Why I Support Fighting Unions
Edusolidarity.org solicited postings on “Why You Support Unions.” Of course I am very glad that I have a union to back me up in grievances with my boss and to help negotiate my contracts. Imagine if I had to gomano a mano with my boss each year to beg for health care, sick leave, supplies, smaller class sizes AND a living salary? With collective bargaining, we can negotiate these things once, for everyone, AND harness the power of large numbers of union members to pressure the boss to agree to our demands, rather than begging for his mercy. So on a very practical level, unions are essential for maintaining decent working and living conditions.
The problem is that for unions to be effective at maintaining decent working and living conditions, they must be willing and able to fight for them. This means keeping all their members in a constant state of readiness, through