My father belonged to a construction workers' union. My mother was a member of a union for seamstresses.
I'm a founding member of the Milwaukee Newspaper Guild that represents some employees in the newsroom. I didn't have to join the union; I choose to do so. So I guess you could say I'm a union kind of guy.
So are lots of other people, too. But lots of people aren't, either because they feel no particular connection to unions or have never held a job where union membership was allowed, or required.
This week, thousands of state workers and their supporters gathered in Madison to voice their opposition to Gov. Scott Walker's proposal to take away most collective bargaining rights for members of public labor unions.
The plan was described as a cost-saving move to help ease the state's budget crisis but was also viewed by some as an attack on long-standing workers' rights in Wisconsin.
As a result, state workers and union officials have basically declared war on Walker. It's likely to be a bumpy ride.
Walker apparently thinks the state is too broke to keep negotiating with unions the same way it has done before, although it's not clear why he decided to take that stance at this particular juncture. He might be counting on growing anti-union sentiment that has caused some to question the effectiveness of organized labor, particularly public unions with long-standing agreements - some say "sweetheart deals" - with government.
It's not clear if Walker ever belonged to a union - his résumé lists some part-time jobs and a full-time marketing stint at American Red Cross before he entered politics - but he must certainly realize the strong ties many Wisconsin families have to the union tradition.
For many families, union membership isn't about secret handshakes or monogrammed jackets. It's about a guarantee of fair wages, workplace safety, sick leave and health benefits.
I remember the way my father once put it. The main reason to join a union, he said, was "to make sure the bosses can't just treat you whatever way they want to treat you."
I think the same reasoning applies today.
Of course, unions aren't perfect. My father belonged to a labor union in Philadelphia that excluded African-Americans for decades before finally relenting after a series of civil rights protests. As a result of that advocacy, my father was able to purchase a house, raise a family and help put his children through college on his construction worker's salary.
That's typical of the relationship between many African-Americans and labor unions that may have discriminated earlier in history but eventually opened membership to minorities and women. As a result, much of the nation's black middle-class economy has been sustained by good union jobs in both the public and private sector. Hopefully, that can continue.
Whatever happens with Walker's bill in Madison, recent events suggest Wisconsin union members aren't ready to back down from a good skirmish.
Given their history of fighting for the rights of working men and women, it's in the blood.
الرئيسية 
موضوع: For this union guy, it's in the blood 
الأربعاء فبراير 16, 2011 10:24 pm
