Ode To Labor

 

 

One of my beliefs that deviate from the conservative movement is my view on organized labor. On this Labor Day, let me say a few things which need to be said.

If you have a job and enjoyed your weekend off from work…..if you get a lunch break…and take a paid vacation…or get overtime….you need to pay homage to labor unions. All those things were won in the American labor movement.

I served two terms as a union president back in my early days of teaching and gained a respect for the role and purpose of organized labor. We found win-win solutions with the administration which ultimately improved the way we educated our students.

It was not my job to protect bad teachers. It was my duty to make sure they were afforded due process.

And I believe in collective bargaining, especially in the public sector. I’ve been on both sides of the table and engaged in difficult negotiations. Each and every one, in my 30 year career, ended with each side finding compromise.

Newspaper columnist Molly Ivins said it best:

“If you are making a decent salary for a non-union company, you owe that to a union. One thing that corporations do not do is give out money out of the goodness or their heart.”

Agreed.