The decline of unionism in the U S whats the best path forward?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Janet Hudgins on November 12, 2010 at 0:44

Hi Bill:
Women need to understand that the only way they can make a fair living and benefits is to work for an organized company. I didn't. I believed big business that there was something wrong with anything on the left and it wasn't until the last of my working years that I did this and it has given me a little money that I would never have had otherwise.
Women should be the big target for unions for the better of both.

Permalink Reply by lana fargis on November 12, 2010 at 9:19

this is a great topic and increasingly relevant one. While unions have not been "asleep" per se, I do perceive that there has been a great shortfall in education of public, as well as that of labour union membership, on the benefits and strengths of organized labour.

I've been recently talking with some of the older labour activists who have, quite frankly, seen it all. Many of them recall different times, different generations, who were aware of their rights and their position in society, and were willing to fight for betterment of working people.

Now, however, I face an increasing number of individuals - from early 20ties to late 30ties - who bought into a slew of irrational statements, propagated through corporate media.

I think there is an incredible opportunity to reach out to public, and win their hearts and minds. Most are looking for direction, answers, and a way to improve their increasingly disparate positions, all the while technology and media have grown cheaper and easier to use.

This talk of solidarity is lovely, but it's time to put our money where our mouths are. As a communications professional, I can vouch for the fact that there aren't enough initiatives to connect with public at large, or reinforce the benefits of organized workplace. It is time to build that bridge and spread our message.

If we do not take the opportunity to do so now, then we may too ultimately fall victim to big business interests.

Permalink Reply by Jacqueline S. Homan on November 12, 2010 at 10:13

Hi Bill, Janet:

First, I think a major part of the issue that organized labor seemed to ignore is outlined in this post and commentaries here:

http://www.unionbook.org/group/newunionism/forum/topics/democracy-v...

And Janet, what you need to understand is that you're leaving out and excluding a lot of poor women when you talk only about reaching out to those fortunate enough to have PAID jobs in this economy.

It is also very patronizing to say "women need to understand"...when THIS woman understands that if it were not for the demonization of poor mothers through the gender division of labor which was used to justify job discrimination against women in non-traditional fields (i.e. construction, heavy equipment operator, pilot, etc.), and the assumption that childrearing or caretaking isn't "work", women might not be skeptical towards feminists and unions. I see how the devaluation of all lines of "women's work", especially motherhood, by feminists and organized labor as well as by the traditionally privileged class of middle/upper class white males, was used to hurt the most vulnerable and defenseless in our society and ultimately bring about welfare reform which undermined everyone's wages.

Calling parenting "work" would foster a lot more support for all workers, and for working moms and women in general. If we saw parenting as an actual job, we would garner more support in society. The reasons parenting should be considered important enough work to merit a paycheck, a health benefits and pension plan, and paid vacation are many as this work ensures that our society will continue after we are gone.

Caretakers take care of adult family members so they're fit for another day of paid labor in the corporate scheme of things. Caretakers raise the next generation of worker bees. Our children will fight in our wars, run our country, and keep up our infrastructure (roads, hospitals, personal care, etc). You cannot expect corporations or governments to support working moms with things like paid leave, sick leave, etc., unless they see parenting as a full time job.

Women's work has always been denigrated and raising children and home care has always been disrespected ,even by feminists (which is why I'm not a feminist). If we raised this work to the important place it deserves, we would see significant positive changes in ALL of our economic futures.

Permalink Reply by Janet Hudgins on November 12, 2010 at 19:16

My comments were about the aspect of working women that I know about. I'm fully aware that running a house and raising children is a whole other misused profession and a whole new subject that I also know about.




Jacqueline S. Homan said:

Hi Bill, Janet:

First, I think a major part of the issue that organized labor seemed to ignore is outlined in this post and commentaries here:

http://www.unionbook.org/group/newunionism/forum/topics/democracy-v...

And Janet, what you need to understand is that you're leaving out and excluding a lot of poor women when you talk only about reaching out to those fortunate enough to have PAID jobs in this economy.

It is also very patronizing to say "women need to understand"...when THIS woman understands that if it were not for the demonization of poor mothers through the gender division of labor which was used to justify job discrimination against women in non-traditional fields (i.e. construction, heavy equipment operator, pilot, etc.), and the assumption that childrearing or caretaking isn't "work", women might not be skeptical towards feminists and unions. I see how the devaluation of all lines of "women's work", especially motherhood, by feminists and organized labor as well as by the traditionally privileged class of middle/upper class white males, was used to hurt the most vulnerable and defenseless in our society and ultimately bring about welfare reform which undermined everyone's wages.

Calling parenting "work" would foster a lot more support for all workers, and for working moms and women in general. If we saw parenting as an actual job, we would garner more support in society. The reasons parenting should be considered important enough work to merit a paycheck, a health benefits and pension plan, and paid vacation are many as this work ensures that our society will continue after we are gone.

Caretakers take care of adult family members so they're fit for another day of paid labor in the corporate scheme of things. Caretakers raise the next generation of worker bees. Our children will fight in our wars, run our country, and keep up our infrastructure (roads, hospitals, personal care, etc). You cannot expect corporations or governments to support working moms with things like paid leave, sick leave, etc., unless they see parenting as a full time job.

Women's work has always been denigrated and raising children and home care has always been disrespected ,even by feminists (which is why I'm not a feminist). If we raised this work to the important place it deserves, we would see significant positive changes in ALL of our economic futures.

Permalink Reply by Joseph Skues on November 21, 2010 at 8:02

Yeah, you got it Bill. applied to get my litle place organized (3 locations and 8 workeers and got told by the teamsters to come back with a place where they could make some money.) Fooey on unions today. But my 12 kis and nephews are still witout ubion priotectio . We must take a hard message person to person.

Permalink Reply by David Wood on February 16, 2011 at 21:45

We need to go on a large scale PR campaign. Commercials, billboards, bumperstickers, whatever. We have been attacked by the media and we are currently under attack by the billion dollar per year union busting industry. We need to educate our own members and get into the schools to teach labor history. We need to assault our politicians with massive amounts of emails and phone calls and let them know what we think. We need to bring back solidarity. There are union members right now shopping at Walmart. Every cop car and fire truck needs to have a bumper sticker that states you city streets are protected by union labor. In short, we need to get off of our asses, stop hating each other, and do something.

Permalink Reply by Joseph Skues on March 19, 2011 at 22:21

In America the unions got fat and lazy and uppity.  I asked Hoffa's office in downtown Detroit for instructions in how to unionize my small factory of 8 men and 1 woman.  I got told to come back when they could make some money off us.  So now unionism lies suffocating in the ditches all across the land.  Now I know I must include everybody in my planned union benefits.  Everybody needs what the German Danish, French, and Swedish unions put in place for every citizen.  Because excluding people like USA  unions are doing just spirals down to oblivion, while including everybody in the benefits we earn  builds strong families and nations.  Again union benefits we earn are not ours to hog.  We have to spread the benefits workers earn  to everybody.

This is a lot of work when the media is paid to denounce and detract from the goal of  family benefits for all.  One good thing is millions of the young adults are afraid there will be no life for them, and I can build them up to go get European Benefits for us.

Permalink Reply by Mike Harris on March 31, 2011 at 13:41

Ohio is the latest state to roll back the strike & bargaining rights.

The NY Times writes:

"... The bill would bar public employees from striking and would
prohibit binding arbitration for police officers and firefighters. It
would allow bargaining over wages, but not health coverage and
pensions and would allow public-employee unions to bargain only when
the public employer chose to do so.
...

"Under the Ohio bill, when there is public-sector bargaining and
management and union fail to reach a settlement, the legislative body,
such as a county or school board, would make the final decision on
what offer to accept. But if the legislative body refrains from
selecting either side’s last best offer, the public employer’s last
offer would become the agreement between the parties.
 ...

The bill would bar any union contract that limited a public employer’s
ability to privatize operations. It eliminates statutory schedules and
steps that automatically increase salaries year by year, and it bars
seniority, by itself, from determining who is to be laid off. "

Permalink Reply by Scott Wallace on April 10, 2011 at 0:20

One thing unions could do is begin to do is use their resources to organize cooperatives. I heard about a project between the United Steel Workers and the Mondragon Cooperative of Spain to do just that. It sounded interesting but I don't know the details. Teachers unions could organize charter schools under cooperative control.  These types of activities could be first steps in an effort to establish an industrial democracy.  A return to the type of class conscious openly socialist unionism that sectors of the labor movement pursued 100 years ago is also necessary.  Class conscious rank and file union members need to agitate openly and explicitly for that. Capitalism has reached a stage in its development where it should be clear to working class people that there are no solutions for us within the context of capitalism and we need to think outside the box.