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Gregg Shotwell

We Want Action - Poem dedicated to Travis Watkins in Corona Time



Brother Rory

We don’t want to hear about your laundromatic Ethics Committee appointed by the cons for the cons of the cons We don’t want redundant double lip service wringing out of both sides of the same mouth simultaneously We don’t want to see you in your blue collar suit with sleeves rolled up top button unbuttoned and belly unbound

Brother Rory We Want Action We don’t want to hear Live to fight another day Advance to the Rear Backdown to rise Upfront Retreat to beat Defeat We don’t want jointness teamwork win-win claptrap as we consume toxic fumes and choke on token democrats We don’t want pleading piehole rants on how solidarity depends on porkbelly politicians so donate now to my Flower Fund

Brother Rory We Want Action We don’t want triple tiers piece rates permanent temps flexible standards subcontracted supplemental Memorandums of Understanding We don’t want to hear about your years of service or your days back in the days when you banked time working the line We don’t want to hear about your tough talk in the backroom or how you laid down the law Man we want a Trench not a line in the sand Brother Rory We Want Action We don’t want to hear I tried and tried my hands are tied and tangled in excuses piled high as swarming flies on a heap of lies We don’t want to donate time to distracting political acting committees or parade behind to tag a tail on blind leading blind charades We don’t want salable solidarity speeches while you finger wiggle no strike clauses under the table with pie pilfering corpo rats Brother Rory We Want Action We never want to hear again Concessions save jobs wherein organizing drives die on the backs of sweetheart contracts We don’t believe in company union partnerships no matter how much blood money corpos pour into your Solidarity Heaven House We don’t want bootlickin water totin finger waggin donkey men with pretend grins and double motivations praisin profit sharin Brother Rory We Want Action We don’t want to hear about another company union committee appointed to decide our health and safety in a Board Room We don’t want to hear Brother Watkins has to dangle in the air of indecision over workers’ rights to control working conditions We don’t want more weak excuses and deliberated deliberations postponing reinstatement and remuneration Hell No Brother Rory We Want Action We Want Action We Want Action Now

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