America In Solidarity
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(c) “Why America Still Needs Labor Unions”
For several years now, I have played with the Washington Old Time Fiddler’s Association, and enjoyed jamming at the monthly meetings, which take place in the Carpenters Union on Fawcett Ave. in Tacoma. In return for the use of their building, the fiddlers play at different union events during the year. The one event I look forward to each year is the Carpenters Union Christmas party, when the Junior Fiddler’s do a show of Christmas tunes for the workers and their families. During our meetings and shows, I have often stopped and read the bulletin board in the lobby. What I see there concerns me, because having known labor union workers personally, I can get a sense of how serious the current labor crisis is. There are many advertisements speaking of carpenters who need jobs, and not a few posters about union rallies or strikes. When I see the families that come in for the Christmas show, and put it together with the problems of the job market, I see that now, more than ever, America needs labor unions.
The cost of living in 2005 is much greater now than it has been in previous decades and inflation is not the only explanation for it. Health and life insurance are getting more expensive, and many Americans cannot afford either. Unions enable workers to band together and demand a just wage from their employers, as well as giving them a support base to fall back on during times of unemployment and hardship. When companies such as Wal-Mart refuse to allow their employees to unionize, they deny them the right to negotiate for a living wage. As a result, employees and their families suffer. They are forced to work two, sometimes three jobs simply to make enough money to get by.
One reality that business leaders and workers have to face is the “out-sourcing” of jobs. This allows companies to employ people in different parts of the world at a much lower cost to them. Although this does enable American business to reduce costs and expand profits, the truth is that the average worker will not be able to afford the products, even at the cheaper price, if he himself is not able to earn a living wage. By taking jobs outside of America, workers here are being forced to work at places that cannot support them, because they have no other options. Unions are under attack now because some businesses claim they cannot keep up with competitors while at the same time paying union members full benefits. Unions continue to challenge companies to see their relationships with workers as more than just a confrontational one. As Spokane’s Catholic Bishop William Skylstad wrote for the United States Catholic bishops in their 1998 Labor Day statement, “Each of us has a responsibility to make this economy work for everyone: employers, workers, shareholders, union members, consumers. As followers of Jesus Christ we are called to measure our economy, not only by what it produces, but how it touches human life, whether it protects human dignity and strengthens family life.”
Perhaps the most important function of unions, besides providing a living wage, is the guarantee of benefits such as health insurance, and pension plans for retirement. As Social Security erodes, workers will need other sources of support as they grow older. Unions have traditionally been a steady source of support for their members who can no longer work. Despite the decline of union membership over the last 25 years, people will realize this essential role of unions and in the near future unions will grow to expand their influence in a variety of fields, such as technological-based industries and service industries. Something else that labor unions provide is access to training that non-members may not have, thus allowing the union members to have a better chance at getting a job with a just wage.
Ironically, the future of America’s labor unions depends on the unionization of workers around the world. As those workers begin to organize for better working conditions in their own countries, business will have to come up with a solution to maximize profits while at the same time respecting the rights of workers all over the world. In today’s global economy, the economic situations of individual nations are inter-woven; therefore unions are a vital part of a healthy world-wide economy.
America needs unions. Before the Old Time Fiddler’s moved their meeting to the Carpenters Hall, I never realized the role unions play in the lives of many working families. Unions are more than just a club one joins to show solidarity with other people who share the same job. Without the support and benefits unions provide, many more people would be living below the poverty line. Though we talk about the problem of unemployment, the real problem is low wages in the jobs that are available. Even if one can get a job, does that job provide the worker with a wage that he/she can live on? Unions allow people to get jobs that pay adequately so workers can concentrate on doing their job well. As I saw on the bulletin board in the Carpenters Hall, the struggle for worker solidarity is ongoing. America needs unions to help workers find good jobs that will allow them to support their families.
