I’ve come to the realization that the problem with America is not so much our government, but the control that corporations have on our government. However, since I work in a corporation, I have some ability to influence my corporation’s control on our government. I am certain that there are other Americans who can do the same at their corporations.

How is this possible? Labor laws protect American’s right to concerted action at their place of employment. I have been attempting to form a new union at my employer, Agilent Technologies (used to be part of Hewlett Packard). I’m not trying to align with the teamsters or steelworkers or anyone else. Frankly, I think existing unions are part of the status quo, and business as usual is not working for me. But by advocating for a union, not necessarily a labor contract, I have the right to free speech INSIDE my corporation. I have some complaints on US jobs going to countries where there are low standards of living. A lot of my co-workers share this concern. I also find it strange that almost 20% of my company’s global workforce belongs to unions or labor councils, yet Agilent discriminates against US worker’s labor rights. (Yes, even highly ethical corporations like Agilent and HP don’t always follow the law.) I’ve had to file a few charges with the National Labor Relations Board to assert my rights. Please see my website for details www.agilepeople.org.

Starting a union is not for the faint of heart, but if you are the type of individual that doesn’t mind protesting in the street and being arrested, you might consider protesting at work (and probably getting fired). The upside is that eventually the government does follow up on illegal terminations. If you don’t want to do this yourself (and you are probably smart not to), consider helping spread the word on how micro-unions like Agilepeople can protect democracy and capitalism. I also am supportive of Employee Stock Ownership Plans, which can make the employees into majority shareholders. This is an old concept first proposed in Louis Kelso’s book, The Capitalist Manifesto.

I'm holding an auction on eBay for a 1958 first edition of The Capitalist Manifesto. This book was Bill Hewlett's inspiration to provide HP with a one of the first employee stock purchase plans. It has had support by both Republicans and Democrats for its method to increase ownership for all Americans. I hope that the auction generates some publicity for the concept of democratic corporate ownership.

Best regards,

John Rose
www.agilepeople.org