PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

CALLING ALL UNION PEOPLE WHO ARE 40 YEARS OLD AND YOUNGER!
by stephen donahue Friday, Jul. 02, 2004 at 5:36 PM

I am not sure if i understand what hip is.

I have heard it said at Pittsburgh City Council meetings that those of us who speak out for (I’ll put it in the positive) things like: public ownership of city services, city employees who are really employed by the city, union contracts that reflect a fair collective bargaining process and local taxes that ask the rich to pay more than the poor are old fashioned. We are told that we are the reason that Pittsburgh is in financial trouble and that we must get used to newer and more progressive ways for our city to function.

The neo-liberals must be dancing for joy as they watch a City Council that is entirely made up of Democratic Party members turn on organized labor. Republicans and “free marketeers” have been waiting for this day for years. Of course there are plenty of Democrats as well who are happy to see union contracts pissed on and collective bargaining undermined. Neo-liberalism crossed party lines. The only line it does not cross is the profit line. No, don’t mess with the profit making.

At a recent event at the Warhol Museum for some bicyclists promoting gay marriage, City Council member Bill Peduto, who more than any on Council represents hip and artsy 30 somethings, spoke about how Pittsburgh’s future rests with young progressives and professionals and not with, “850 fire fighters.” He was referring to the organized efforts by the fire fighters union (IAFF Local 1) opposing the Act 47 law with its provisions that mandate layoffs and basically do away with collective bargaining for city bargaining units. He called on the hipster crowd to organize so that the old ways, epitomized by labor unions will no longer bring our city down.

So a phony line is being drawn. On one side are the supposed forces of reaction: the old guard, the unartsy and unhip blue collar union members of the city. On the other side are the hip, young, beautiful people who are progressive and talented.

Here is an idea. If you are a member of a labor union and you are less than 40 years of age maybe you need to introduce yourself to the Pittsburgh City Council. If you are “creative” young and a union member then the Council really needs to meet you. Wouldn’t it be neat to go to a City Council meeting where during the public comment time young, creative and hip (?) union members were introducing themselves to the City Council?

The union song asks, “Which side are you on?” There is a genuine line being drawn in our city right now. On one side are the forces of neo-liberalism that will use these hard times to further their agenda of privatization, union busting and profit taking at other people’s expense. On the other side are those who say NO to all this. Age and perceived hipness do not determine what side of the line each one of us is on.
Commitment to economic justice does and so does greed.

I am over 40 and untalented so I don’t count but for those who do, let City Council know that union members are strong, proud and that some are even young, progressive and “hip.”

Hey, how many hipsters does it take to fix Pittsburgh? What? You don’t know.

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