To Organize the Unorganized
The value that guides me is simple, and it’s taken directly from the oath I took when I assumed the office of President for my Local, which is 1520 of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (aka AFSCME). That portion of the oath that acts as my lodestar is ‘to organize the unorganized.’
My intent for this blog is to provide real world lessons for other workers and especially other union employees in the world on a wide variety of subjects, from work-related issues to community involvement. Essentially, I’m hoping to be helpful and influential for the labor movement at large. But in doing that, I believe this blog will also be helpful and influential for the community that this Local serves - Artesia, California. Speaking of which, on this date - Valentine’s Day 2020 - this is my 15th anniversary working for the City of Artesia. That is a testament not to the good will of managers, but of this union that I am so proud to be a part of.
Being Vulnerable is Powerful
This isn’t going to be merely conceptual, either. I fully intend to be vulnerable and share some real life experiences. Some of these experiences were originally intended to be embarrassing, but I now see them as empowering. In the future, if we uncover corruption or scandal, I plan to air it here, too. The job of a union isn’t merely to protect workers, but it is also to be a check against corruption.
I’m not saying that unions are exempt from corruption, either. There have obviously been a few shady characters in the history of unions. But that’s somewhat rare in the grand scope of things. Unions have exposed far more corruption, and have laid bare colossal immorality; that the aftermath of these exposures have led to tectonic shifts in society. I mean, we take things like ‘the weekend’ and 40 hour work weeks, workplace safety, and more, for granted. But when unions first exposed the immorality that initiated these changes and started a public outcry, these were big deals.
Economic Dignity for Americans
It’s not just corruption and immorality we’re after, my friends. Perhaps even more importantly, unions stand for workplace democracy and economic dignity. When unions were powerful in the private sector, we had a large middle class, and that in turn gave the bulk of the country buying power, which translated into a robust economy. As the upper class started buying out politicians, using the media to control the narrative, and started working to break unions, the middle class shrank. As the same upper class and corporate interests broke private sector unions, they also started deregulating finances and industry. They sold it to us as ‘trickle down theory’ and ‘right to work’, but in reality they created the boom/bust cycle we have been seeing for years.
Recession, economic boom, recession, economic boom ...
Tell me, are we any better than we were in the ‘90s, the ‘80s? Statistically, no. Our wages have stagnated because the guys with all the money have basically tricked us by controlling the narrative. But guess who’s taking all the wealth to the bank, and guess who is using corporate media to demonize those of us who criticize it?
I truly believe that unions are the most effective means at countering the immense buying power of the upper one percent. I also think that people are awakening to the nature of the lies that are being fed us through cable news. We are on the cusp of a giant movement, and we are seeing it unfold in today’s politics and today’s society, even when corporate media tries to ignore it.
In that spirit, I hope this little blog acts as a reference point for you the worker, and for you Artesians who happen upon it. A union is a force for good.
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