Dear Fellow Union Members,
Today as I write this letter the spring skies have been bright at times and then they darken and let forth with rain and hail. This reminds me of the history of how unions started in the United States. It was out of unfair treatment by employers and harsh working conditions that the workers of America banded together to make a brighter future for themselves and their families. I would like to give a brief history lesson on what unions have brought to the workers of America.
Some people ask “What is a Union?’ and “How can it help me?”
I found this quote from a union booklet, “What is a Union? A Union is a group of workers who have organized themselves for mutual aid and collective action. It is a tool developed by and for working people, to provide them with a collective voice in their place of employment and in the broader society. Like any tool, it can be used well, badly or not at all. Used properly, unions provide workers with a means to improve their lives in many ways.” So how have unions improved the lives of people in many ways? Did you know that it was a union slogan that stated “Eight hours for work, eight hours for sleep and eight hours for what we will.” When 10-12 hour work days and 6-7 day work weeks were common this was considered “radical” by employers. This 8 hour fight occurred alongside others: campaigns for unemployment insurance, workers’ compensation, health and safety laws, child labor laws, and more. During the Depression in 1935 the National Labor Relations Acts was passed by Congress finally giving workers the right to form unions. The “New Deal” also gave us the Social Security Act, the Unemployment Insurance Act, and the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The FLSA set a minimum wage, declared the standard work day to be eight hours and the standard work week to be forty hours. It regulated child labor and mandated paid overtime.
Unions have also lobbied for passage of the Fair Employment Practice laws, which imposed penalties for discrimination in hiring and promotion due to race. The labor movement worked with allies in Congress to pass the Medicare program. Union also fought for the establishment of Head Start and the passage of the Civil Rights Act.
Unions helped establish the “Middle Class” of America. In the last 20 years, America has seen a corporate America get rich on the backs of the “Middle Class”, employers and their political allies have used their wealth and power to roll back many of these union gains. It is only by bargaining collectively, instead as individuals that will allow workers to be able to offset the strong bargaining position of an employer.
WE MUST SPEAK WITH ONE VOICE TO BE HEARD. YOUR PARTICIPATION IS GREATLY NEEDED.
To all the members of the bargaining unit please be assured that your negotiating team is doing all we can to make positive changes for you and your fellow workers.
So enjoy this season of awakening.
In Unity,
Jennifer Turley
President of Northcoast Early Childhood Workers, Local 6397