Your Life Without the Union: A Tale of Terror
By Jessica Fields, AFGE 1658
Imagine your life without the union. Imagine a world where no union ever existed. No eight hour workday, no forty hour workweek, no weekends. No work-man’s compensation, no healthcare plans, no retirement benefits. Since there are no child labor laws, there’s no such thing as childhood. Unsafe working conditions are the norm. Disparate treatment is rampant for women or mi-norities or LGBT workers. The worksite is inaccessible for those with disabilities. History bears out what workers can suf-fer when employers operate without checks and balances. Consider the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, the radium watch dial girls and the Memphis sanitation worker. Such fates are unimaginable to us, because we live in a world that is transformed by collective bargaining.
The foundation of any union is an assertion of basic human dignity and a belief that we are stronger together than apart. Unions are found across the social spectrum: pipe fitters and actors; autoworkers and athletes; nurses and police officers. Solidarity binds us together, and our varied perspectives coalesce into a unified voice. Despite our differences, we become a sort of family – sisters and brothers – and pool our resources for the collective good. Through collective bargaining we change the quality of life in our workplace. One individual is transformed into a force for societal change. Holy smokes! The very idea of a union is a revolutionary act.
Your union is so much more than the full-time employees and elected officials. The un-ion is you. You are the union. The union is most effective when its members invest and participate. Our union encompasses an in-credible assortment of talent and experience and education.
The question becomes what can’t we accom-plish if we were to flex our collective strength! What if we increased our lobbying of political representatives? What if we spoke positively and proudly of our union? What if we peer reviewed our resumes and increased scholarships and promoted union values into leader-ship positions? There is so much the union can still accomplish. We stand on the solid foundations that past unions were able to construct. We can add our own chapter to this great labor history. Speak your mind, lend your skills, teach a class, bring a new mem-ber, come to meetings, sign a petition, get involved politically, support other Federal unions – but do something.
Any other future is, well, terrifying.
Workforce Morale in the Cellar as Congress Continues to Target Feds
From AFGE National Website—8 October 2015
AFGE called on congress to cease mean-spirited cuts to federal workers’ pay and benefits today following the release of abysmally-low employee morale scores as part of the annual Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey.
“Public servants continue to suffer under a Congress that seems determined to make it harder for them to serve the American People,” said AFGE National President J. David Cox Sr.
“The constant thread of another pay cut, retirement give-back , or government shutdown is like a weight on the shoulders of every federal employee in this country, and morale will continue to suffer until that weight is lifted.”
With the threat of another shutdown looming near the holiday season, Cox said that federal employees were putting big purchases and major life decisions on hold until Congress could guarantee that the government would continue to operate past the December 11 expiration of the current continuing resolution.
“It[‘s] barely been more than a week since we were on the brink of another government shutdown,” Cox said.
“Congress has made all of us—from federal employees to the people we serve—live in a era of constant uncertainty.”
Cox said he was proud that 90 percent of survey participants resolutely reported that they were committed to going the extra mile despite slashed budgets, limited resources, and a meager 1% pay increase after three years of pay freezes, but enough is enough.
“Federal employees have important work to do like protecting our borders, inspecting our food and providing services to our veterans. Congress needs to give them the tools to carry out the promises we’ve made to the American people,” he added.
Cox also encouraged agencies to meet AFGE members at the bargaining table if they wanted to see a real spike in federal employee engagement.
“The survey results show that agencies consistently rank higher when employees have a real voice at the workplace,” Cox said. “Yet several agencies continue to stonewall our efforts to update contracts to improve working conditions for their employees. When it comes to boosting employee engagement, there is no substitute for a good collective bargaining agreement.”
