Attacks on the last line of Defence, the Trade Unions

Attacks on the last line of Defence, the Trade Unions
Dateline 1981; Ronald Reagan terminates unionized air traffic controllers rather than negotiate. Dateline 1984; Margaret Thatcher rips into the coal miners of Great Britain rather than negotiate. Did the Members of PATCO and the NUM enter into strikes that could be considered unlawful, yes? Did they have real grievances, yes? Did either of the strikes warrant ongoing vilification of the Union Movement, No, but at the time it was convenient to attack Unions while the first entry into the long term plan to destroy the middle class and unions known as free trade was being considered and negotiated. Years later this vilification is played out constantly in right wing and corporate propaganda and today is part of a far more sophisticated approach; an approach that finds fuel in the vitriolic outbursts of regressive people such as former Ontario Premier Mike Harris and the new Governor of Ohio John Kasich, the Canadian federal government of Stephen Harper and organizations like the “tea party” (lead by television celebrity, not politician, Sarah Palin).
The broad approach, or as some incorrectly say populist, attack on unions by the right wing is actually quite simple to define and analyze. As government policies and legislators became the servants of corporations and in this made the choice to defy one of the most well known quotes in American history, “government of the people for the and by the people” they and their corporate benefactors had to work diligently to remove obstacles to their grand plan. Unions, along with a free and progressive media would certainly not be conducive to running an economy that catered to the needs of the corporations. In fact all that is connected with a progressive media and educated and unionized workforce is entirely contradictory to government policy supporting capital and caring little for people or the environment.
Let’s not forget that unions have been at the heart of progressive legislative change for over 150 years. A few examples of such legislation would be minimum wage, pensions, universal healthcare, public education, occupational health and safety, paid vacations, the 40 hour work week (unions; the people that brought you the week-end), and recognition of paid statutory holidays. Would it make sense, based on this wonderful and amazing record of social responsibility, for those who have chosen to cripple the middle class to leave the Trade Union Movement untouched? The Trade Union Movement is clearly a threat to the right wing corporate agenda in that not only does the movement stand for social responsibility in contradiction to the policies of capital but is perhaps the only self funded organization to take on the role of opposing the attack on working people by government and corporations. Many progressive pieces of legislation were enacted while the revenues to operate a Union were still collected from Members by elected / volunteer Stewards. Since the late 1930’s with the introduction of the legislation that would lead to the “Rand” Formula and automatic deduction of Union dues the self funded status of the Trade Union Movement is truly the last line of defence for working people (Harris at one time suggested he would attack this in Ontario and the “right to work” states already undercut this basic human right, the right to collective bargaining). The Trade Union Movement has many a partner in the fight to sustain jobs, a middle class and the basic social infrastructure that made the national caring societies that used to exist before the blind and myopic worship of capital became the very credo of so many governments, corporations and (sadly) individuals.
The sophisticated attacks on the movement are aimed at removing from view the progressive nature of unions and to corrupt the information such that people are lead to believe that instead of being an advocate for workers and positive social change that somehow unions are greedy. I will defy for all time anyone to equate any union activity with greed when greed is defined each and every day in the financial districts of places like New York, London and Toronto where the financial meltdown of late 2008 was orchestrated and the behaviours that lead to it condoned and in fact designed.
The Trade Union Movement, of which I am a proud member, deserves the time to be understood and to be respected as should it ever be removed or so badly damaged it no longer functions the corporations will have free rein in the world. If you think the near free reign is not possible just look at the loss of Union density since the afore mentioned attacks in 1981 and 1984 and right up to, and including, the latest campaign of misinformation focused on public service workers.
In Solidarity
Dave Trumble
President
Grey-Bruce Labour Council