The best of quotes contain so much meaning
crammed into a few choice words that it can be tempting to just leave it at that. Eugene Debs, though, wasn't about
just saying pretty words. Neither are we. We encourage you to read the article below and think about it, discuss
it, with your brothers and sisters. We took the four elements that Debs said were the difference between a union barren
of results and one to be reckoned with. What do you think? You can discuss it in our forum.
Identity of Interest –
interests we hold in common, common cause – values we can all believe in for ourselves and our brothers and sisters
and unite behind.
For a labor
union, these interests boil down to wages, benefits and working conditions. The adequacy of these basic
interests are vital to our ability to safely and effectively carry out our work. They secure our ability
to provide for our own human needs – food, clothing, shelter, etc. – and that of our families in fair exchange
for our labor. The very basis – the reason for union is our ability to stand united behind these
basic needs and to effectively fulfill them at the bargaining table and in the workplace.
The details of those basic or core interests must be the subject of adequate discussion
and debate. This discussion and the absolute freedom to debate is vital. The debate
cannot be private. It must be open to all. By that definition, others in the community and those in management
will be privy to it. This can be seen as a threat to our success because management and others will know
what we’re discussing. Or if we are united, it can be seen as fair warning to any who oppose us.
They will know what we are discussing, the freedom with which we come to our conclusions, and both the solidarity and
the rightness backing our cause. We have nothing to hide and nothing to be ashamed of. We
build support in the larger community of workers by the openness of our process.
Without
the continuing open debate as necessary, a union cannot achieve or maintain the consensus to come to oneness of purpose.
It will also have great difficulty in attracting the interest or enlisting the vital participation and support of the
rank and file. The involvement of the rank and file in running their own organization is the basis of the
effective union. Open debate makes that possible.
Further
without the openness of the process, the rank and file is subject to coercion and manipulation by leadership and union management
gone astray. Union leadership and union management are both subject to the human vanity of caring
more about look-good than do-good. A decent fidelity to the interests
of the membership and a prudent recognition of the frailties of human nature requires that we not lead our leaders into temptation.
Only the sunshine of openness can warm and protect the whole of the union body from vanity and corruption of purpose.
Clarity
of Vision – the ability to see clearly what is important and what is not –this is insight of both head and heart.
It is purpose developed from recognition
of what is and cognition of what can be. It may also be seen as the ability to speak to these things among
ourselves and to those outside our union body. It is nothing magical or reserved for great visionaries. We
rank and file workers know from our own experience what we need. We know from our own experience what can block our needs
from being met. We have the ability to deal with realities with the benefit of our common experience, interests
and wits. We need only leaders with the clarity of vision to see that they are our servants and our representatives
– that we run them and not the other way around.
Honesty of Intent – no
hidden agenda, no divisive alliances or accommodations – loyalty only to our original purpose, our permanent interests,
and to each other.
Each
union member is an individual. Each of us have our own families, our own history, our individual interests
in public and private life. We have differences in religious and other values. We have
every right to these and to work for and support our interests. What we don’t have as union members
is the right to mix or blend our individual issues, causes or beliefs into the fabric or programs of our union in any way
that would be at cross purposes or cross-interest with other members individual purposes or interests.
This
is not a value judgment of any cause or purpose. It is simply a recognition that any such action weakens
the ties that bind our union and thereby weakens our power to further and defend our core interests as a union.
We must have the integrity to realize this and to pursue outside interests appropriately as individuals or
members of other political or social organizations outside our association with the union.
Even
causes or issues that we as individuals value as much or more than we value the core issues of our union are inappropriately,
counterproductively, and dishonestly furthered when mixed or made to compete with the values that make us united members of
a labor union.
We
recognize that our core issues are not addressed within the limited confines of our relationships with employers at the worksite.
They are also deeply and directly affected by political considerations. So the legislative, executive
and judicial actions of government are of great importance to us. We must be able to address and to act
in solidarity in those forums if we are to protect our interests.
However
we also recognize that the players in these governmental forums have their own issues, their own interests and their own values.
We know these will not always meld smoothly with our own. In fact, we know that they will often be diametrically
opposed to our own. They'll be subject to the influence of those with financial resources beyond our ability --
individually or collectively -- to match.
Our
ability to have an effective seat at the table where decisions that affect our working lives are made depends on our wise
use of our own power. Our power is in the solidarity of our membership in voice and determination. Our
cause is just and we have the ability to articulate our issues and our viable answers. It is our duty and
within our power when we maintain our solidarity to argue and lobby successfully for our issues.
Yet
we have only as much influence as we have solidarity and we cannot possibly buy that influence one lawmaker at a time.
Further, to the extent that we manage to buy the influence of one, we simultaneously buy the opposition of another.
We know through experience that it is illusory to think that endorsing this particular politician or that
one is more than marginally helpful to our cause.
We
have learned that to buy a politician or to be seen as a safe vote for a political party actually weakens our ability to influence
whoever wins political office. Moreover, to the extent that we endorse politicians who may hold positions
we support and positions that a significant segment of our membership oppose, we dilute our unity and defeat our
purpose. The fact that we need to be involved politically does not mean that we can do so effectively through
the endorsement and political contribution process. We have lost as much as we have won in that attempt
and we must be aware of the folly of that approach. If we’re not smart enough to be politically effective,
we only waste our members money and our precious solidarity in the vain attempt.
Oneness of purpose – solidarity
in intent born out of our shared circumstances and gut-level recognition of our shared interests – energized by cognition
of our power when we stand united.
We
are employees, workers who are hired, employed and fired by other people. Without our labor the job would
not be done, without our dedication, productivity would be non-existent. We would be satisfied to stand
on the merit of our performance in a world where our efforts were objectively recognized and fairly compensated.
We know that as
individuals we do not have the power to make that so. We are students of history – both long ago
and recent so we know that. However, in spite of that recognition, we also recognize the power that we
do have. We can withhold our labor or take other collective actions that demand the attention and the respect,
begrudging or otherwise, of management. Having gotten that attention, we have the power to hold it while
we bargain our contract, seek redress of our grievances, demand and receive respectful treatment.
Our
purpose is intertwined in our power because our purpose cannot be attained without our power. We are aware at the gut level
that an injury to one is an injury to all and that a victory to one is a victory to all. Therefore we recognize
that maintaining our purpose is dependent upon maintaining our power, which is dependent on maintaining our solidarity which
is dependent on sticking to the core issues for which our union was established.
We
depend upon the sweat of our brows to make a living and we depend upon the power of our solidarity to make it more than an
existence. Any leader that can’t get how important it is to maintain that solidarity is not a leader
worth having. It is up to us to choose better leaders, and keep them honest. Their grandiosity
avails us nothing.
We
owe a great debt to the heroes of labor past such as Eugene V. Debs. Their struggles and their sacrifices,
the things they learned and sought to pass on to us, were hard fought and hard bought. Their wisdom still
rings through the years, and we owe it to ourselves and our children – and to our brothers and sisters on the job –
to keep up the fight, the effective fight for effective union. To that cause, the best way to end this
article is as it began:
Solidarity is not a matter of sentiment
but a fact, cold and impassive as the granite foundations of a skyscraper. If the basic elements, identity of interest, clarity
of vision, honesty of intent, and oneness of purpose, or any of these is lacking, all sentimental pleas for solidarity, and
all other efforts to achieve it will be barren of results.
