Speaking of lack of class consciousness...

Photo by Glen Stubbe, Star Tribune. Jan Marek said she’s happy Wal-Mart is standing up to candidates.

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune has a story about corporations seeking to influence their employee-voters, "Big-box retailers launch an inside lobby campaign: Target and Wal-Mart are urging their workers to become more politically aware. Critics say the outreach efforts are political campaigning in disguise." Not that this is anything new.

The other week when I testified at the City Council hearing about the Florida Market was also a big day for the Capital Area Minority Contractors and Business Association and testifying on a myriad of bills against what are called "Project Labor Agreements."

Now, I understand that craft unions in the DC region have been racist in the past, but there is no question that union construction workers make a lot more money than non-union workers.

I didn't have my camera that day. Too bad. The CAMCA brought out busloads of people who sat all day in hearings. I wondered if they were employees or people just paid to fill the seats.

But the workers interest should be directed towards making unions more open, and improving access to apprenticeship programs (which union people did testify about).

The workers interest isn't necessarily the same interest as those of "capital."

Index Keywords: civic-engagement