Wyatt Ellis

April 15, 2006

America In Solidarity

Scholarship Application Essay

Why America Sill Needs Labor Unions

The purpose of this essay is to give my opinion on why American workers still need labor unions. The prompt seems to imply that we in fact do need unions, but my question is does America really need labor unions at all? Labor unions’ aims are maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment. Some of these conditions they aim to improve are wages, medical benefits, reasonable workdays, job security, and safety. Why would unions need to fight for these things if they have an employer who would willingly pay a fair wage, give medical benefits, promise job security, and ensure a safe working environment? The answer is, as sad as it may sound, that this type of employer does not exist, and workers must unite to ensure these things will be given.

            My knowledge and experience with unions comes directly from the ILWU, Local 23, where my grandfather, father, uncles, and cousins are all members. Growing up, I took what the union had given my family for granted, not out of disrespect or lack of appreciation, but out of ignorance. My whole life, our family had great medical benefits, my Dad had a schedule that allowed him to take days off when he needed, and he didn’t have the stress or worry of losing his job. I had always thought that this is the way every American’s job was. As I grew up and began to understand how business, economics, and politics worked, I realized that this is far from the reality. All of these things that my father and other ILWU members rightfully enjoy are things that the union had fought for. The ILWU began when workers of all races and beliefs came together with one single purpose: to achieve a better life for themselves and their families. “The history of the ILWU, the record of its origins and traditions, is about workers who built a union that is democratic, militant and dedicated to the idea that solidarity with other workers and other unions is the key to achieving economic security and a peaceful world.” (ILWU.org) Economic security and a peaceful world is why America needs labor unions.

            The time period and context in which the ILWU began is vastly different from the times now, but the attitude and purpose is the same. Everything including the work itself, the political climate, and issues that the union and employers fight over has changed. The vessels that longshoremen used to work on were general cargo, and the work was very irregular. Today, the majority of ships hold containers and there is a fairly steady flow of work year round. So the question, again, is why do we still need labor unions? Unions are necessary to continue protecting workers from the same issues that they have had since the start as well as unforeseen, new issues that may arise.

Today’s political climate on the national level is not in favor of unions, let alone one as powerful as the ILWU. As we have already witnessed in 2002, as the longshoremen and the employer had disputes on contract issues, the PMA locked out the longshoremen, which enabled the Bush Administration to seek a national emergency injunction under the Taft-Hartley Act. Opponents of the union have suggest moving longshore workers from under the National Labor Relations Act, which allows workers the right to collective bargaining and strike, to coverage under the Railway Labor Act, which would deny this union the right to strike. Under similar circumstances, in 1981 Ronald Reagan fired over 13,000 striking air-traffic controllers after ignoring his order to return to work. This blatant disregard of workers’ rights is precisely why workers must unionize.

As the ILWU website stated above suggests, unions must not only work for their own, but all working men and women, and all unions. The air-traffic controllers’ strike was supported by 85% of their workers. This was still not enough because only about 1,650 had returned to work. Even when nearly all of the workers of such a large union were on strike, they still were unsuccessful. It is the responsibility of all unions help out other unions and create a positive view of unions in the public eye, so laws which deny 1^st Amendment rights, like the right to assemble, will not be implemented. It is also their responsibility to help non-union workers establish a sense of solidarity with their fellow workers.

Now that I have explained why I think America still needs labor unions, the next question is how can they continue to have success in creating better lives for its workers and their families? The traditions of democracy and solidarity in the ILWU and others are essential to their survival. It is every worker’s responsibility to be loyal and respectful of his or her union, because it is only as strong as what you make it. Every single day can be looked at as an opportunity to strengthen or weaken your union. The productivity and efficiency of the work and the safety of workers are what will give the employer a good reason to respect their employees. Everybody benefits from getting the work done and every person going home safely at the end of the day.

The next step is to educate and include the youth and young workers on union issues. The young workers will be the ones who will take over the union when it is their time, and depending on how they are educated and treated will determine how they will treat the union. It is essential for the union’s future to do what it can; in addition what it already does, to build a strong support for its future. I understand that new workers are not yet entitled to the same freedoms as veterans, but investment in the future should be an important goal.

This is my personal view on why America still needs labor unions. People outside of union families may have drastically different views, but this is the reason why workers must create a sense of solidarity among American workers -- union or not. Rights that workers have should be a given, however, greedy corporations and their supporting politicians make this difficult to achieve. It should be every American worker’s priority to support the idea “that all Americans will be entitled to a fair and honest wage, affordable health care coverage, a safe work environment, and protection from corporate greed.” (America In Solidarity)