Labor Day  2001  12:00 PM ET
Editorial:  Do We Need Labor Unions in America?

by J. Lowery, RLUO News Writer

DETROIT, MICHIGAN (RLUO) -  I can only answer this question from my own perspective and my own experience as an American worker.  With our economy reaching enormous levels of prosperity why would anyone want or need a labor union?  Simply, because as long as power, greed, and tyranny dwell in the hearts of humankind, there will always be a need to protect the many from just such a few.

Labor Deserves Respect

Do American business people have a right to run their own companies as they see fit?  Absolutely.  But when employers begin to circumvent the laws of this country, when they take upon themselves the license to abuse American workers out of arrogance and power induced self-centered behavior then democracy mandates, no, it screams out it's canon that humanity alone deserves respect.  The human at the end of that mop or broom or bedpan celebrates his or her dignity by being there.  By sharing in the work.  By helping American businesses to flourish.  By being willing partners in this wonderful grand experiment we Americans call capitalism. And wonderful it is!

American Labor's Rich Spirit

We live not simply in a rich society, but a society full of riches.  Riches like the American spirit, a spirit that has always been about more than just money. It's about caring enough to do our best even when no one's looking.  A spirit that courageously empowers the American single Mom to grab a picket sign and say to her employer,  "No, you are not going to do this to me anymore."  How wonderful this American labor spirit is that it will never allow itself to be slapped with the abuses of a dysfunctional, abusive work environment.  Joined together, these American workers stand tall, stand powerful, stand together with grace and the dignity that self-worth brings.  Only through the commonality of such injurious experiences can the mustard seed of faith sprout so tremendously.

Labor Unions Bring Dignity and Respect

American labor unions are the breakers by which we steadfastly hold back the tide of the frailty of humankind.  Some business people are twisted by power, by arrogance, by greed that distorts their view.  Character defects that cause individuals to lose sight of that precious gift we call humanity.  To be.  To exist.  To cherish existence in ourselves but maybe even more importantly, respecting it in others.

In a Florida warehouse where the temperatures reached over 100 degrees, we asked our employer for a water fountain.  We received an igloo container filled with warm, tepid water that neither cooled nor refreshed from the heat.  I would not treat someone that way, would you?  This same employer arrogantly bragged that he was having our work done in Malaysia and paying those workers $5.00...a day.  Was this showing humanity respect?

In Virginia, where a courageous Nurse Practitioner of 25 years became so incensed at the disrespect and lack of dignity by administrators towards Professional Registered Nurses, that she decided to devote her remaining years to guiding Nurses into the safe harbor of Unions. And yet these administrators continue to fight against the right of Nurses to join unions. Is this democracy in America?

In a Michigan Nursing Home where Nursing Assistants and Resident Care Aids care so much about their patients, yet their employer disrespects that care and dedication with excessive work loads, decreased staffing, less pay and decreased benefits. Can we honestly as a nation condone such abusive treatment of health care workers and patients?

In a Midwest office building where a widow with a young son, another a mother of eight children, dust and mop and clean, earning barely livable wages with no employer provided health insurance, paid holidays, or other benefits. And when that employer is asked about a raise, these extraordinary, gifted, precious souls are simply laughed at in their faces.  Is this respect of the American worker?  This same employer takes the position that if these workers don't like it, they can get out.  But why should labor leave?  It is management that's failing.

Yes, we need unions.  As long as there are employers who maybe are just born that way:  unable to perceive or understand this extraordinary gift we call humanity.

Labor Unions Embrace Democracy

Until then, in this wonderful America which nourishes and embraces democracy, the American worker must join with each other to herald that freedom from the bondage of tyranny in any form:  whether from distant shores, from home-grown exploiters of the poor, from dysfunctional management personalities who gain workplace power.

Yes.  For these Moms'.  For their children.  For the generations that come after them.   Labor unions must be.

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