PAGE 30 | August 18, 2017 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
Who’s on our side?
By Tom Chamberlain Oregon AFL-CIO President
Labor Day:
It’s about solidarity
Labor Day means different things to different people. For
some it’s the end of summer. To others it’s a day off, perhaps
a barbecue with family and friends. To many union members
and leaders, it’s a day to come together and celebrate the rich
culture of the labor movement and the impact it has had on
the American economy.
For me, Labor Day is about solidarity. It is about working
people and unions standing together in solidarity. When
unions stand together to move an agenda, great things hap-
pen for workers.
For example, in 2015, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)
appeared to be a done deal. President Obama and many Con-
gressional Democrats were moving forward with the largest
trade agreement in history, representing 40 percent of the
world’s economy. The American union movement stood
united with our anti-free-trade allies and stopped the agree-
ment dead in its tracks. We did our part in Oregon: anti-TPP
radio and TV ads, rallies and canvasses to turn up the heat
on pro-free-trade Oregon Congressional Democrats. Finally,
President Obama came to Oregon to cool things down. He
failed. Hundreds of us gathered outside a fundraising event
to greet the president. Our work turned the tide of public
opinion against the TPP. The agreement was radioactive long
before President Trump used it as a campaign issue.
When our union movement is united, great things happen
for workers.
After 30 years of false starts, construction began on the
Oregon Convention Center hotel August 4. Again, Oregon
unions were united in our goal that the hotel be built union
and that the 950 hotel employees would have an unob-
structed choice whether to join a union or not. Both goals
were accomplished because the Building Trades and UNITE
HERE stood in solidarity throughout negotiations.
The union movement is growing in Oregon. In 2015, the
membership of the Oregon AFL-CIO was 121,000; today
our membership stands at 138,000. Whether through the in-
crease of construction projects for the Building Trades or or-
ganizing by AFSCME, almost every affiliate is growing.
While our movement is growing, “right to work” has
spread to 28 states. We have a president who supports na-
tional “right to work” legislation. Janus v. AFSCME would
implement “right to work” for all public employees and is
headed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Prevailing wage is being
repealed in many “right to work” states. It is more important
now than ever before that unions stand together in solidarity
to share best practices and technologies, and to continue de-
veloping strategies that improve the lives of all working peo-
ple and build stronger unions.
Labor Day means different things for different people.
Some look back on the glory days of high union membership
when a third of Oregon workers belonged to a union. This
is an exciting time to be in the union movement. Our move-
ment is rapidly changing. National and international unions
are breaking out of the beltway to divert their resources to
state and local battles, with the understanding that strong
state federations and strong, large central labor councils in-
crease the effectiveness and power of our movement. Our
foes do not understand solidarity, where working people
stand together and push an agenda for the common good.
That is strength and that is power, and that is how we get
this country back on track. For me, our best days of the
American union movement lie ahead.
Tom Chamberlain is president of the Oregon AFL-CIO, a 138,000-member-
strong federation of labor unions.
Have a Safe Labor Day