Paul's Heart

Understanding Labor Day

It is ironic, one of the most celebrated times of the year, a rite of passage if you will, whose roots were created by labor unions, those labor unions are often objected to by many, but not strong enough to turn back a last weekend of Summer down at the beach or a family picnic. Yes, Labor Day is the unofficial end of Summer for many, even going as far as to dictate fashion, “no more wearing white until the next mixed holiday, Memorial Day”, where we honor our fallen war heroes, and many just go to the beach to begin Summer. The bottom line thought, Labor Day is a recognition of the work force and the labor unions going all the way back to the late 1800’s.

Whether you are pro-union or anit-union depends if you are a member of a union, an owner of a business, a benefactor of the benefits you have negotiated in a guaranteed contract, a bitter and jealous employee with no union representation, and of course the stereotypes that accompany all the arguments for and against. I have been on both sides, seeing unions as disruptive and some times, the end of a business, and joining my first union at the age of 35, being guaranteed health insurance as just one of the benefits I was entitled to after being denied health insurance for the previous ten years, because I had cancer. Being part of a collective bargaining unit, I had to be accepted for health insurance. Being in a union and having that benefit, would save my life less than eight years later. Officially, I am a third generation member, the union I belonged to until retirement, the United Steel Workers Union. My mother and grandmother were members of the Electrical Workers Union. And I had an uncle who was a member of the United Auto Workers Union. And I have many friends in the AFT, the American Federation Of Teachers Union.

If I am being transparent, early on, and I do mean early on, as in my childhood, subliminally aware of my family members belonging to a union (my grandmother was actually an officer and my mother was a shop steward), I really gave union chatter no mind. I know that if I heard anything about unions, it was mainly the inconvenience that was about to impact our household financially, as a strike approaced. And then to influence me any further against unions, was a stereotype, supported by Hollywood with varous films. The first movie I ever saw involving the concept of unions, was F.I.S.T. starring Sylvester Stallone (if I’m not mistaken it was released after Rocky, which was the only reason I wanted to see the movie). But the union was presented as a bunch of thugs which is not something I can support. Hoffa with Jack Nicholson was another movie showing the negative side of unions. Then Norma Rae with the “Flying Nun” Sally Field came out, showing an empathetic ear to workers needing to have better working conditions. And more currently, North Country with Charlize Theron, based on a lawsuit for sexual harrassment in 1984.

Other than being an employee in my first union, I found myself in an unusual position of being a candidate for our local school board. This unplanned detour in my life came about, as my daughter was preparing to begin school, which was about to be interrupted by a teacher strike. And like many uninformed citizens, I was outraged by the inconvenience that was going to come my way, and like many of those citizens, do nothing about it except bitch. That is, until the school board candidates that were running for re-election did something I felt had crossed a line, taking out a full page color ad, publishing the salaries of every teacher in the district, a bargaining method against the teachers union, but blasting information meant to infuriate the community. And for many it did just that. But for me, having been through one contract negotiation with my current employer, I saw something that was not right. The board candidates were trying to negotiate in public instead of in good faith with representatives from both sides. Long story shortened, I call this a bully tactic which I did not like, and I ran for my first political race.

(picture courtesy of Sportster)

There often is disagreement in whether unions are good or bad. There are laws in place to guarantee the right to form a union. Famously, one attempt that got a lot of attention, and one could argue was needed, was for professional wrestling. Though it is considered sports entertainment, its risks and skills are no differently than other professional athletes. Yet, when pro-wrestler and former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura secretly tried to organize a union, it was Hulk Hogan who went to WWE owner Vince McMahon and blew the whistle. Think about it. All Ventura wanted was better pay, and better health protections. But there is something that comes along with being in a union, its members are treated as equals. So, with the majority of other wrestlers making four or five figures, compared to one or two making seven or more figures, Hogan wanted no part of that, wanting his prestige. Forget the money issue, negotiated health care especially in a career that sees many of its participants crippled or dead by their 50’s or even earlier, their current status is left on themselves to provide their own care, if they can afford it.

In 1991, soon after completing my treatments for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, I left my employer for a better opportunity (more money). Unfortunately, I gave up my insurance coverage by doing so, my new employer unable to cover me because of my “pre-existing” condition of cancer. But I was healthy again, so I was not worried about health insurance for the time being, and saw the new career opportunity to big of a chance to pass up. And then in 1997, and even bigger opportunity came up in a completely different direction than I could ever have anticipated, working for a major pharmacutical company. There would be one catch. Starting out entry level, yes, I was going to make double what I had been making, but I was going to be given health and life insurance, NO QUESTIONS ASKED! These benefits are given collectively, to all of its members. I could not be turned down even after all I went through.

There were things I would learn to like and dislike in being in a union. The hardest thing for people to understand, is that all its members are on an equal footing from pay to benefits, to opportunities for new positions as well as protections of job security, called senority. Senority actually led to opportunities for different positions in the company that could give individuals like me, with high on-the-job-learning-skills, the ability to apply for even better positions which of course with higher labor grades.

But the most important thing I gained from being in a union occurred in 2008, which I have written extensively about on this blog. My heart went kablooey due to damage from treatments for my pre-existing condition of cancer. Being in the union, had me covered with the health insurance I needed to save my life. From that day on, I needed that insurance as I found myself having to deal with multiple issues all related to that time back in 1988. Being in the union, at least I knew my health insurance was not going to let me die. So yes, I am pro-union.

My experience with the insurance end of benefits, as wel as rights of the American With Disabilities Act and the Family Medical Leave Act made me popular among my co-workers when needing support against company management when attempts were made to punish employees for health reasons. And because it was soon discovered that I understood the contract as easily as I understood health benefits, I was elected one of several shop stewards to represent my co-workers in my department.

There are people who feel very strongly against unions, they have their reasons whether they be misinformed or flat out selfish. Perhaps unions would not be needed if employees were paid livable wages, given health protections, heck, treated like human beings. A simple concept really, but I believe it, a happy employee is a dedicated employee, which can only translate to benefits for the company. I believe it is a false trope that unionizing causes prices to go up. Take any company that squashed unionizing who still raise prices of their goods, minimize manpower, and still come away with CEO’s making 350% more than their employees while making billions in profits. Look in some retail and fast food installing kiosks to do what a human once did all with the cries of a CEO saying this is what happens when you pay a worker more, laying off other workers and STILL raising prices of its goods, still making the same salary for the CEO and profits.

Labor Day may be the last hurrah for the Summer down at the shore, but to those who have represented and fought, for those in unions and not, this is what you can be thankful for the labor movement according to the Department of Labor:

• The Fair Labor Standards Act, this is for wages and OVERTIME. It covers age restrictions under 16 years of age, and 18 for jobs deemed too dangerous. It limits hours for students during school days. And yes, it also covers laws in regard to immigration and nationality.
• The Occupational Safety And Health Act (which is enforced by OSHA) which enforces workplace safety and health.
• Worker’s Compensation, there are so many written acts covered under this, requiring employers to protect employees with an insurance for workplace related injuries.
• Employee retirement benefits and laws for pensions and COBRA for health insurance and HIPPA for privacy rights
• The Labor-Management Reporting And Disclosure Act
• Employee protections such as the act of “whistleblowing”
• Uniformed Services Employment And Reemployment Act which guarantees a worker to return to the job they left behind to serve their country
• Employee Polygraph Protection Act, yes, evidently we need that
• Garnishment of Wages protections
• Family Medical Leave Act
• Veterans’ Preference
• Government Contracts, Grants, and Financial Aid
• Migrant and seasonal aggricultural worker protections
• The Federal Mine Safety And Health Act of 1977
• Construction and transportation
• Plant closings, layoffs, and postings

As you can see, there is a lot to be celebrating today, and to be thankful for those who came before us to fight for these protections, and to keep them. As for unions, they may not seem perfect, and they may not seem fair, but the benefits that come from them, far outweigh the way workers could end up being treated without them.