ONLINE VERSION	VOLUME 106 - NUMBER 10 - NOVEMBER 1997

Secretary-Treasurer's Overview

Several weeks ago, at a meeting of the BMWE's Northeast System Federation, a member made a statement that strikes to the heart of the labor movement, its image problems and its fight to increase its ranks. "Most people," the member observed, "don't understand what a union does for them." Having just left a four-day labor-fest in Pittsburgh, otherwise known as the AFL-CIO Biennial Convention, I can't agree more with his words. It is a simple statement, but far-reaching on its implications. Our world has changed dramatically since the advent of unions in the midst of industrialism. What most workers consider the norm in every day life on the job--paid vacations, overtime, the eight-hour workday, life and health insurance, and safety and health regulations--are benefits workers fought and died for. The fact that most of these protections are incorporated into law--and aren't simply the province of a union contract--is an outgrowth of the labor movement's political involvement. Union or not, all workers have benefitted from trade unionism. Our success has helped to lead to our decline in that people can view a union as a secondary, instead of a primary protector of their interests. The government, simply via its size, and corporations, due to crafty public relations, both can appear to be more concerned about workers than trade unions. We can't sit back and grumble that we're not getting the credit where credit is due--we must forcefully explain unions' critical role in the workplace. That's why amid all the speeches in Pittsburgh, the most significant vote was a new assessment on AFL-CIO member unions to pay for an expanded advertising campaign. The campaign uses television spots that address the issue workers face today and how unions are solving them. Sure we got the eight-hour day, and sure we're fighting to stop Republicans in Congress from lifting it, but we're also fighting to make sure that working families have the flexibility they need to take kids to doctors or attend a student-parent conference without being docked for the time or risk losing their job. We're not just interested in crafting long-term severance packages, but in developing creative solutions to keeping jobs in the United States and expanding our industries. When workers are hurt on the job, we care not only that they get the medical attention they need without burdensome costs to the workers, but that their jobs are waiting for them when they get back, or they are retrained for another job if their injuries keep them out of their previous job. In addition, we care that steps are taken to prevent similar incidents in the future so no other worker is needlessly injured. Unions don't just care about the workplace, they care about their members' lives. Can they afford a house? Can they send their kids to college? Can they take care of elderly parents? Can they retire to the desert, the beach or wherever they want without financial worry? These are life issues. They are the issues we must communicate if we, as the BMWE, want to grow in organizing campaigns, and if we, as the labor movement, want to grow and remain a vital contributor to today's society. We are not a special interest group, but a group that treats all workers' interests as special. While some workplace issues never change, others are created as the workplace and the economy changes. The global economy ... gender and ethnic diversity ... technological advancements ... unions must prove that they can respond to all these forces and maintain their focus for workers of today and those of the future. Management attacks us as outdated and accuses us of hindering growth. We have to show that we love growth, but only if it's not at the expense of workers--and that it doesn't have to be. The labor movement isn't about protecting what we have, but about making tomorrow better. That's the message we need to deliver to workers everywhere.