The Labor Movement Is The Answer
Unions are enjoying our highest approval ratings since the 1950s. The great majority of the American people believe that the system is broken and that the union movement is just what we need to fix it. Unions are democratic, unions are strong, and unions are popular!
At the same time, the job market has tanked. Consumer confidence has fallen. Prices are rising, the poor are getting more and more cuts, and the highly respected economists at Moody’s are predicting a recession. Even before he launched his main attack against respected journalists and educators, the President's approval rating had sunk from above 50% to a dismal 37%. It may be dropping now faster than pollsters can ascertain.
Your labor movement, on the other hand, is growing stronger. The Dallas AFL-CIO Labor Day breakfast was the biggest and best ever. Principal officer Lou Luckhardt announced at the September 19 meeting that 548 tickets were sold and a net profit of over $13,000 was captured! In addition, everybody had a great time!
At the same meeting, Young Active Labor Leaders, our under-40 union youth movement, announced that 200 young workers attended their summit September 5-7 at the Dallas Convention Center. They had panels and workshops on everything from the Mideast war to the American Farmers Union. Fired up with knowledge and enthusiasm, they are presently energizing labor all through the state.
The young activists announced yet another Starbucks store in our area had won its union election. On the next day, September 19, they were at yet another Starbucks store to support striking barristas!
Our September Council meeting hosted a long line of speakers with news about upcoming organizing drives, street actions, elections, boycotts, special training, and other activities. The “No Kings Day” protests on October 18 will include public employees who are being fired up by anti-worker moves and directed by our labor movement into effective action.
The United Food and Commercial Workers union is organizing Tom Thumb grocery employees. We’re backing the Dallas Wings and the Players Association of the WNBA in their national contract fight. Public employees are defending their jobs in the courtrooms, in the legislatures, and on the streets. Demonstrators are gathering at the offices of politicians who are against us, and we’re having breakfast with those we like. Politicians who hope to win office are lining up to talk to the Dallas AFl-CIO.
The Texas AFL-CIO is organizing a mighty coalition for democracy. They are working to improve labor communications statewide and planning even more training for aspiring union leaders. Our retirees in the Texas Alliance for Retired Americans are working to save voting rights and other benefits. Lou Luckhardt is suggesting that all unions follow the example of the federal employees and prepare to dump their employer dues checkoff. They can get it done, as the American Federation of Government Employees is proving, practically free on-line.
Two of the most prominent labor spokespersons in America, Sheria Smith and Justin Chen of AFGE, are members of our Council. At every opportunity, Chen warns unionists that the Trump administration is not just targeting public employees. They are coming after all unions, he says, and he has the backing of historical precedent to prove it.