Labor Voices

Don't revel in misfortunes of unions
Organized labor helps all workers; its hard luck damages middle class

By Mark Gaffney
First printed in The Detroit News 04/21/2006

The rash of wage cuts, plant closings and work concessions has been met with schadenfreude, a German word for taking malicious satisfaction in the misfortune of others.

It comes from right-wing columnists, middle managers and even, unfortunately, some union members. They say blue-collar union workers are finally getting what they deserve.

These sentiments are short-sighted. The loss of good middle-class jobs in Michigan's economy is a tragedy. And it can be seen in Gary, Ind., or Pittsburgh, where outsourcing also has damaged the backbone and financial underpinning of communities.

Unions built Michigan

Organized labor built Michigan -- the cities, the suburbs, the roads, the schools and universities, our communities and the hospitals and stadiums. Union wages have also benefited and raised the wages of management, salaried workers and nonunion blue-collar workers. When the union negotiated better benefits, they were extended to management.

So why the joy in some corners?

It's often said Americans don't have a sense of class consciousness. But what we see these days is a resentment of our neighbors who have good union jobs.

Many purveyors of schadenfreude seem to be younger, college-educated, nonunion, white-collar workers. Often they are the sons or daughters of union members who went to college because of the wages they now complain about.

These workers often have or make less than union workers. There's a reason for this. As nonunion workers, they don't have an effective way to get better wages, benefits and working conditions.

They opt to go it alone out of an ideological affinity that is detrimental to their own interests.

Union workers can negotiate and create respect on the job and have a democratic voice in the workplace. These are American values. Don't complain because others have a union; complain because you don't.

Misconceptions abound

There are also a lot of negative stereotypes about union workers being lazy or unwilling to sacrifice. Say the same thing about any other group and you will correctly be called a bigot.

In union settings, workers have due process and companies must have just cause to fire an employee. A union has a legal and moral duty to fairly represent it members.

If management does not do its job and fails to take action against bad workers, it's the fault of management. Of course, there are abuses, but those are few.

There is also a misconception that unions have wielded too much power. This is a myth. Everyday we fight for working families against corporations and their well-heeled lobbyists. Too often, it's a battle to only keep what we already have.

Corporations have power

Recently, we did win by forcing the state Legislature to raise the minimum wage. It was a much-needed raise for more than 400,000 workers.

Unions are a bulwark against unfettered corporate power. Without unions, who will speak for the middle class?

So what is to be done? First, we need a policy that rewards manufacturing here. Moving good jobs overseas in a race to the bottom serves only the wealthy few.

A recent study showed that 56 million jobs may be outsourced in the near future. These include high-tech jobs performed now by college-educated Americans.

We need fair trade policies that reward other countries who have democratic governments, free trade unions and observe basic standards for human rights. We also need to recognize the value of middle-class jobs and vote for officials who support them.

Finally, rooting against your neighbors may give you short-term satisfaction, but it will inevitably lead to losses for you, your family, your community and your country. It's high time to start acting like we're all in this together.