Why Unions Matter And Not Just to Members Elaine Bernard, PhD Labor and Worklife Program & The Trade Union Program, Harvard Law School Continuous Crisis & Uncertainty Context of the Great Recession of 2008 (near global financial system collapse) caused by the financial sector & failed economic policies of 1
failed economic policies Privatization, Deregulation & Free Trade The Banks were Rescued 2
Wall St. Recovered 3
But not workers. And not their families. 4
Anger but who s the target? Financial Crisis Political Opportunity 5
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26 West Virginia 7
SCAPGOATING PUBLIC EMPLOYEES Every person in every town in America will know the reason their library is closing early is that public employees have defined benefit pensions. -Grover Norquist 8
Attack from multiple fronts create an echo chamber effect Their Agenda Strip voting rights Eliminate services Privatize public goods Slash taxes on the wealthy Eliminate worker protections Eliminate environmental protections Eliminate unions 9
WHY THE WAR ON UNIONS? WHY UNIONS MATTER Union Won Benefits Job security Salary protection Paid vacations Promote consistent/fair treatment Voice in work scheduling Recognition & premium for overtime A say in hiring/promotion A united voice in dealing with the employer Impartial process for resolving complaints Protection against unfair treatment Role in setting and enforcing occupational health & safety standards Collective power in standard setting & promotion of the profession 10
What Do Unions Do? Beyond Wages & Benefits Organization for winning rights Vehicle for exercising rights Schools for democracy where workers learn they have a right to participate in decisions that affect them Builders of a community of interest among members and with the wider community Provide voice vs exit - providing management with valuable, knowledgeable feed back essential for systems improvement Premier institution of civil society, promoting democracy in the workplace, economic and social justice and equality What Unions do for the employers Aggregate employee interests Develop a greater commitment by employees Promote (pride) & professionalism Bring additional training resources Negotiate mutually agreed upon standards (procedural justice) Promote voice (vs exit & reduce turnover) Force competition on factors other than wages (skill, innovation) Provide an institutional memory Form a private, flexible, inexpensive system of workplace regulation (firm based grievance & dispute resolution) 11
Why Unions Matter to Society "In democratic countries, knowledge of how to combine is the mother of all other forms of knowledge; on its progress depends that of all the others." Alexis De Tocqueville 1831 Learning how to combine is learning to be an engaged citizen in a democracy Democracy requires an organized citizenry with the power to articulate and assert its interests effectively. 12
Unions Build Citizenship Political Role of unions (organizing participation) Social goods (acquiring & assuring universality & quality) Economic fairness (for workers in general, living wage, social security) Democracy (rights and responsibilities to participate) Learning Democracy (democratic, self-governing organizations) Develop Leadership Skills Unions - a Countervailing Force to Concentrated Wealth & Corporate Power 13
Louis Brandeis Supreme Court Justice 1916-1939 We may have democracy, or we may have wealth concentration in the hands of a few, but we cannot have both. Unions folks who created the middle class 14
Collective Bargaining a right not a privilege Freedom of association in the workplace means The right to organize (form a union/association) The right to engage in collective bargaining (over wages & working conditions) It s not a privilege granted by government but a right exercised by workers Union Organizing the myth 15
Union Organizing the reality Vast majority of union members did not participate in an organizing campaign. They simply discover they are union members as a result of the job and employer they chose. As an experience good unions need to be experienced to appreciate their true value 16
Importance of the Local Union Experience Where members join the union Where members experience the union Where members become involved in the union Where members shape the character of the union The keystone of the union because it s the foundation for membership participation and leadership development (union, political, community ) LOCAL LEADERS, STEWARDS, BUILDING REPS & WORKSITE LEADERS YOU are the people who are the union to most members. Lighting a Union Fire (experiencing unions learning solidarity) Need to re-ignite unions Move members from passive dues payers to active members (active in the local & active in the community) Requires a focus on how things are done as much as what is done (learning to light fires vs putting them out ) 17
Something s happening 21 st Century Challenge for Unions: Institution vs. Movement 18
The Best Way to Predict the Future is to Create it 19