At the risk of sounding self-centered and fatuous I’d like to share personal story in the hopes that will hopefully keep the fire lit for those trying to join a labor or unionize their work. Or, maybe it will help someone who’s a member of the working class, but anti-union nonetheless.
Six years ago I was working in the same industry I am now, but was not yet a member of the union I’m with now. I was making $9 an hour (averaged out to $12, as I was working about 20 hours overtime every week), with no benefits or protections whatsoever.
Fast forward to this week. I’m still working crazy hours in the same field (Nature of the business, sadly, but we’re fighting for change in that area.), but now that I’m a member of a union my base hourly rate is triple what it was 6 years ago, and I get health benefits and retirement benefits through the union. Our contract stipulates all kinds of penalties for overtime, working more than 5 days in a week, not getting a lunch break, etc.
Last week I worked 6 days, and didn’t get a lunch break for 4 of those. It sucked (and I’d rather have that time for me and my family), but because of the union contract stipulating penalties for those conditions I was paid more in 1 day than I made in a week in the same business before I was in a union, even though I often worked in the same (or worse) conditions.
Mind you, I received all of this despite working for one of the biggest, richest, and most notoriously anti-union companies in the world because the union is there to back us up.
My whole life I had been brainwashed, and right up to joining believing the propaganda that unions were a scam. I’m here to tell you they’re not—the dues you pay as a member easily come back to you many, many times over, and your quality of life will go up. 6 years ago I was renting a cheap place with two roommates and was barely making it month to month, and 2 years ago my wife and I were able to buy our first house.
Your Union brothers and sisters are here in solidarity,
All power to the workers!