Shawn Fain is the president of the United Auto Workers. His appearance on CBS‘s “Face the Nation” was jarring compared to the Trump show being broadcast on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” There were no lies, imbecilities, bluster, or demented musings of any type flowing from the leader of the 330,000-strong union now striking Ford, General Motors and Stellantis. Instead, there was straight talk and conviction around a fundamental issue facing American society. It was surprising to see because it is so rare and refreshing. Shawn Fain and his union are taking a stand. The American people will side with them. It is clear that the strike has disoriented the CEOs of the Big Three, like Mary Barra, who Fain obliquely referred to on “Face the Nation.”
I keep saying to myself: "We all win, when we all win." The nauseating CEO pay and their weak, entitled defense of it makes me sick. They steal the labor from those creating ACTUAL value and send it straight to the pockets of unenlightened, greedy shareholders (through stock buybacks and dividend payments) who are so far removed from the factory floor and the struggles of those trying to make a living and rise up that they don't give a damn what it really costs, the toll it really takes physically and psychologically on the workers and the communities. I LOVE how you've connected the dignity of the worker and the fair wage to having time to be part of their family and community--because that's where the suffering shows up. Bravo to UAW--and all the American people that are waking up to the giant scam of trickle-down economics that did nothing except hollow out the middle class to enrich the immoral oligarchs of America who have paid for right-wing extremist politicians and chaos agents, stolen our courts, and are doing everything they can to dismantle our democracy to make us powerless in the global order so vicious distracts and authoritarians can rule unimpeded.
Unions are what built the middle class, why we have five day work weeks, medical insurance etc. So if it's about unions I am all for them. My dad was a union worker and striking was the only way the workers will get anything. There is always union busting which should be totally illegal. Maybe it is. When I was a teen and my dad went on strike he had to borrow to put food on the table, we suffered a bit but the union got what it wanted or close to it. Support unions. They will build a more secure future for those who don't earn $30 million a year.
Our middle class society has evaporated under our current system. While CEO’s make more money than any regular person can imagine, they continue to blow smoke up our behinds to tell us how much its deserved. I pray our unions and it’s workers have the fortitude to endure. We must support their actions because the stance they are taking impacts us all!
Once again Steve, I ask you; why were you ever a republican? You truly sound like a man, of, and for the people. Your metamorphosis is almost complete...:)
That said, I agree. Too often when companies are in trouble, the government comes to the rescue; without stipulations I might add. During COVID, the free grants given to companies without strings attached, that were supposed to keep jobs in tact, was used to give special dividends to the shareholders and the employees were eventually furloughed or fired instead.
This helped fuel the country’s slow recovery and caused supply chain issues, leading to massive inflation and price gouging.
We saw the same thing during 2008, after Wall Street was granted the largest bailout in US history. We gave the money without any stipulations, and Wall Street paid the highest bonuses this country has ever recorded; $36 billion, while tens of millions of people were losing their jobs. And not one destroyer of the economy and financial markets faced a prison sentence.
This led to the Tea Party’s rise and the eventual domination of the FreeDumb caucus and their takeover of the Republican Party.
Nothing happens in a vacuum, and yet here we are. I’m glad workers are fighting back. Capitalism works when there are fair regulations, a working SEC to police the markets, and all companies compete equally.
Unfettered free market capitalism only leads to the economies destruction and the ultra rich class of Americans, and everyone else who is not. We’ve seen the middle class shrinking over the last four decades and the upper middle class moving to the Uber-rich. We’re headed to a Russian economy. Plenty of oligarchs and then everyone else.
Thanks Steve for another great newsletter. Have a wonderful week...:)
Fantastic and inspiring piece. Thanks Steve. Thanks Shawn Fain and the workers. I hope he leads us into an American future that narrows the wealth gap and creates a fairer and more just society. Fain is clear and compelling. Soaking in riches on the backs of others is fair. Fain talks in language everyone can understand. May hundreds of millions of everyday Americans join him and the UAW , as well as the Hollywood writers, in their fight for fair compensation and pay. It's not socialism. It's not Communism. That talk is propaganda and lies by the. 1%. It's healthy American Democracy, and it needs to be the way forward..
Comparing “when we work together we all win” to the “I am your retribution”. Collective bargaining as we see it with UAW and Writers strike are individuals demonstrating the value of their work. They deserve a larger share in the prosperity their work creates.
As we return manufacturing back to the US we need to restructure our labor/ management relationships toward equity. We have the chance to do it right this time.
Now, if people are listening to Mr. Fain, I wish he would explain to America's voters that WE are the 'labor union' that can rein in, or fire, the politicians in Washington who are selfish, vindictive bullies with no intention of working for the betterment of everyday citizens by showing up to vote them out. Republicans in the House of Reps have had two years to show they can work for us. They have failed, and it's time to show up to hire people who will do just that. That's how we make a stand. VOTE.
Steve- here we are. The power is in the hands of those who do the work, not demand the work at lower wages. These two industries can change our country, and if we’re lucky we’ll watch it happen.
This is how it should be, creating their own how it is. I’m here for it.
This column is just a bit disingenuous. The attack on modern labor and the hollowing out of unions began under the sainted Ronald Reagan with the PATCO strike. Republicans, of which Steve was and who he worked to get elected for years, have always championed the corporation and the wealthy over ordinary Americans, going back to the earliest days of the labor movement.
Under Reagan, tax rates for the wealthiest--which were in place to help prevent capitalist aristocratic dynasties--were slashed. CEO pay skyrocketed, the lie of deregulation helping consumers flourished, and the limits on media ownership were demolished. Using his best folksy voice, Regan lulled much of America into believing that dismantling protections was actually beneficial for their lives. So much more destruction was enacted or begun under his administration and inspired more, like “right to work” laws--all which have directly led to our current economic conditions. Not to mention the direct attacks on government as “the problem.”
While I believe Steve is sincere and he is right to laud union leadership, reading this is hard to take having lived through this history. I also take issue with “our politics is broken.” Certainly we have one party that has given up on democracy. The GOP is broken and that is a danger to us all. But the Dems have been consistently passing or trying to pass legislation to improve people’s lives, including comprehensive immigration reform. And politics is at the heart of American life. Depending on who you vote for means whether you have safe drinking water, environmental protections, worker safety protections, and a more equitable society among many other things. This column blames them equally without naming names, lumping politicians on both sides together, which only feeds the cynicism people have and confirms their belief that “both sides are the same.” Dems aren’t perfect, and they made choices based on survival in the 1990s--winning elections to prevent total GOP control. But they never lost sight of moving the entire nation forward, not just an entitled slice.
The problem is too many American don’t understand the connection between politics, elections, and daily life. The media certainly fails in connecting the dots. If more did, I believe we would see different outcomes. The GOP know that their policies would never get them elected, which is why they lie, fearmonger, and pander to some of the worst among us. It’s all they have, and with a propaganda machine behind them, are succeeding way more than they should and are doing everything in their power to cement their control
"The people have a right to rein in the excess, and that is what is starting to happen with a resurgent labor movement."
"There is a new wind blowing in the country. New coalitions and new issues will rise as the Trump era finally ends."
While reading your words, I, momentarily, felt hopeful. I pray that your predictions are correct.
As someone who is 20+ years older than you, I have witnessed the destruction of the middle class, at the hands of the wealthiest individuals and greedy corporations. They multiple tax cuts, provided by Reagan, George W Bush and Trump, that never trickled down....and, even despite this faulty theory the current House wants more tax cuts and cuts to social programs, which they say the government can't afford.
Now, the top 10% hold too much wealth, which has given them too much power!
"In the first quarter of 2023, 69 percent of the total wealth in the United States was owned by the top 10 percent of earners. In comparison, the lowest 50 percent of earners only owned 2.4 percent of the total wealth. "
This wealth is driving the authoritarian movement, the Project 2025, and the crumbling our democracy!
Unfortunately, the American people, who vote against their own interests, have some responsibility for this mess.
It is the moment of reckoning. We either grow back our sustainable heathy work force or give into the domination of China and third world’s unfair labor practices. The giant corporations become less accountable as the voices of workers have diminished. The dollar disparity between the CEO’s compensation and the workers’ pay is the most obscene ever. It is the most important moment to help citizens avoid the poverty trap and the nation to avoid the liability of unmanageable welfare cost of its people. It is the best investment we will ever make in the US by giving the workers the incentive to strive for their very best, and the industry to stay right where they sell their products and make the biggest profits. We must come out if this moment not barely surviving but triumphant and better. The nation that respects the workers rights, cares for the environment and gives hope to the rest of the world must come out better after each and every daunting moment like this.
Always look for the Union label in everything you need to buy. Stand up and support the unions and don’t let anyone get away lying about the evils of Trade Unions. Capitalism can be greedy and evil...and unions are the best way to build a strong middle class in America. Time to pass a whole package of pro union legislation that has been held up by greed and scummy, corrupt politicians who are in the pocket of big businesses.
Senior corporation management has been a racket in America for decades. For the average worker to be able to earn a truly liveable age has for far too long been seen as something unrealistic, unreachable, socialist or un-American. It's all been part of the big-money narrative to keep the outlandish mega-profits for CEOs and their inner circles going. It should never be seen as un-American or even a crime for a family to have a secure and decent standard of living. Teachers also fall into this category!!
I keep saying to myself: "We all win, when we all win." The nauseating CEO pay and their weak, entitled defense of it makes me sick. They steal the labor from those creating ACTUAL value and send it straight to the pockets of unenlightened, greedy shareholders (through stock buybacks and dividend payments) who are so far removed from the factory floor and the struggles of those trying to make a living and rise up that they don't give a damn what it really costs, the toll it really takes physically and psychologically on the workers and the communities. I LOVE how you've connected the dignity of the worker and the fair wage to having time to be part of their family and community--because that's where the suffering shows up. Bravo to UAW--and all the American people that are waking up to the giant scam of trickle-down economics that did nothing except hollow out the middle class to enrich the immoral oligarchs of America who have paid for right-wing extremist politicians and chaos agents, stolen our courts, and are doing everything they can to dismantle our democracy to make us powerless in the global order so vicious distracts and authoritarians can rule unimpeded.
Steve, your arc towards being a genuine Progressive is nearly complete. 💙
Unions are what built the middle class, why we have five day work weeks, medical insurance etc. So if it's about unions I am all for them. My dad was a union worker and striking was the only way the workers will get anything. There is always union busting which should be totally illegal. Maybe it is. When I was a teen and my dad went on strike he had to borrow to put food on the table, we suffered a bit but the union got what it wanted or close to it. Support unions. They will build a more secure future for those who don't earn $30 million a year.
Our middle class society has evaporated under our current system. While CEO’s make more money than any regular person can imagine, they continue to blow smoke up our behinds to tell us how much its deserved. I pray our unions and it’s workers have the fortitude to endure. We must support their actions because the stance they are taking impacts us all!
Once again Steve, I ask you; why were you ever a republican? You truly sound like a man, of, and for the people. Your metamorphosis is almost complete...:)
That said, I agree. Too often when companies are in trouble, the government comes to the rescue; without stipulations I might add. During COVID, the free grants given to companies without strings attached, that were supposed to keep jobs in tact, was used to give special dividends to the shareholders and the employees were eventually furloughed or fired instead.
This helped fuel the country’s slow recovery and caused supply chain issues, leading to massive inflation and price gouging.
We saw the same thing during 2008, after Wall Street was granted the largest bailout in US history. We gave the money without any stipulations, and Wall Street paid the highest bonuses this country has ever recorded; $36 billion, while tens of millions of people were losing their jobs. And not one destroyer of the economy and financial markets faced a prison sentence.
This led to the Tea Party’s rise and the eventual domination of the FreeDumb caucus and their takeover of the Republican Party.
Nothing happens in a vacuum, and yet here we are. I’m glad workers are fighting back. Capitalism works when there are fair regulations, a working SEC to police the markets, and all companies compete equally.
Unfettered free market capitalism only leads to the economies destruction and the ultra rich class of Americans, and everyone else who is not. We’ve seen the middle class shrinking over the last four decades and the upper middle class moving to the Uber-rich. We’re headed to a Russian economy. Plenty of oligarchs and then everyone else.
Thanks Steve for another great newsletter. Have a wonderful week...:)
Fantastic and inspiring piece. Thanks Steve. Thanks Shawn Fain and the workers. I hope he leads us into an American future that narrows the wealth gap and creates a fairer and more just society. Fain is clear and compelling. Soaking in riches on the backs of others is fair. Fain talks in language everyone can understand. May hundreds of millions of everyday Americans join him and the UAW , as well as the Hollywood writers, in their fight for fair compensation and pay. It's not socialism. It's not Communism. That talk is propaganda and lies by the. 1%. It's healthy American Democracy, and it needs to be the way forward..
Comparing “when we work together we all win” to the “I am your retribution”. Collective bargaining as we see it with UAW and Writers strike are individuals demonstrating the value of their work. They deserve a larger share in the prosperity their work creates.
As we return manufacturing back to the US we need to restructure our labor/ management relationships toward equity. We have the chance to do it right this time.
Now, if people are listening to Mr. Fain, I wish he would explain to America's voters that WE are the 'labor union' that can rein in, or fire, the politicians in Washington who are selfish, vindictive bullies with no intention of working for the betterment of everyday citizens by showing up to vote them out. Republicans in the House of Reps have had two years to show they can work for us. They have failed, and it's time to show up to hire people who will do just that. That's how we make a stand. VOTE.
Steve- here we are. The power is in the hands of those who do the work, not demand the work at lower wages. These two industries can change our country, and if we’re lucky we’ll watch it happen.
This is how it should be, creating their own how it is. I’m here for it.
This column is just a bit disingenuous. The attack on modern labor and the hollowing out of unions began under the sainted Ronald Reagan with the PATCO strike. Republicans, of which Steve was and who he worked to get elected for years, have always championed the corporation and the wealthy over ordinary Americans, going back to the earliest days of the labor movement.
Under Reagan, tax rates for the wealthiest--which were in place to help prevent capitalist aristocratic dynasties--were slashed. CEO pay skyrocketed, the lie of deregulation helping consumers flourished, and the limits on media ownership were demolished. Using his best folksy voice, Regan lulled much of America into believing that dismantling protections was actually beneficial for their lives. So much more destruction was enacted or begun under his administration and inspired more, like “right to work” laws--all which have directly led to our current economic conditions. Not to mention the direct attacks on government as “the problem.”
While I believe Steve is sincere and he is right to laud union leadership, reading this is hard to take having lived through this history. I also take issue with “our politics is broken.” Certainly we have one party that has given up on democracy. The GOP is broken and that is a danger to us all. But the Dems have been consistently passing or trying to pass legislation to improve people’s lives, including comprehensive immigration reform. And politics is at the heart of American life. Depending on who you vote for means whether you have safe drinking water, environmental protections, worker safety protections, and a more equitable society among many other things. This column blames them equally without naming names, lumping politicians on both sides together, which only feeds the cynicism people have and confirms their belief that “both sides are the same.” Dems aren’t perfect, and they made choices based on survival in the 1990s--winning elections to prevent total GOP control. But they never lost sight of moving the entire nation forward, not just an entitled slice.
The problem is too many American don’t understand the connection between politics, elections, and daily life. The media certainly fails in connecting the dots. If more did, I believe we would see different outcomes. The GOP know that their policies would never get them elected, which is why they lie, fearmonger, and pander to some of the worst among us. It’s all they have, and with a propaganda machine behind them, are succeeding way more than they should and are doing everything in their power to cement their control
.
Best essay yet from Steve Schmidt, with nuggets like this: “Fairness isn’t a threat. It’s a necessity.” Hell yeah.
"The people have a right to rein in the excess, and that is what is starting to happen with a resurgent labor movement."
"There is a new wind blowing in the country. New coalitions and new issues will rise as the Trump era finally ends."
While reading your words, I, momentarily, felt hopeful. I pray that your predictions are correct.
As someone who is 20+ years older than you, I have witnessed the destruction of the middle class, at the hands of the wealthiest individuals and greedy corporations. They multiple tax cuts, provided by Reagan, George W Bush and Trump, that never trickled down....and, even despite this faulty theory the current House wants more tax cuts and cuts to social programs, which they say the government can't afford.
Now, the top 10% hold too much wealth, which has given them too much power!
"In the first quarter of 2023, 69 percent of the total wealth in the United States was owned by the top 10 percent of earners. In comparison, the lowest 50 percent of earners only owned 2.4 percent of the total wealth. "
This wealth is driving the authoritarian movement, the Project 2025, and the crumbling our democracy!
Unfortunately, the American people, who vote against their own interests, have some responsibility for this mess.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/203961/wealth-distribution-for-the-us/#:~:text=In%20the%20first%20quarter%20of,percent%20of%20the%20total%20wealth.
https://accountable.us/right-wing-network-plots-to-undermine-democracy-with-project-2025/
It is the moment of reckoning. We either grow back our sustainable heathy work force or give into the domination of China and third world’s unfair labor practices. The giant corporations become less accountable as the voices of workers have diminished. The dollar disparity between the CEO’s compensation and the workers’ pay is the most obscene ever. It is the most important moment to help citizens avoid the poverty trap and the nation to avoid the liability of unmanageable welfare cost of its people. It is the best investment we will ever make in the US by giving the workers the incentive to strive for their very best, and the industry to stay right where they sell their products and make the biggest profits. We must come out if this moment not barely surviving but triumphant and better. The nation that respects the workers rights, cares for the environment and gives hope to the rest of the world must come out better after each and every daunting moment like this.
Always look for the Union label in everything you need to buy. Stand up and support the unions and don’t let anyone get away lying about the evils of Trade Unions. Capitalism can be greedy and evil...and unions are the best way to build a strong middle class in America. Time to pass a whole package of pro union legislation that has been held up by greed and scummy, corrupt politicians who are in the pocket of big businesses.
Senior corporation management has been a racket in America for decades. For the average worker to be able to earn a truly liveable age has for far too long been seen as something unrealistic, unreachable, socialist or un-American. It's all been part of the big-money narrative to keep the outlandish mega-profits for CEOs and their inner circles going. It should never be seen as un-American or even a crime for a family to have a secure and decent standard of living. Teachers also fall into this category!!
100%. Im a long time union girl myself. And although I admire Fain, he’s foolish not to support Biden.