Guys, is it possible to equalize your volumes? I’m very interested in this conversation and am listening through my earbuds. The mic of the gentleman on the left is too loud when I turn it up so I can hear the soft spoken gentleman on the right. Thank you!
How can I "bridge" this gap (below) in my thinking?
I hadn't considered that unions might be an effective force in the fight for a fair and just society in the US.
Naively, possibly because I've only worked in the tech industry and grew up with the rise of open source software and the death of the US auto industry, I associate unions with aniquated, inefficient, protectionism for manual labor.
(For example, I was at MIT's AI Lab before open source existed, while Stallman was talking up his novel idea. Today, I contribute to and benefit from open source software, collaborating with people all over the world. The interconnected world as we know it today wouldn't exist without open source software.)
I'm also pro-immigration and pro-free-trade, and I associate the manifestation of unions in the US with "anti-immigration" and NIMBY. The only unions I can get behind are international.
On the other hand, large corporations, as well as government regulations, maintain and control the infrastructure and systems, including the internet, that enable my creative work, and these are under threat if tyranny prevails.
Is there a modern, international "union" (or some novel idea still in its infancy) that programmers can get behind in the fight against tyranny? Or should we just continue to keep our heads down and support the Linux Foundation?
You can form your own! That's how they all got started - with one person's voice. And you can make in international which I think is a great idea. The strongest example of a union is The International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Maybe take their model and modify it if you feel you must. You can call up their president and I'm sure they will help you and maybe you can even help them get more digitally engaged(?). Unions support the forming of other unions and, ideally, they back each other up. Think of all unions striking together for workers' rights like fair and safe working conditions and a living wage. It would be very powerful. And in your area of expertise, a company would not last long without the services you provide. I think you're really into something! Good luck!
I was very interested in listening to this Substack but it was difficult to do. You need to find a way to moderate the volume between the conversants. Mr. Litman's voice is extremely loud and Mr. Podhorzer's is much quieter. Every time Mr. Litman spoke, I jumped because it was so loud.
I do remember the Solidarity Union in Gdansk shipyards in Poland under Soviet Russian domination in late 1980s and its successes with leader Lech Walesa.
Thank you Mike Podhorzer for positioning Rile Of Law vs. Rule By Fiat courts/judges and the danger of thinking we can count on Rule Of Law court rulings to stand in face of review by Rule By Fiat courts.
As well for the brief history of U.S. labor unions in workers and overall civil rights, with unions’ ability to mobilize when branches of government do not uphold those rights — which are shared rights of every citizen, needing to be defended Now.
I call for testimony under oath and certified cost and pricing data to underpin Republican’s promised budget cuts in the $ trillions. This is a reasonable request to a convicted felon. We either get that, or all rural hospitals will soon be gone, lost due to $833 billion in Medicaid cuts. Farmers are going to lose $230 billion. Rural America dozes. Democrat leaders are not asking for testimony or certified data. They must subpoena dodging Musk and DOGE. That is as we all watch the lies day after day.
Great info on the unions. They've gotten a bad name in recent decades. And when my Gen Z son was working for Amazon, driving and delivering packages they pushed the worker so hard to deliver more and more packages in in a shift until he finally got hurt and couldn't work for awhile. If he'd had a good shop steward that kind of pressure might have been dealt with or a strike might have occurred to come to agree on what was a safe number of packages to be delivered during an average shift. Also, I had to insist he fight to get the hiring bonus they promised him and teach him to fight for his rights. They don't know how hard labor fought to hey fair working conditions for workers. People were willing to go hungry for weeks and months during strikes in order to fight for what they needed, and even physically get involved, blocking scab truck drivers, and such, whose willingness to take the Union jobs during the strike weakened the strikers' impact.
UNIONS NEED A RESURGENCE. AND DEMS CAN'T SIT ON THEIR LAURELS. THEY NEED A NEW FIRE IN THEIR BELLY.
Guys, is it possible to equalize your volumes? I’m very interested in this conversation and am listening through my earbuds. The mic of the gentleman on the left is too loud when I turn it up so I can hear the soft spoken gentleman on the right. Thank you!
A Lifelong NYSUT/AFT member
When I achieved the correct volume for the guest, Mr. Litman was screaming in my ear.
How can I "bridge" this gap (below) in my thinking?
I hadn't considered that unions might be an effective force in the fight for a fair and just society in the US.
Naively, possibly because I've only worked in the tech industry and grew up with the rise of open source software and the death of the US auto industry, I associate unions with aniquated, inefficient, protectionism for manual labor.
(For example, I was at MIT's AI Lab before open source existed, while Stallman was talking up his novel idea. Today, I contribute to and benefit from open source software, collaborating with people all over the world. The interconnected world as we know it today wouldn't exist without open source software.)
I'm also pro-immigration and pro-free-trade, and I associate the manifestation of unions in the US with "anti-immigration" and NIMBY. The only unions I can get behind are international.
On the other hand, large corporations, as well as government regulations, maintain and control the infrastructure and systems, including the internet, that enable my creative work, and these are under threat if tyranny prevails.
Is there a modern, international "union" (or some novel idea still in its infancy) that programmers can get behind in the fight against tyranny? Or should we just continue to keep our heads down and support the Linux Foundation?
You can form your own! That's how they all got started - with one person's voice. And you can make in international which I think is a great idea. The strongest example of a union is The International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Maybe take their model and modify it if you feel you must. You can call up their president and I'm sure they will help you and maybe you can even help them get more digitally engaged(?). Unions support the forming of other unions and, ideally, they back each other up. Think of all unions striking together for workers' rights like fair and safe working conditions and a living wage. It would be very powerful. And in your area of expertise, a company would not last long without the services you provide. I think you're really into something! Good luck!
Be well!
Christy 🇺🇲❤️🕊🙏
I was very interested in listening to this Substack but it was difficult to do. You need to find a way to moderate the volume between the conversants. Mr. Litman's voice is extremely loud and Mr. Podhorzer's is much quieter. Every time Mr. Litman spoke, I jumped because it was so loud.
I do remember the Solidarity Union in Gdansk shipyards in Poland under Soviet Russian domination in late 1980s and its successes with leader Lech Walesa.
Thank you Mike Podhorzer for positioning Rile Of Law vs. Rule By Fiat courts/judges and the danger of thinking we can count on Rule Of Law court rulings to stand in face of review by Rule By Fiat courts.
As well for the brief history of U.S. labor unions in workers and overall civil rights, with unions’ ability to mobilize when branches of government do not uphold those rights — which are shared rights of every citizen, needing to be defended Now.
I call for testimony under oath and certified cost and pricing data to underpin Republican’s promised budget cuts in the $ trillions. This is a reasonable request to a convicted felon. We either get that, or all rural hospitals will soon be gone, lost due to $833 billion in Medicaid cuts. Farmers are going to lose $230 billion. Rural America dozes. Democrat leaders are not asking for testimony or certified data. They must subpoena dodging Musk and DOGE. That is as we all watch the lies day after day.
https://bit.ly/4hUbbWU
Great info on the unions. They've gotten a bad name in recent decades. And when my Gen Z son was working for Amazon, driving and delivering packages they pushed the worker so hard to deliver more and more packages in in a shift until he finally got hurt and couldn't work for awhile. If he'd had a good shop steward that kind of pressure might have been dealt with or a strike might have occurred to come to agree on what was a safe number of packages to be delivered during an average shift. Also, I had to insist he fight to get the hiring bonus they promised him and teach him to fight for his rights. They don't know how hard labor fought to hey fair working conditions for workers. People were willing to go hungry for weeks and months during strikes in order to fight for what they needed, and even physically get involved, blocking scab truck drivers, and such, whose willingness to take the Union jobs during the strike weakened the strikers' impact.
UNIONS NEED A RESURGENCE. AND DEMS CAN'T SIT ON THEIR LAURELS. THEY NEED A NEW FIRE IN THEIR BELLY.
Thank you!
Christy 🇺🇲❤️🕊
I wish Michael would stop interrupting his guest.
What if we had a tax revolt?
Corporations see employees as leased slaves. Tempertantrump is making U.S. taxpayers pay slave owners.
There needs to be a union if unions to coordinate actions aimed at protection of worker's rights
Corrections:
*it
*onto
Mr. Pitman, I think you're coming over much louder than you think. Just fyi. Thank you!
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/02/corruption-trump-administration/681794/?gift=4dTfJpaWKAxPRgFrKJwrAJ-Vynm9u7AcdT7Ukld6NSo&utm_source=email&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=social. Here's what you need to do to defeat Trump and his gang. (1) INCOMPETENCE (2) CORRUPTION with examples of real people and evidence of real lives that people can SEE and FEEL (Show and Tell) near them - Everywhere. ALL THE TIME! Especially in the red areas and rural areas of America. They are the ones who are really going to get hammered and pay a huge price!! Do Not let right wing media keep up the lies 24/7/365, show how they are lying to the very people they are talking to, with examples and real people and how their lives are being destroyed!