The Cyberunions Podcast: Episode 27 – The Sparks are flying and it’s not even May first!

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0:40 Stephen’s updates

  • Stephen is looking forward to Chelsea vs Liverpool as soon as we finish recording the show
  • A recent technical issue with video was down to user error!
  • Stephen is off to Guatemala in a week!
  • Stephen has become a member of Mayfirst
3:27 Walton’s updates
4:32 Tech update
  • There are lots of benefits to Mayfirst membership
  • People in the IRC channel are really helpful
  • We’ll be moving from Trick to Mayfirst soon, because we need more space
  • Trick are a great microhost and we recommend them for branch or activist websites
  • There is a horrible new bill in the US called the Stop Online Piracy Act
  • It’s unworkable and shifts the Internet balance of power in favour of big corporations and content producers with outdated business models
  • Get campaigning through the American Censorship website
14:25 Up the Sparks!
  • The strike on 30 November is likely to be the biggest since 1926
  • Will this be a repeat of the 1984 Miners’ Strike, and a chance to destroy public sector unions?
  • Direct Action gets the goods
  • The Sparks dispute is one of the most interesting and under reported
  • Construction is covered by national agreements such as NAECI
  • Pulling out of NAECI lead to the Lindsey refinery wildcats in 2009
  • Seven major employers, lead by the highly profitable Balfour Beatty, have pulled out of agreements, lowering wages by 30% causing a ruckus
  • Ironically, trade unions could be the saviours of capitalism – because we ensure people are paid enough to spend into the economy and move us out of recession
  • National Shop Stewards Network is a rank and file movement
  • Occupy Wall Street was evicted, leaving Bloomberg looking like another ageing dictator
  • Towards a permanent occupation!
30:32 Feedback
  • Mentioned in ACAS (pdf)
  • Email from the Professional Teachers’ Union of Zambia

 

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Marxist. Socialist & labor movement organizer. Boston DSA Labor he/him
https://rfs.dsausa.org/
Bread & Roses Caucus in #DSA
https://breadandrosesdsa.org/
#DemocraticSocialist
https://socialistcall.com/
#RankAndFile
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