Secretary-Treasurer ’ s Message
THE CRITICAL ROLE UNIONS PLAY IN POLITICS
JOHN GRANT Secretary-Treasurer
One of American ’ s great social cynics , H . L . Mencken , once said about our political process , that “... every election is a sort of advance auction sale of stolen goods .” Which begs us to review , again , what is so special about politics ?
• They ’ re no good . FALSE . Sometimes , that is true . But this year at least 2 very important laws were passed to enhance the lives of working people in California . First was the increase in the statewide minimum wage : which increase the wage to $ 10.50 on January 1 , 2017 ; $ 11 in 2018 , $ 12 in 2019 through $ 15 in 2022 . For over 100,000 workers , their incomes will increase – this helps us all and begins to level the playing field among everyone . Secondly , our communities ’ benefit – and with the extra buying power there is an increase in the purchases of the goods and services we produce .
• Why do we need Unions – let ’ s just pass laws to protect ourselves . FALSE . This is the issue I really want to address .
Firstly , it was the organized power of Trade Unions that marshaled the forces of change – without us spearheading this effort ; it would not have taken place .
Secondly , without Unions , there would be no workplace democracy . It is through our union activity , collective bargaining , grievance procedures , and collective actions , that we identify , understand , articulate and resolve those day-today as well a career-encompassing problems . We stand up to those who would impoverish us and take away our dignity .
Thirdly , with Unions , each store , each factory , each medical facility is held accountable – this is critically important to the success of any legislative improvement . This comes about as our members are empowered to correct employer violations .
Fourthly , empowered in our day to day lives , we build each other , we build leadership and organizers . And in this day and age , we no longer need just activists , we need leaders . That what Unions do – we build leadership !!
We , the labor movement , give value to work and bring forth respect and dignity in doing so .
• This hurts Unions . FALSE . Many of our contracts provide wage increases that are triggered when the minimum wage increases . Moreover , it is understood that it was labor ( unions ) which stood up for the working men and women in California . We stand for the betterment of men and women in our state – and by increasing the minimum wage , we are enabling them to have the space to take the “ risk ” of joining us .
Alec Zeluff-Grant , Edward James Olmos , & John Grant on the El Super Picket Line
3 Issue 2 THE VOICE June 2016