Union Perspectives

In his April 2, 1925 speech, Eugene V. Debs said, “The capitalist politician tells you how intelligent you are to keep you ignorant. I tell you how ignorant you are to make you desire to be intelligent.” The kernel of this speech offered a telling measure of foresight by Eugene Debs: “This world respects as it is compelled to respect,” Debs declared. “Develop your own capacity for clear thinking. Unorganized, you are helpless, you are held in contempt. Power comes through unity.Organization or stagnation, which will you take? The labor movement must either go forward or backward.” At this time, the unions are in the fight of their lives and must pick a side or just go in on their own, and spend their money on local and state elections--this is where they can do the most with their money. It is easier to elect people who will support Project Labor Agreements on job sites, which are prevailing wage jobs based on union wages for each trade; and also be able to keep the elected official...

To build our trade unions up we must get more jobs, which means more hours and then we can expand our unions by encouraging non-union shops to join unions and creating jobs for new apprentices. We have a process to do this and one way is the Project Labor Agreements and tools that are helping with this are the prevailing wage laws, which must be supported by certifying pay rolls. The other is ensuring that responsible contract language (RCL) is written into an agency’s bylaws. RCL means a government entity does not have to accept the lowest bid for work done. This takes people, time and knowledge of labor laws and politics. Prevailing wage jobs just about put us on an even ground with non-union contracts, and if we can take the government jobs from non-union shops this will weaken them in private bidding for their workers depend on the highest prevailing wages. If we keep them from getting these wages this opens the door to organizing non-union shops or taking their workers as new me...