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June 12, 2003
Dissension in the Ranks
""Now I don''t who to trust and I don''t know what I can believe
They say they want to help me with the stuff they keep on sayin''
But I think those guys just want to keep on playin''
Roulette, with my life""
- "Roulette" by Bruce Springsteen
The essence of America''s labor unions -the principle on which they were founded- is direct participation by individual workers in the decisions that shape their occupation, their wages and their lives. That singular ability is what eventually drew so many of America''s workers to unions. In many ways, labor unions were and are the only avenue of empowerment for the working class of this country.
When union workers are deprived of that ability of direct participation, when they are made to feel irrelevant, when decisions that affect the many are continually made by the few, then members will eventually question not only the quality of their leaders, but also the relevancy of their union.
For far too long, too many unions have been overbearing bureaucracies in which the individual member does not matter. One cannot take away the single, most important reason to be a union member and not expect rebellion or some form of galvanized dissent. Not only will individual members be concerned with the lack of influence they have on their union and jobs, they will also be concerned with their union''s ability to deal with forces aimed at disintegrating organized labor.
As Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky of Illinois said recently, "Just picture another four years of a Bush Administration unfettered by concerns of re-election. Unions are not in the 2008 picture.unions will be under siege, constant well-financed referenda will happen in state after state, legal assaults and investigations will take place at every level, and we''ll always be the target of well-financed media campaigns."
The response of the rank and file is evident. Some TWU mechanics are seeking new representation. The "Pilots Defending the Profession" group is gaining more credence and support. APFA members have removed their union pins, are organizing lawsuits and petitions for the removal of union officers.
They are not taking action out of some whimsy to dissent or as "rebels without a clue". They act because, in some cases, they feel their union officials no longer represent them or their best interests. They act because they are tired of hearing their officers repeating management doublespeak that came straight from corporate headquarters. They act because they feel their voices have been silenced and their will undermined.
Of course, resistance to change is certain because so many fear change of any kind. And some want to preserve the status quo at any cost. In some cases, strong attempts will be made to stifle dissent within the rank and file. Yet, those who are dissatisfied with the direction and actions of their union probably feel as Robert Kennedy did when he said, "The future does not belong to those who are content with today."
Some actions may end up being futile. Some may not.
In the end, the motivation for change, the dissension within the ranks, perhaps comes from a desperate need for hope when so much has been taken away, so many lives terribly altered and so little hope is in the present.
And as St. Augustine said, "Hope has two beautiful children: anger and courage; anger at the way things are and courage to change them."
Steven Baumert
Dissension in the Ranks
""Now I don''t who to trust and I don''t know what I can believe
They say they want to help me with the stuff they keep on sayin''
But I think those guys just want to keep on playin''
Roulette, with my life""
- "Roulette" by Bruce Springsteen
The essence of America''s labor unions -the principle on which they were founded- is direct participation by individual workers in the decisions that shape their occupation, their wages and their lives. That singular ability is what eventually drew so many of America''s workers to unions. In many ways, labor unions were and are the only avenue of empowerment for the working class of this country.
When union workers are deprived of that ability of direct participation, when they are made to feel irrelevant, when decisions that affect the many are continually made by the few, then members will eventually question not only the quality of their leaders, but also the relevancy of their union.
For far too long, too many unions have been overbearing bureaucracies in which the individual member does not matter. One cannot take away the single, most important reason to be a union member and not expect rebellion or some form of galvanized dissent. Not only will individual members be concerned with the lack of influence they have on their union and jobs, they will also be concerned with their union''s ability to deal with forces aimed at disintegrating organized labor.
As Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky of Illinois said recently, "Just picture another four years of a Bush Administration unfettered by concerns of re-election. Unions are not in the 2008 picture.unions will be under siege, constant well-financed referenda will happen in state after state, legal assaults and investigations will take place at every level, and we''ll always be the target of well-financed media campaigns."
The response of the rank and file is evident. Some TWU mechanics are seeking new representation. The "Pilots Defending the Profession" group is gaining more credence and support. APFA members have removed their union pins, are organizing lawsuits and petitions for the removal of union officers.
They are not taking action out of some whimsy to dissent or as "rebels without a clue". They act because, in some cases, they feel their union officials no longer represent them or their best interests. They act because they are tired of hearing their officers repeating management doublespeak that came straight from corporate headquarters. They act because they feel their voices have been silenced and their will undermined.
Of course, resistance to change is certain because so many fear change of any kind. And some want to preserve the status quo at any cost. In some cases, strong attempts will be made to stifle dissent within the rank and file. Yet, those who are dissatisfied with the direction and actions of their union probably feel as Robert Kennedy did when he said, "The future does not belong to those who are content with today."
Some actions may end up being futile. Some may not.
In the end, the motivation for change, the dissension within the ranks, perhaps comes from a desperate need for hope when so much has been taken away, so many lives terribly altered and so little hope is in the present.
And as St. Augustine said, "Hope has two beautiful children: anger and courage; anger at the way things are and courage to change them."
Steven Baumert
