New Haven Independent

Posted by: charlie | April 23, 2007 1:31 PM

So do you think all your clothes are made abroad now? Think again. Although most people don't realize it, New York City still has hundreds of thousands of people working in illegal or semi-legal sweatshops in horrible conditions. The fact that people don't acknowledge the labor exploitation, especially people in New York where it is happening right down the street from where they live, is evidence that as a society we just don't care.

Posted by: cedarhillresident | April 23, 2007 6:48 PM

charlie,
I don't agree with alot of what you say but "evidence that as a society we just don't care." is a very true statement. When I look at these photos and remember the stories I was told about Unions growing up, it was about communitys of people standing up for eachother. Some you may not of agreed with but you stood with them for the greater good of all. I myself have stood with people for things that may have hurt me but I knew that they would benifit so many more. These people gave up so much to fight for the rights of all.

This Exhibit not only shows the union and there fight but what people use to do for each other. It show that if for one crumby moment if people would stop worrying about themselfs and stand together we can change the world!!

Posted by: charlie | April 24, 2007 1:03 PM

Unions are great sometimes, CedarHill, but most of the time they just care about themselves. Do the Unions care that hundreds of thousands of people are working in illegal sweatshops in New York City? Nope. Last time I checked, most of the unions at Yale, for example, only cared that their retirement plan contribution matches went up to 15% instead of Yale's offer of 14%, their salaries rose by 10% instead of Yale's proposed 9.5%, and their vacation time went to 5 weeks instead of 4.5 weeks -- when most of the country gets 0% retirement plan match, gets a 1% salary raise, gets 2 weeks vacation if they are very lucky and then has to pay for more health care on top of all that. That's a huge discrepancy. The next time I see unions calling for higher taxes on themselves so that the money they are getting from whatever big company can go more to people who need it - not to Union members who just want a larger house in the suburbs - I will stand with them. As it is now, the Unions mostly only look out for themselves and are just helping to perpetuate the gap between the rich and poor.

Posted by: cedarhillresident | April 24, 2007 7:55 PM

charlie OMG again I do argree. The union in todays times are not what they use to be. I think that when unions started it was all about the people, the people who deserved better I think most people when they hear the word union they think of what unions did in yester-year. Now a days the union is a money making buisness.

But with that said there are still alot of things unions do for people. It is nice to know when you are in a bad place at your job you have someone to back you up. Someone that will fight the fight with you.

But on the other hand do unions go out of there way to fight for people like the ones you talked about in New York. No and that is where the unions have changed. I am not to up on my union laws but I do know that there are federal ones they have to follow. And unless a company has so many people in it they can not go in and get the people of those companys into the union.

Posted by: Mark | April 25, 2007 7:43 PM

I am a Yale employee and a Union member(Local 34), having disclosed that, I'd like to explain a few things. First, many people are aware that sweatshops still exist in New York(and elsewhere) and are actively working to help those workers organize and share in the American Dream. In fact the International Union we belong to, UNITE HERE! is the descendant of the ILGWU and ACTWU, we've merged, evolved and grown, but do not forget where we came from.We are University employees here in New Haven, but nationaly we are garment workers, hotel,food service,laundry and casino workers.
Second, all of the facts you state with regard to our current Contract are wrong.Even if the point you are trying to make is that we have taken a selfish and insular view rather than working to help others in the community, you are mistaken. We negotiated a huge geographic expansion in Yales much vaunted Home Buyers program, in no small part to stabilize ALL the neighborhoods in New Haven through home ownership, and not merely those immediately surrounding the University. Additionaly, our contract contains language designed to increase community access to jobs at Yale and training to help people be successful in those jobs. We continue to actively support the right of YNHH workers to organize, workers at New England Linen(here in New Haven),GESO and anyone else .
Unfortunately, we tend to romanticize the past and ignore the present. For thousands of people in greater New Haven, we see ourselves as Union members carrying on a proud tradition, certainly in organizing, but also in educating.