Workers Over Billionaires: Which Side Are You On?
Rudy speaks to an attendee during a Public Employee Committee rally across from SF City Hall on Tuesday, April 22.
I don’t have to remind you all that we’re living in conflicted and uncertain times. Authoritarian right-wing politicians and greedy, amoral billionaires across the country and around the world are colluding — as they have again and again in modern history — in order to consolidate as much power and wealth as possible for themselves.
One classic tactic they use is to turn working people against each other. Whether it’s through racism and xenophobia or regressive taxation and economic meddling, the goal is to distract us into fighting one another. The more we spar amongst ourselves, the more they win.
We can’t let them get away with it. As unionists, we know better than to buy into their lies because we understand the power of organized labor to challenge their greed and, in the process, to make life so much better for working people. That means we are uniquely positioned to be the messengers who might help our fellow citizens understand how not to fall into the trap that’s been set by this fascist-friendly strongman–industrialist coalition.
It’s time for us to strike while the iron’s hot. As we’ve written in the pages of Organized Labor on more than one occasion in recent years, support for unions among the general public in the U.S. is rising considerably.
Data released earlier this month by the liberal think tank Economic Policy Institute suggests that support is now skyrocketing. According to a study published on Tuesday, May 20: “Labor unions have huge sympathy from Americans relative to big business right now, far more than any time on record. The largest gap between 1964 and 2012 was about +5 pro-union in 1974. Now, we are at +16.”
Put more simply: When pitted against the labor movement, big business loses big-time. Everyday people appear to despise the rapacious capitalists who are now calling all the shots.
This fact might be the silver lining to our unfortunate political and societal moment, which provides a unique opportunity for all of us. As unionists, we can lead by example, and redouble our commitment to the cause of working people.
We can speak up about the benefits of unionism to the unorganized. We can show up to demonstrate against anti-worker politicians, policies, and organizations. We can volunteer to precinct-walk and phone-bank in the run-up to elections. We can advocate for pro-worker causes during public comment at meetings of our city councils and boards of supervisors. We can chat to the stranger at the bar about what our union experiences have done for us. And, perhaps most crucially, we can attend our local union meetings as frequently as possible to find out how to do all of the above with our brothers, sisters, and siblings in the movement.
We’re all busy people, of course. But considering this critical moment in our country, I encourage us all to take some time to reflect on — and celebrate — what it means to be union-strong right now. What we stand for is a righteous cause, and an unmovable one, with centuries of progress under its belt. We’ve built our solidarity over generations. We’ve built some of the greatest structures on Earth.
Let’s always remember that. Let’s always remember why we are union and what we stand for: We stand with all workers who seek a better life and we stand against those who would rip them off and deny them their dignity — period.
And once we’re done reflecting and remembering, let’s do something with it. Let’s tell it to the world.
“When pitted against the labor movement, big business loses big-time. This fact might be the silver lining to our unfortunate political and societal moment. As unionists, we can lead by example, and redouble our commitment to the cause of working people.”
Budget Constraints Befall SF
A note in closing: In addition to potential layoffs for city workers, some programs we hold near and dear are also on the chopping block, having recently had their city funding eliminated.
Worker centers play an important role akin to the compliance operations our own unions run. They advocate for the voiceless. Already we’ve seen cuts to grants serving wage theft clinics and organizations in San Francisco.
One, in particular, is run by the Instituto Laboral De La Raza in partnership with SF Clout, the nonprofit founded by the SF Labor Council. The institute handles wage theft cases for construction workers and domestic workers who are cheated by employers and contractors. Cases can take up to five years to adjudicate.
The defunding of this and other important resources is not a good sign. We’ll be reporting on this in future editions of this newspaper, so stay tuned for that.