No particular enemy. I was just trying to say that I put the workingman's interests first, even before my own party.
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The next morning the first session of the Central Atlantic Labour Conference gets underway in what used to be the boardroom of the Trustees of the New Lancaster School of Economics, before parts of the vacated campus were rented by by CAFTA. A team of translators provides simultaneous translation into English, French, and Spanish. Loic de Fourgéres addresses the delegates.
"As acting chairper of CAFTA, I would like to welcome the delgates to the Central Atlantic Labour Conference from St. Esprit, Tilapia, and the United Provinces of Eutopia to New Lancaster, and our offices. I am here merely to act as a facilitator, as unlike you, I am not a labour leader. This is your meeting, and most of the benefits, if it is productive, will accrue to your organizations. To the extent that this indirectly could help improve relations, or at least reduce suspicions, between our nations, it would be a beneficial by-product, but not the main point of this meeting. In the invitiations, the following draft agenda was circulated."
"As acting chairper of CAFTA, I would like to welcome the delgates to the Central Atlantic Labour Conference from St. Esprit, Tilapia, and the United Provinces of Eutopia to New Lancaster, and our offices. I am here merely to act as a facilitator, as unlike you, I am not a labour leader. This is your meeting, and most of the benefits, if it is productive, will accrue to your organizations. To the extent that this indirectly could help improve relations, or at least reduce suspicions, between our nations, it would be a beneficial by-product, but not the main point of this meeting. In the invitiations, the following draft agenda was circulated."
"If anyone wants to suggest changes or additions, please speak up, if not, I would ask you consider the first topic. After everyone has had ample opportunity to have their say on that topic, I will act to sum up any areas of agreement or items for further action, and take you to the next topic. I hereby declare the Central Altantic Labour Conference to be in session."
Being such close neighbors and especially with CAFTA, the movement of labour across borders is unavoidable. It is inconsistent and counterproductive to keep union memberships seperate and national while trade and labour moves freely across borders. Wages and benefits negotiated by the unions should be the same for craftsmen and workers of all nationalities. Employers should have no incentive to seek cheap labour, because there should be no cheap labour if we work together. If we do not work together, CAFTA has the potential to be detrimental to the workers of all our nations. It is our duty to insure that employers accomplish nothing of the sort.
When it comes time for negotiation of contracts, (and this ties into topic #3 as well), the benefits fought for should apply to all those that the company employs, regardless of where they live. Unions without borders is my message.
When it comes time for negotiation of contracts, (and this ties into topic #3 as well), the benefits fought for should apply to all those that the company employs, regardless of where they live. Unions without borders is my message.
During a break in the session, a group of children from an afterschool activity program coordidated by a New Lancaster City union local arrives. In reasonable unison, the children recite two poems, the first one by Joe Hill...
...and the other about him...
Cornelius smiles and applauds the children after they've finished.
You kids did a good job. Joe Hill was a great man, and he truly is with us in the ECL.
He starts whistling the tune of the Starvation Army.
You kids did a good job. Joe Hill was a great man, and he truly is with us in the ECL.
He starts whistling the tune of the Starvation Army.
Marcos snuffs out a cigarette when the children come in to recite their poems, much to his surprise. He listens attentively and claps politely when they finish. After their exit, he turns to Dank and addresses the issue he brought up, lighting another cigarette and waving it around at times for emphasis.
"I disagree with you, Senor Dank. Perhaps movement beyond borders is inevitable, but national and separate labor unions are far more palatable to myself and the unions in Tilapia than another go at a pan-island conglomeration. There are separate concerns in individual areas that a large multi-national group of unions cannot satisfactorily address. Someone has to get marginalized, and for years it has been us. Tilapian labor will not accept a repeat arrangement.
Unity and equality are nice ideals, and sound all well and good, but they are rarely, if ever, achieved in actuality. They certainly weren't when we were part of the ECL. Besides, economic conditions in the UPE are very different from those in St. Esprit or Tilapia...local autonomy is more important and useful, in my mind, than some sort of blanket arrangement. Not to mention the fact that the UPE still is, and long has been, particularly unappealing for companies who want to open businesses, while we are getting new investment. Our hours are longer, and we work hard, but our benefits are good and our pay is higher...and we're getting some new jobs.
My point is, if you have some sort of multi-national 'union without borders', how do you deal with the fact that your different members may want different things? For example, our unions would rather have jobs that require longer hours than have shorter hours and no jobs at all. We were once in the ECL, and frankly, it didn't work. Latin concerns were cast aside in favor of Anglo supremacy. You're dealing with a patchwork of different ideas, jobs, ethnicities, and local concerns, and you can't compromise it all and still lead to something satisfactory in the end. How would you set up this 'unions without borders' so that it actually functions while taking all that into account?"
-vS as Tilapia
"I disagree with you, Senor Dank. Perhaps movement beyond borders is inevitable, but national and separate labor unions are far more palatable to myself and the unions in Tilapia than another go at a pan-island conglomeration. There are separate concerns in individual areas that a large multi-national group of unions cannot satisfactorily address. Someone has to get marginalized, and for years it has been us. Tilapian labor will not accept a repeat arrangement.
Unity and equality are nice ideals, and sound all well and good, but they are rarely, if ever, achieved in actuality. They certainly weren't when we were part of the ECL. Besides, economic conditions in the UPE are very different from those in St. Esprit or Tilapia...local autonomy is more important and useful, in my mind, than some sort of blanket arrangement. Not to mention the fact that the UPE still is, and long has been, particularly unappealing for companies who want to open businesses, while we are getting new investment. Our hours are longer, and we work hard, but our benefits are good and our pay is higher...and we're getting some new jobs.
My point is, if you have some sort of multi-national 'union without borders', how do you deal with the fact that your different members may want different things? For example, our unions would rather have jobs that require longer hours than have shorter hours and no jobs at all. We were once in the ECL, and frankly, it didn't work. Latin concerns were cast aside in favor of Anglo supremacy. You're dealing with a patchwork of different ideas, jobs, ethnicities, and local concerns, and you can't compromise it all and still lead to something satisfactory in the end. How would you set up this 'unions without borders' so that it actually functions while taking all that into account?"
-vS as Tilapia
Loic, in his role as a facilitator observes:
"Per Dank suggested that a company operating in two or three of our countries should face one union, not two or three, which might allow them to play one off against another. Pro Consul Marcos stated that should not be accomplished by recreating an Anglo-dominated pan-island multi-national union or conglomeration of unions, and reminded us of the actual and possible differences in objectives between a Tilapian worker and one in the UPE.
I would be interested to hear Monsieur Maquereau's views. In addition, is there some way that a company operating in two or three of our countries could face one union, without having a complete conglomeration of all unions, or if that proves unworkable, is there some way to assist coordination between the different national unions facing one company?"
"Per Dank suggested that a company operating in two or three of our countries should face one union, not two or three, which might allow them to play one off against another. Pro Consul Marcos stated that should not be accomplished by recreating an Anglo-dominated pan-island multi-national union or conglomeration of unions, and reminded us of the actual and possible differences in objectives between a Tilapian worker and one in the UPE.
I would be interested to hear Monsieur Maquereau's views. In addition, is there some way that a company operating in two or three of our countries could face one union, without having a complete conglomeration of all unions, or if that proves unworkable, is there some way to assist coordination between the different national unions facing one company?"
Pro Consul Marco's concerns that such a union of unions would result in the same problems that caused the split are quite understable. But the ECL has no desire to exert that kind of top down authority upon its constituents. In the day laborer issue the ECL proved that it will no longer put Anglo concerns above the workers of other nations. I believe a decentralized federation of unions is possible without causing a conflict of interests between the members, so long as the rights and concerns of every union are respected.
We must preserve the balance between worker and boss. Exploitation of the worker must be combated at every turn, whether it be by the employer, or, as Pro Consul Marcos has warned, by unions.
In any case, it is imperative that the labor movements of our nations maintain close relations and keep an open forum for discussion and coordination on important issues. When we're divided, they win. Together, we are unstoppable.
We must preserve the balance between worker and boss. Exploitation of the worker must be combated at every turn, whether it be by the employer, or, as Pro Consul Marcos has warned, by unions.
In any case, it is imperative that the labor movements of our nations maintain close relations and keep an open forum for discussion and coordination on important issues. When we're divided, they win. Together, we are unstoppable.
[OOC: Dang it, I just lost a post...I was finishing it, and hit backspace, and instead of deleting the last letter it moved to the last web page I was viewing!! The following is a condensed version]
M. Maquereau speaks up. "Why can't we find a middle ground? On one side we have a company dealing with three separate unions wanting different things...on the other side it deals with one giant mega-union heedless of national borders! Surely there is a middle option?
"Perhaps unions can coordinate efforts between them, and work together when dealing with international companies. But each union covers that company's workers in the union's own nation. So Renard Rouge workers in St. Esprit and Eutopia are represented by separate organizations, but those organizations can work together and press Renard for the same thing simultaneously if necessary."
M. Maquereau speaks up. "Why can't we find a middle ground? On one side we have a company dealing with three separate unions wanting different things...on the other side it deals with one giant mega-union heedless of national borders! Surely there is a middle option?
"Perhaps unions can coordinate efforts between them, and work together when dealing with international companies. But each union covers that company's workers in the union's own nation. So Renard Rouge workers in St. Esprit and Eutopia are represented by separate organizations, but those organizations can work together and press Renard for the same thing simultaneously if necessary."
Merci, Monsieur Maquereau, I think you have summed up the middle ground quite well. As everyone seems to have a say on this topic, and the day is almost over, why don't we break for now, unless someone else has something to add?
For those of us with goverment matters that must be attended to, there will be a two hour break before dinner. For those with more leisure time, we will be screening "Norma Rae" in the auditorium next door, for which Sally Field won an academy award for her role organizing a texile mill. In the next session, if it is still agreeable, we will be discussing "...the issues raised by the 'day citizens' protest in Hurteau, Nouvelle Acquitaine." Cornelius Dank did some research into the actual impact, so I would ask him to recap those findings for us, but of course we are more interested in the causes than the results.
For those of us with goverment matters that must be attended to, there will be a two hour break before dinner. For those with more leisure time, we will be screening "Norma Rae" in the auditorium next door, for which Sally Field won an academy award for her role organizing a texile mill. In the next session, if it is still agreeable, we will be discussing "...the issues raised by the 'day citizens' protest in Hurteau, Nouvelle Acquitaine." Cornelius Dank did some research into the actual impact, so I would ask him to recap those findings for us, but of course we are more interested in the causes than the results.
Loic distributes a copy of the study previously published by the ECL about the 'day citizens' situation.
"Per Dank seems to have prevented any further protests from within his ranks. Has this issue now faded in significance? Does anyone have anything more to say about this, or should we move on to the third topic, 'Relative standards for working conditions across the island of Eutopia', which was already touched upon?"
As you mentioned, we might want to discuss the causes of this event, which is related both to the previous topic of conversation and the next. Like I said before, I think a stronger bond and better communication between our labour movements can help prevent some of this.
The other part has to do with the relative standards for working conditions across the island of Eutopia. If employers have to pay both workers the same and give them the same benefits, there's no incentive to fire one worker over another, and consequently nasty aftereffects like nativism and racism can be prevented. Obviously this is greatly in the interest of all our movements, improving working conditions (and wages, hours, etc) generally being a labour movement's chief goal.
The other part has to do with the relative standards for working conditions across the island of Eutopia. If employers have to pay both workers the same and give them the same benefits, there's no incentive to fire one worker over another, and consequently nasty aftereffects like nativism and racism can be prevented. Obviously this is greatly in the interest of all our movements, improving working conditions (and wages, hours, etc) generally being a labour movement's chief goal.
Returning from a break, Loic speaks privately with Pro Consul Marcos' security detail, informing them of the murder of a Latin labour leader in Eutopia City, instructing them to ignore what he was about to say if they stayed. Before reconvening the session, he allows them a chance to escort the Tilapian head of government out of the venue if they deem it appropriate. Looking straight at Cornelius Dank, he says,
"Gentleper, I have learned that a brave labour leader, Mark Caplan, was shot last night in Eutopia City. He died while being transported to the hospital. His assassins are still at large, but we have a reasonable description of one of them, and he is actively being pursued at this moment. Mark Caplan was the FLEA agent who was in the process of organizing that previously non-unionized group. He was shot while on duty, near the statue of Morgan, in the city park. I don't know if the killing was related to his law enforcement duties or his organization of the workers, but neither is a safe profession. Let us have a moment of silence in his memory, and in the memory of labour leaders everywhere who have been killed for trying to organize."
Loic clasps his hands and bows his head, pausing for 30 seconds before contining.
"Gentleper, I have learned that a brave labour leader, Mark Caplan, was shot last night in Eutopia City. He died while being transported to the hospital. His assassins are still at large, but we have a reasonable description of one of them, and he is actively being pursued at this moment. Mark Caplan was the FLEA agent who was in the process of organizing that previously non-unionized group. He was shot while on duty, near the statue of Morgan, in the city park. I don't know if the killing was related to his law enforcement duties or his organization of the workers, but neither is a safe profession. Let us have a moment of silence in his memory, and in the memory of labour leaders everywhere who have been killed for trying to organize."
Loic clasps his hands and bows his head, pausing for 30 seconds before contining.
Pro Consul Marcos indicates that he intends to stay to the end of the conference, whenever that is, and that he is confident that if someone is assassinating latin labor leaders, they will have their hands full trying to get him. He expresses his condolences, and asks for the name of the victim, in case they worked together before, which is possible if not likely.
When Loic announces the victim's name as Mark Caplan, Carlos raises an eyebrow, but brings it back down and plays along.
After the break, he waits for the St. Espritian representative to speak out on the day laborer issue, as Tilapia has not had a similar problem.
-vS as Tilapia
When Loic announces the victim's name as Mark Caplan, Carlos raises an eyebrow, but brings it back down and plays along.
After the break, he waits for the St. Espritian representative to speak out on the day laborer issue, as Tilapia has not had a similar problem.
-vS as Tilapia
The St. Espritian delegate, too, offers his condolences and appears to be sincerely moved by the news.
After the break, he makes clear his support for some sort of island-wide labor standards rule, but remains silent on the day workers' issue.
After the break, he makes clear his support for some sort of island-wide labor standards rule, but remains silent on the day workers' issue.
"We seem to have covered topic two and some of topic three. If the delgates from Tilapia or the United Provinces of Eutopia have anything to add about 'some sort of island-wide labor standards' then please feel free to add your thoughts. If not, then perhaps the best idea would be for Monsieur Maquerau, if he is willing, to draft a framework of what he had in mind when he gets back home, which could be circulated for comments. Before we conclude, let me ask if you think this forum has been useful? Would it make sense to convene again in the future, perhaps with a different format?"
"I will certainly draft some sort of outline for island-wide labor standards - or get my friends in the unions to do the real work and cut and paste it all together," muses Maquereau. "And this has certainly been a most excellent conference. You have the most excellent plastic chandelier - it looks so real!" Fourgéres glares at Maquereau, who returns to the subject. "Oh, yes, I think this conference was most excellent and I look forward to coming back."
The CAFTA office in New Lancaster was a good distance away from the blast site, and suffers some cracked windows. The picture of the President was dislodged from its place over the mantle, and shattered next to the fireplace.
- Voshkod as demi-mod
- Voshkod as demi-mod
Pro Consul Carlos Marcos seems about to say something when the sound of a distant blast rolls through the room, and several of the windows crack. He watches, his jaw slowly opening, as the picture of the President falls from the wall, and then looks up to see the now-famous chandelier sway perilously before coming to a stop. He has grown very pale, and in a quiet voice asks "What the Hell was that?"
-vS as Tilapia
-vS as Tilapia
Maqueareau looks suitably alarmed as well, and moves carefully out of the way of the chandelier before it stops swinging. Flipping out a prototype-model cellular-camera-audio-video phone, he walks out to the hallway, dodging glass shards on the floor.