Unions proving they're still relevant in today's economy

Blake Aued
dm opinion editor

A recent rash of labor strikes has shed light on the lack of economic justice for low-income workers and the growing disparity between rich and poor in the U. S.

In Los Angeles, 8,500 janitors belonging to the Service Employees International Union have been striking since last week, demanding a $3 per hour pay raise spread over three years. Contractors are offering an 80 cent raise over the next three years. Currently the janitors, many of whom are Mexican immigrants, make only $6.90 an hour, a pitiful sum in a city where the cost of living is one of the highest in the nation.

The L.A. strikers were recently joined by 300 janitors in San Diego, who want health benefits to augment their $7.05 an hour wages. In Chicago, 125 janitors began a hunger strike to protest their lack of health benefits.

The strikes are not just limited to janitors, either. New York City doormen, elevator operators and building superintendents will likely strike April 20.

In addition, 2,300 Lockheed Martin machinists voted yesterday to strike to try to gain higher wages and more health benefits. Lockheed Martin is switching health coverage, a move that would force its employees to pay more for fewer benefits.

Historically, the U.S. government has been vehemently anti-union. In the 19th century it was routine for the National Guard or state militias to massacre workers who dared to exercise their right to peaceably assemble.

Obviously progress has been made, but vestiges of the old attitude still remain. Twenty striking janitors have been arrested in L.A. since the strike began. A 1990 L.A. janitors' strike led to 40 arrested strikers and two dozen injured by police.

Despite a clear need for wage raises and benefits on the part of these low-income workers, corporations are busy churning out anti-union spin and the so-called "right to work" movement is attempting to undermine the power of unions.

Mississippi is a "right to work" state, which means employees cannot be compelled to join unions and are free to cross picket lines. Although this seem fair on the surface, right to work policies are used by government and corporations to ensure that unions remain weak and noncombative.

Labor politics cut across party and ideological lines. My grandfather was a plumber and labor activist in Detroit for many years. Although he was a staunch supporter of worker's rights, he was fairly conservative on many other issues, and even voted for Richard Nixon.

However, the situation seems to be much different in the South. People here tend to have an instinctive distrust of unions, which is probably one of the main reasons why Southern states perennially rank among the lowest in per-capita income. This attitude is a result, I believe, of the overall conservative beliefs of this region and a long-held bias against the industrial North, where unions historically hold a great deal of power.

For example, two years ago Ole Miss changed our janitors' hours from a 5 a.m. starting time to 3 a.m. Twenty-three workers were also laid off as a consequence of the university reorganization that was going on at the time, although the remaining ones did receive a $1 an hour raise. Most janitors were unhappy with the decision, but since their union was weak, they were unable to fight it effectively.

Strikes are still the best weapon for the working class to share in the recent economic prosperity. One percent of the U.S. population has 40 percent of the wealth, and the bottom 80 percent has just 16 percent of the wealth. Wages have been stagnant since the early 1970s. The U.S. has been losing good-paying industrial jobs to other countries and replacing them with lower-paying service jobs. We keep hearing about the "new economy," but it seems like anyone who doesn't live in Silicon Valley is missing out.

Sometimes new problems require old solutions. Here's hoping that unions continue their recent trend of growing, consolidating, and fighting for economic justice. If workers don't do it for themselves, no one's going to do it for them.

Blake Aued is a junior English and journalism major from Trussville, Ala.