I am gladdened by the news that striking service workers at the University of Miami won a small victory by finally reaching an agreement with Unicco Service Company to form a union via card check.

The thing is, in any government-supported marketplace (and let’s face it, there’s no other kind of functional marketplace) there are two forces: those who own and control the means of production, and those who do not and must work for those who do. A healthy marketplace is regulated by the government through law so that the two forces are more equal than they would be with no regulation. With no regulation, those owners have a strong advantage by virtue of their position. As we saw viscerally in the industrial revolution and its corresponding labor struggles, and as we have continued seeing here in America for decades, and as we are seeing in Mexican maquiladoras and other “free trade” corporate protection schemes.

When the government abandons its role of balancing the system to defend labor, the government’s own ability to govern is soon threatened by the profit-seeking ownership class, and democracy itself is at risk.

Unfortunately, once it gets as far as it has now, the only way back is for labor to stand up and exercise what little power it has available to tug things back towards balance.

So, I’m glad to see something happening somewhere. Even if it’s still not enough yet. (Although I keep hearing positive things about SEIU… Now if only lower castes could start seeing each other as allies instead of seeing each other through the very caste system that’s causing the problems. If the labor movements of the industrial revolution had only overcome their racism, xenophobia, and their own divides between craft and industrial unions, they would have accomplished leagues more than they did. Sadly, the racism and xenophobia hasn’t gone away too much, and the new split between industrial workers and service workers are likely to continue holding labor back.)

In related news, I apparantly need to go read me some Galbraith. I do believe I shall do just that, ASAP.