Page 17 - Work Force November 2016

where do they get the time. They want to know what is happening and would like to be informed of the issues that can and do affect them every day. Then there are those sitting at this ADM, Union activists donating their time to serve as a steward, a grievance rep, a committee member or an officer. They operate from a place of generosity and with a big heart for the benefit of the bigger picture. They see inequities around them and want
to change things for the better. In the war on the middle class — these union activists are soldiers.
The fight has been coming for years, but for most of that time we have pretended not to notice. We as a union can no longer have that attitude, as the fight has been brought to our front door. One dynamic
of that fight is in salary. Incomes for most Americans have been nearly flat, and median income after accounting for inflation actually fell for working-age households during the supposedly good economic recovery between 2001 and 2007. Aren’t we beyond the
point of accepting that the system of giving corporations and the wealthiest among us more money and more tax breaks might trickle down? We know it is failed logic.
We must accept that unions and middle class are intrinsically linked. This is not a historical phenomenon. It is hard to imagine a middle-class society without a strong union movement.
Across the globe, the countries with the strongest middle classes all have strong union movements. And in America today, states with higher concentrations of union members have a much stronger middle class. One study found that “each percentage point increase
in union membership puts about $153 more
per year into the pockets of the middle class.” Just imagine if we built union enrollment up by 10%? What would you do with $1530 more dollars a year in your paycheck?
There are certainly many other areas under attack. We’ve seen an extreme uptick in temporary workers, contractors and people working less than thirty-five hours
a week. Part-time is sadly the new full-
time. Employers expect complete flexibility, sometimes even sending workers home if a store isn’t busy. All of these tactics build on the stress of the worker. Certainly, if you don’t have a set schedule and your hours are cut you have a smaller paycheck adding to your daily stress. But it also becomes harder to be involved with the school PTA, to make sure your children have a warm meal, or to exercise your right to vote.
We have to look at these issues as a whole and start making decisions that build us
up instead of tearing us apart. We have to look around to see who will stand with us
to build the middle class. We have to find common ground with allies so we work for the betterment of all, not just a few. We have to vote for candidates who understand that positive change needs to start happening. Legislators, on the local, state and federal level need to be held accountable for their inaction and stagnation.
We can do these things. We must do these things. As one we are strong, as CSEA we are mighty, but an expanded partnership of activists led by the labor movement will be unstoppable.
Respectfully submitted,
Ron Briggs
Capital Region President
and some which we cannot.
The truth is, the attacks on us are not
going away, and with more cases in the Supreme Court’s pipeline that seek to do the same damage to us that the Friedrichs case would have done, we cannot hide our heads in the sand and pretend that things will be okay. We must prepare for the worst while we continue to hope for the best.
For those of us out in the trenches, that means continuing to shore up our support, circle our wagons, and do everything we can to talk directly with each and every member we represent about the value of staying strong together and supporting each other. We must take every opportunity we have to spread
our “Never Quit” message, because we know that it is just a matter of time before the anti- union forces who seek to take away our rights will be showing up to talk with them to convince them they should quit their union. These people will be persuasive. We must
be even more persuasive. Our very existence hangs in the balance.
We need to be clear, however, that this
is not about the future of CSEA or the future of the Labor Movement. In order
for us to be persuasive, we need to connect what we do on a regular basis, things many of our members take for granted, to values our members and their families hold as important. Things like: the ability to have contracts that stop management from doing whatever they want; having a disciplinary procedure to protect workers; having benefits paid for by our employers; and having a way to make our voices heard as a group without the fear of retaliation upon individuals.
We also need to do a better job educating our younger, less experienced members on how we have fought for and earned the benefits they currently enjoy. We cannot afford to let them be taken for granted or mistakenly believe that management just “gives” them benefits out of the goodness
of their hearts. We must remind them such benefits were hard fought for, and could be at stake if our rights are diminished or our ability to collectively bargain is taken away.
We must also admit our shortcomings and show how we are working to overcome them. I don’t believe that our members expect us to be perfect. I believe they expect us to be upfront and honest and doing the best we can to represent them. As I often tell people, having an imperfect union is better than having no union at all. Most people I say that to understand and agree, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t keep trying to
make our union as good as we can make it. In CSEA, that means trying to put more member involvement into our member-run union. Not an easy task, but one that will make us a better union and more effective
in what we do. Anyone with ideas on how we can accomplish this, I’m always open to suggestions. What I do know is that we must try.
We in the Labor Movement will never have the billions of dollars that the people trying to get rid of us have to further rig the system against us, but what I keep pointing out is that we must be doing something right if they are trying so hard and spending so much money to get rid of us. What we do have working for us is our ability to tap into our people power. It’s a resource we too often fail to use to our advantage, but it is there and we should be using it as much as we possibly can. The more we can change to be more effective as advocates for workers, the better job we can do on behalf of each and every member we represent.
I understand that change can be frightening, but it can also be empowering
as well. Just look at what happened when Verizon workers decided to strike this past year — not for money issues, but to stop their jobs from being sent overseas and
to private contractors. They did a great
job standing their ground and making
their voices heard. They also did a good
job in reaching out to their community allies, especially those of us in the Labor community. I was proud to march alongside our CWA and IBEW union brothers and sisters, and was so happy when they were able to settle a contract that met their needs and preserved the jobs they were fighting for. Their victory was a victory for all working people who belong to unions, and I hope it will stand out as an example of how things can still work well for us when we stick together.
As I said before, change is coming, and sometimes the only thing we can control is how we react to it. I choose to look forward to and embrace the changes that will certainly challenge us, but can end up strengthening
us and making us better at what we do as
we stand up for ourselves, our families and our futures. I hope you will join me in this positive vision for our union moving forward.
Respectfully submitted,
Colleen Wheaton
Central Region President
CAPITAL REGION PRESIDENT continued from Page 13
CENTRAL REGION PRESIDENT continued from Page 14
November 2016
The Work Force 17