Perhaps this post would be better for Labor Day than Columbus Day, but either way it's something that I think is important. Labor unions often get painted with broad strokes as relics and dinosaurs just waiting for mammals to take over the world. Heck, I have some very progressive friends who have voiced that opinion. But that doesn't make it right, or even defensible.
Last week I attended the SEIU-UHW Leadership Conference, and talked to a few people there about why unions, in general, and their union, in specific are important. I thought the responses were interesting in a number of ways. But I'll frame this post using the words of Jorge Rodriguez, the executive vice president of SEIU-UHW, and the former president of SEIU Local 399, the LA area SEIU health union that merged to form UHW. I'll just paraphrase those words: "The status of labor is directly correlated to the status of the middle class."
That might seem to be something of a truism, but look back, and you'll see it's true. In countries where labor is strong, the middle class is strong. We can pour through the history books, union membership data and economic data to show that this is true. Growth of union membership is uniquely tied to growth of the middle class. When labor was at its height of membership (%-wise) during the middle of the 20th century, the middle class boomed and flourished. People were stable and confident in their futures within their workplace, and productivity reflected that worker content.
This weekend, SEIU-UHW is having a little get-together. Just a few friends getting together. 2000 healthcare workers, a quiet bunch, just trying to relax.
Ok, I jest just a little bit. At about 9:30 this morning the lights went out and slowly the drums began. For fifteen minutes, the drums went on, slowly bringing the pitch to a crescendo, when several union members came to the floor, with those six words: Our Vision, Our Voice, Our Union.
Let me just say this up front, chills are kind of standard around here. Even ingnoring the over air-conditioned San Jose Convention Center, you can't help but get the chills. From the charismatic leaders like Sal Rosselli and Jorge Rodriguez, to rank and file members telling their success stories. This video, titled Winning in 2008, shows just how important this moment in labor history really is. Besides the elections that will determine so much, the union has an exciting year come up. Both of the old locals that merged together have been fighting for decades, and now with their vision of organizing along with high standards, they will be fighting for workers for a long time.
Over the next two days, you'll be seeing some more posts about this event. Labor is so important to building a progressive movement in this state and the nation. The middle class of this nation cannot exist without a strong labor movement, or to put in Jorge Rodriguez's words: "To rebuild the middle class, we must rebuild the labor movement."
