My impression is the AFL-CIO was pro free trade until the early 1980's, when Bluestone/Harrison and others began writing about the vanishing 'middle class.'
mbs -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Devine, James Sent: Tuesday, June 11, 2002 3:35 PM To: '[EMAIL PROTECTED]' Subject: [PEN-L:26722] RE: Re: RE: Re: PK on race to the bottom (a different one) I wrote: > >The point is that in the earlier long period of U.S. rule by the > >GOPsters (1861-1932, with short periods of DP rule, under Cleveland > >and Wilson), they regularly raised tariffs. For example, any > >pro-competitive impact that the anti-trust laws had was undermined > >by higher import taxes. Doug writes: > And organized labor was anti-tariff at the time, right? In general, the CIO was anti-tariff until the 1970s. I don't know about the AFL, which was relevant back in the period I mentioned. My impression is that the AFL was more involved in another kind of protectionism, that of being anti-immigrant and anti-Black (and anti-woman-in-the paid workforce). The Knights of Labor, the IWW, and the CP-oriented unions (e.g., the TUUL) were of course better on (some of, all of?) these issues. Please correct me if I'm wrong. Free José Padilla! or at least put him under civilian law rules! JD
