our work. I think it is the same with 
medical personal. But that doesn’t stop an Information picket line. 
They hand out information and bring bad press to management which 
puts pressure on management in a different way than walking off the 
job. People can not survive without a nurse, but the publics welfare 
is not in danger if they can not watch TV or movies. 


> Carol:
>
> As for the idea expressed by Kemper that failing to honor the 
> strike is "treachery," I think that word is more than a bit strong,
> especially if they have no other means of earning a living. (Ever  
> try to live on unemployment benefits? Are strikers even entitled 
to them?)
>
> Sandy:
>
> I don't consider the word strong at all. The union and striking is 
> all about solidarity. Everyone working towards the common goal.


Tonks:

I agree with Sandy. If we don’t stand together we die alone, one by 
one. And I have lived on unemployment. I use to look forward to 
being unemployed now and then to take a rest with pay. 

What is really hard is when management refuses to sign the papers to 
allow you to get the unemployment and you have to file against them 
and it ties up your money for months. That is just plain dirty. I 
have seen the worst side of human nature, done by management. The 
things I have seen would make a death eater blush. I knew one man 
who was the assistant director, and when he finally met his own end, 
told people that he wanted to make up for all the evil that he had 
done. Can Hitler be forgiven? It was almost that bad.

Lets just get to the bottom line here. Companies and management are 
Republican and have Republican values. This means that the rich get 
richer on the backs of the poor. Labor Unions protect the workers. I 
have never seen a strike that was not necessary to protect the 
workers. People have given their lives for the right of Unions to 
protect workers who would otherwise be used, abused, and thrown 
aside. Remember this country is based on the economics of capitalism 
and pure capitalism is very evil. It is based on the elite having 
power and wealth and the poor being kept dependent on the mercy of 
the “boss”. Thank God for the men and women who fought for the 
rights of workers to organize and join Unions!!

Tonks_op
Who will never cross a picket line. I drove a friend over to a store 
one day, and when I saw a picket line there I said, NO, we can not 
go in there, and forced her to get back in the car and go elsewhere.