One thing that’s frustrating about Labor Day is the absence of labor, that is, of trade unions, from the day. Our Only President, in his perfunctory message, pointedly addresses workers as individuals, rather than as part of a movement. He also fails to talk about the history of Labor, of the struggle that is commemorated and engaged in today. Our Last President was somewhat better, saying things like Labor Day is an opportunity to recognize those who began the fight to improve working conditions and labor laws for Americans, as well as those who continue to ensure dignity in the workplace, integrity in our society, and honor in the global marketplace. But even our pro-business Democrat was wont to talk about labor either in terms of history or in terms of a partnership between business and labor, or business, labor and government.
This is not a day to celebrate business. You want a Business Day? Fine, proclaim one. But today is Samuel Gompers Day, today is Dolores Huerta day, today is Harry Bridges Day, today is Lucy Parsons Day, today is Andy Stern Day, today is Walter Reuther Day, today is George Meaney Day, today is Mother Jones Day, today is John J. Sweeney Day, today is John Wilhelm Day, today is John Gage Day, today is today is Gerald McEntee Day, today is Reg Weaver Day. Kiss a union worker for me.
chazak, chazak, v’nitchazek,
-Vardibidian.
Joe Hill Day!
(And here I am at work. Grmph.)
Darn it, Theo’s outgrown his UFW romper!
Why don’t unions offer some sort of associate membership or “friend of the union” option?
I miss being a dues-paying member of United Auto Workers. If I could continue as an associate member of some sort, that could benefit them and me. UAW could have a larger membership to communicate with and mobilize, which is useful in their political leverage if not in negotiating with management. I could make a clear annual statement in support of unions, and maybe get back my UAW discount at Lenscrafters.
A story which aired on NPR on Labor Day (a day we who work at small formerly-Quaker colleges
in upstate New Yorklabor upon) pointed out that an increasingly small percent of Americans are in labor unions or even personally know anyone who is in one. Though they didn’t (as I recall) mention my hypothesis, I suspect this is because large manufacturing labor unions with strong community presence are now concentrated in the midwest; while there are still trade unions in the east/west, class differences lead to relatively few of us knowing, eg, a union plumber. Public opinion does still favor unions, but barely so, and only by plurality–the percent who are indifferent has grown well into the double-digits in the past couple decades.So the very idea of labor is slipping out of public awareness, and only comes to the fore when there’s a strike which inconveniences people. And then public opinion is split but often more negative than positive, as I read it. It should come to the fore on Labor Day, too, and with highly positive opinion (considering the role of labor historically raising the standards of living for the masses), but I have to admit…
… Of the names you mentioned, Samuel Gompers is the only one which rings any bells at all, and all I could tell you is that I think I learned it in high school U.S. history. Maybe I would have associated it with the labor movement even had I not read it in this context, but quite likely not.
And though I sympathize with the workers’ issues much of the time, I take the strong opinion that transportation-related strikes are always bad for the unions because they have a demonstrated lasting negative effect on ridership, which just leads to more job and benefit cutbacks. I’m not siding with management, but I strongly disagree with union leadership too much of the time. Does that make me a bad American (or humanitarian) in addition to an ignorant one? I honestly don’t know.
does recent language about moderate liberals actually wanting to murder fellow americans alongside terrorists show that there’s still some downward travel possible away from socially progressive economic organization? it’s logically unsupportable but the way the pressure has been building up on ordinary folks lately – more hours, more debt – it wouldn’t surprise that the anxiety is finding that kind of outlet, even if it’s only a mild or partial trend.
commentary about the NYC transit strike scared the heck out of me. the situation seemed a mutual creation of management and labor, including the nasty last minute show-stoppers that the MTA lay down after the news programs had put the city to bed with no worries about the morning commute. so it scared me how many people took the strike personally, in regard to climate change. did the reaction mean that people would resist even well-justified emergency conservation measures out of rote economic concern? was “worse before better” going to pass right across some big opportunity for mitigating the worst impacts?
Much to answer:
Michael
Legally (I believe) labor unions as collective bargaining units cannot take members who are not part of the unit. This may be a bad law, but I think it does make a certain amount of sense. What the union could do is create an affiliate membership group, with dues, which would provide certain benefits to its members and which would serve as support to the union. I don’t exactly know how that would work. I know SEIU was talking about that sort of thing, particularly as a means for people in non-union workplaces to semi-join the union and receive some protections during the organizing process. Anyway, there are legal issues, but it should be possible to get around them. Probably no discount glasses, though.
Wayman
There’s a presumption that union means manufacturing, which is false. There is no reason, for instance, that your job shouldn’t be part of a collective bargaining unit. Similar jobs at other colleges and universities are. Part of why administrative support staff (and clerical and technical staff) don’t unionize is this sense you have about class, that unions are for plumbers. It’s also (historically) about blind sexism in union leadership, who didn’t think you could unionize secretaries. And, yes, unions have (for now) lost the PR war, so that people think unions, rather than corporations, are corrupt and lazy.
As for transportation strikes, well, I don’t know enough about the effects to say anything positively, but I’m sure if strikes were taken off the table, workers would get less money, fewer and less juicy benefits, and substantially worse working conditions and grievance procedures. That doesn’t mean that actually striking is ever a good idea, but then in any workplace striking is only a good idea of the management is acting in bad faith, and then what can you do?
David,
Oh, there’s always downward travel possible. Remember that things in Rome got much worse after Nero. And, yes, people take strikes personally, and would always prefer that people cause trouble somewhere else. And we’re (at the moment) in an angry spot in our culture, but only forty years ago, there were the Sixties. And sixty years before that were the freethinkers and utopians of various stripes. So while you should be scared about people resisting even well-justified emergency measures, it’s nice to reflect that things change, and sometimes get better before they get worse.
Thanks,
-V.
P.S.: Nao—They’re having a sale on these totally cute Viva La Causa posters.
I just kissed a former union worker. Sadly, Catholic colleges (even those in strongly pro-union towns) don’t tend to have faculty unions.
Mmmmm, web surfing. While the UAW doesn’t seem to have any non-worker affiliate option, the AFL-CIO turns out to have a “community affiliate” called Working America. With dues being optional, I don’t know how effective they can get politically, and they’re currently very vague about how many members they have (n+1 as of a few minutes ago), but I like the idea. And they even offer discounts at Lenscrafters (or somewhere similar)!
I may have met Dolores Huerta, but if so I don’t remember her specifically (I would have been around 4 at the time, and my memories from then are a bit hazy).
I’ve certainly met Cesar Chavez, who stayed at my house the night before the 1975 Gallo march. The family story is that I was more enthralled by his dog Huelga, though.
Oh, and I was very excited about writing my own picket sign, too. As I recall, it involved guinea pigs.
Theo’ll probably be getting another UFW shirt the next time my mom goes to La Paz.