Solidarity Reimagined 0

One day those who have been seduced by the snaring economy will realize that they have been duped.

While they work for pittances, Silicon Valley reaps the premium and sucks them dry. It’s bubblelicious.

I carried a union card for 24 years.

Shortly after I started at my first employer, my job became a union job and my pay went up because I was no longer without protection. (I won’t go into the technical details of why this happened–it had to do with “deferred agreements” and stuff like that there).

When I got promoted into a non-union job, I continued to pay my union dues and maintained my seniority as a fall-back. When the time came that I needed a fall-back (my whole office and all the persons in it in Wilmington, Delaware, got offed), it turned out that I didn’t need to exercise my seniority rights, as I fell back into another industry. Nevertheless, those rights were there and I could have used them to put bread on the table had the other opportunity not come along all on its ownsome.

I never had to avail myself directly of the union’s services, because the union had already fought to protect me; I benefited from the sacrifices of persons who were willing to die for workers’ rights. I appreciated those protections, and, the more I learned about labor law, the more I appreciated them. I appreciate them still.

The union made my life better.

“Right to work” laws are in truth “right not to get paid fairly” laws and are one of the most successful cons in American political and labor history.

Image via Juanita Jean.

Afterthought:

In the phrase, “everyone is an entrepreneur,” methinks “entrepreneur” is “exploited” misplet.