SO many of those who write about the labor movement have such a limited understanding of what it is. Marlen Ronquillo is not one of them. His column which appeared in this section yesterday was an excellent piece on the decline of unionism in the country. Read the rest of this entry »

THIS question is by now ancient but it is not for one with 5th grade smarts. You need context to get this one right. Whose phone call did the late strongman Marcos always return even if this particular caller was far, far detached from the political, military and business circles of Marcos? And was neither friend nor kin? Read the rest of this entry »

For many of our countrymen, a job that will feed them and their families and provide for a decent roof above their heads is the first step to fighting poverty. And for those who already have jobs, seeking higher wages is the next step to improving their standard of living. Read the rest of this entry »

Public Lives

THERE ARE more workers today who work for wages than was the case 50 years ago. And yet, ironically, the increase in size of the working class has not increased the ranks of organized labor. Workers’ unions today have considerably less power over the conditions of production. Indeed, one can go further and say that countries like the Philippines have less control over the fate of their own economies than before. It is important to ask why as we go through the rituals of another Labor Day. Read the rest of this entry »

Even though U.S. public opinion of unions remains low, a new report finds that labor groups nonetheless improve the general well-being for union and non-union citizens in several industrialized countries. Read the rest of this entry »

Without demeaning Filipino labor, its strength and voice through the years has increasingly been diminished and silenced. This year, sans the din of election campaigning, we note that there are fewer workers who would march the streets or lay their lives for the cause. Read the rest of this entry »