* AFL-CIO celebrates work for, or at least under, capitalism

Peter sez:

If you are wondering why the AFL-CIO is getting smaller and smaller, less and less influential, then this inter-active video provides at least part of the answer.

Its notion of work is an entirely liberal-capitalist one that would be objected to by no US banker, industrialist, President (Republican or Democrat). And which suggests sentimentally that work is what unites rather than significantly divides Americans (On request, I can detail this).

It also excludes housewives or carers or the precariat - or, for that matter, soldiers - being exclusively oriented to particular capitalist or state-defined employment. (Someone can surf through the video to see whether it includes police, whose work includes accidentally shooting down bystanders whilst hoping to shoot a shooter in NYC).

It fails, therefore, to distinguish between alienated labour (structural to capital, state, patriarchy, racism) and 'doing' or 'creating' (work for ourselves, families, communities, cooperatives, useful, ecologically-friendly labour).

Further, it doesn't tell us what this sentimental ideological horse manure has to do with unionism. Or maybe I didn't get to that triumphal ending.

Finally, the whole slick commercial shot cost $1.5 million. Which may have provided alienated work for some guys (even gals) in the publicity industry. Although one could imagine the money being used for something more relevant, such as something about the 1 percent and the 99 percent. Although this might not be approved of by Obama, who they are supporting for President and who, if re-elected, will once again kick union, or at least worker, asses.

Now click on...

http://www.workconnectsusall.org/#/home