Labor Day open thread: Thank a union
My sainted mother was a member of the garment workers' union in New York. Unionism was a mainstay in my family. When we moved to LA, an old Cuban said that all unionists were Communists. You will be impressed by the fact that I didn't tell him off. My mother was so proud when I became a union member as a librarian.
We in LA County are ready to strike over the County not fulfilling the contract which we all negotiated and agreed to, both union members and government. The fact of the matter is that they need us more than we need them.
"What has a union ever done for me??"
Well.
Forty-hour work week? Thank a union.
Employer-provided health care? Thank a union.
Workplace safety regulations? Thank a union.
Nothing of not in this country—nay, this modern world—has not come without a struggle from organized labor.
Yes. Unions got infiltrated by the mafia. Fuck them. That's not unionism. The great film of union-busting was "On the Waterfront" by Elia Kazan. Who is Elia Kazan? He ratted out his fellow Hollywood creatives to Richard Nixon's House Committee on Un-American Activities.
President Joe Biden was the first sitting president to walk a union picket when autoworkers went on strike last year. When unions win, we all win. Higher union wages translate to higher wages for those not in a union.
The Right has spent decades demonizing unions. Because it fears what happens when ordinary workers get together and collectively bargain for better wages, better working conditions, better benefits. No company can survive without its workers. And those companies spend millions, if not billions, to convince us to either not unionize, or to refuse to join existing unions in our workplaces.
On this Labor Day—which, please notice, is not held on May 1st, the internationally recognized International Workers' Day—realize that every benefit you have is due to people like me and my mother, who are willing to put our livelihoods in risk to secure that which we all deserve.
Union Strong!
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