Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: I don't understand the need for unions

[seaseal (seaseal]

Dear Sally and others confused about unions,

On Apr 2, 2011, at 10:23 AM, cohousing-l-request [at] cohousing.org wrote:

> I wonder why we have to be so supportive of unionizing.  Could someone
> explain why this political stance was taken on behalf of us all,

The weekend is my first response. Without people coming together to  
organize ways to improve working conditions, we would not have  
weekends but only Sunday off. Union bargaining benefits all employees,  
not just union members.

Unions, while not in every industry, have changed laws and practices  
for every working person in the countries where they're permitted.

Another benefit of unions is safer working conditions. Countries who  
don't allow unions have massive worker safety issues, while the system  
in the U.S. has been greatly affected by union negotiations. You only  
have to compare working conditions and benefits such as health care  
and pensions in "developed" countries--who coincidentally all have  
unions--with "undeveloped" countries, where union organizers are fired  
or even killed to prevent workers from having a voice in their working  
conditions and their benefits.

So, every employed person, even managers and administrators, benefits  
from the organizing, bargaining, and contracts achieved through  
collective action.

Unions don't mean people can't be fired--I hear this a lot, but it is  
a myth spread to redirect eyes off the true target. It's any  
employee's immediate supervisor's job to see people do their jobs.  
Workers who don't do their jobs are always the result of poor  
management--always.

Contact your local Central Labor Council and ask to speak to someone  
interested in labor history to learn more. Read some Howard Zinn  
history books. And relax on the weekend, compliments of unions.

Cecile
seaseal [at] got.net

Vision without action is a daydream.

          Action without vision is a nightmare.

               --Japanese proverb