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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (March 17, 2006)
Labor’s makeover must start with the heart (International Standard Serial Number 0894-444X) Established in 1900 at Portland, Oregon as a voice of the labor movement. 4275 NE Halsey St., P.O. Box 13150, Portland, Ore. 97213 Telephone: (503) 288-3311 Fax Number: (503) 288-3320 Editor: Michael Gutwig Staff: Don McIntosh, Cheri Rice Published on a semi-monthly basis on the first and third Fridays of each month by the Oregon Labor Press Publishing Co. Inc., a non- profit corporation owned by 20 unions and councils including the Oregon AFL-CIO. Serving more than 120 union organizations in Ore- gon and SW Washington. Subscriptions $13.75 per year for union members. Group rates available to trade union organizations. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT PORTLAND, OREGON. CHANGE OF ADDRESS NOTICE: Three weeks are required for a change of address. When ordering a change, please give your old and new addresses and the name and number of your local union. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS, P.O. BOX 13150-0150, PORTLAND, OR 97213 Member Press Associates Inc. WESTERN LABOR PRESS ASSOCIATION MARCH 17, 2006 If you look hard enough, you’ll find it — your union’s moral purposes. They’re seldom talked about, but are often articulated in detail in the preamble or mission statement in the union constitution. Most were written 70 to 100 years ago. Some of the language could stand to be updated, but are any of the purposes irrelevant? Here are some excerpts from the constitutions of four unions: Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) • To secure and defend our rights. • Establish order and harmony. • Promote the general cause of humanity and brotherly love. • Secure the blessings of friendship, equality and truth. American Federation of State, County & Municipal Em- ployees (AFSCME) • To work with our brothers and sisters in other lands towards the improvement of the conditions of life and work in all countries, towards the diminution of international ten- sions and a reduction in the use of armed force to resolve disputes and towards genuine fraternity of all workers. • One of the fundamental tenets of democratic govern- ment is the consent of the governed. Unions are an exten- decent employers don’t compete at a disadvantage for taxpayer-funded con- struction contracts, Local 701 joined a multi-issue community coalition called the Metropolitan Alliance for Common Good (MACG). “Being in MACG forces you to talk about unions with people who don’t un- sion of that idea. Union members are both workers and cit- izens. Collective bargaining is the expression of citizenship in employment. • Amidst unparalleled abundance, there should be no want. Surrounded by agricultural surpluses ... there should be no hunger. With advanced science and medical research, sickness should not go untreated. A country that voyages into outer space can provide adequate education, protec- tion and family preservation for all its children. International Association of Machinists (IAM) • [To labor through united action to promote] the right of those who toil to enjoy to the full extent the wealth cre- ated by their labor. • To perpetuate our Association on the basis of solidar- ity and justice. • To endeavor to bring about a higher standard of living among the toiling masses. International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) • To promote the health, welfare and safety of members and families. • The betterment of general economic and social condi- tions in the world. • To protect and strengthen our democratic institutions. derstand them,” Harris said. “Often- times I’m faced with trying to educate an entire community about what unions are all about. You have to put it in moral terms.” Lakoff agrees, and says it’s vital that organized labor reconnect with the community, becoming part of a broader social justice movement. Union leaders have asked his advice, Lakoff told the NW Labor Press, but haven’t always liked his answer: They can’t go it alone. “Labor has to be seen as part of the community,” Lakoff said. “Unless unions have the support of their com- munities, they’re not going to make it.” Carpenters, Electricians, Laborers, Glaziers, Sheetmetal Workers, Floorcoverers, Bricklayers, Cement Masons, Roofers, Asbestos Workers, Family, Millwrights, Painters, Elevators, Plasterers IBEW & United Workers Federal Credit Union Please join the Credit Union “Annual Meeting” Celebration 2006 Tuesday, March 21st at 7:00pm @ y -wa a - e iv es al g ttende i c e Sp all a to IBEW Local 48 15937 NE Airport Way Portland, Oregon 97230 Gran d p at th rize draw e end ing meeti of the ng Prizes given throughout the event Appetizers will be served Please bring your family and fellow union members For more information call (503) 253-8193 * (800) 356-6507 Electricians, Carpenters, Laborers, Glaziers, Sheetmetal Workers, Floorcoverers, Bricklayers, Cement Masons, Roofer, Asbestos Workers, Family, Millwrights, Painters, Elevators, Plasterers What is the purpose of a union? Is it a 3 percent raise? Holding on to fringe benefits? Bob Bussel, director of the Labor Education and Research Center (LERC) of University of Oregon, is convinced that unions have a higher purpose, an underlying moral mission that’s too seldom talked about. Bussel and fellow labor educator Greg Schneider have begun teaching workshops to labor leaders about how unions communicate — or fail to com- municate — what they’re really about. The two draw on the ideas of George Lakoff, a professor of cognitive science and linguistics at the University of Cal- ifornia, Berkeley. Lakoff, a leading figure in the field of linguistics, has recently become known as a political thinker, authoring books like Don’t Think of an Elephant: Know Your Values and Frame the De- bate, and Moral Politics: What Conser- vatives Know That Liberals Don’t. In the books, Lakoff proposes that every- one has within them conflicting sets of values. Persuaders succeed when their message connects to a set of values peo- ple already have — and reinforces those values against other, competing values. America’s conservatives, Lakoff says, are used to speaking in moral terms. But progressives are uncomfort- able and out of practice with it, and tend to talk facts or try to sell plans and pro- posals. “The right has done a good job pre- senting a set of values that appeal to people,” Schneider said. But union values also reverberate in the community, Schneider says; they’re just not being communicated effec- tively, or at all. “People share our values, but they don’t know what our values are,” Schneider said. “They perceive us as the bosses portray us — irrelevant to today, organizations that are going to force you to do things you don’t want to do ... or protect bad workers.” At their workshops, Bussel and Schneider ask participants to identify what “union values” are. They tend to come up with the same handful of themes: dignity, fairness, unity, security, citizenship, equality, democracy and pride. Then participants take a look at union communications — ads, picket signs, newsletters. And the values are nowhere to be found. Instead, Bussel says, unionists tend to talk in outdated and jargon-heavy language, long on le- gal terms and short on moral appeal. “We’re setting ourselves up for fail- ure by some of the ways we talk about ourselves,” said Cherry Harris, a com- munity organizer with Operating Engi- neers Local 701. Bussel and Schneider were invited to present their workshop at Local 701’s Gladstone union hall, because union leaders saw they were having a hard time explaining issues that matter to building trades unions. As part of a campaign to make sure Electricians, Carpenters, Laborers, Glaziers, Sheetmetal Workers, Floorcoverers, Bricklayers, Cement Masons, Roofer, Asbestos Workers, Family, Millwrights, Painters, Elevators, Plasterers Drawing on the ideas of a Berkeley professor, LERC Director Bob Bussel wants labor to shift the terms of the debate by getting re-grounded in union values. Glaziers, Carpenters, Laborers, Electricians, Sheetmetal Workers, Floorcoverers, Bricklayers, Cement Masons, Roofers, Asbestos Workers, Family, Millwrights, Painters, Elevators, Plasterers NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS PAGE 3
