The importance of the labor movement

Our history and our future cannot be separated from those of our fellow labor unions.

By Edward J. McElroy
AFT President

When Chicago teacher Margaret Haley couldn’t get the administrator-dominated organization of that city to support her demands on behalf of the classroom, she went to the American Federation of Labor and formed a teachers’ union—the American Federation of Teachers, Local 1. That was almost 90 years ago, and although much has changed in the AFT, one hallmark of the union Haley helped found would be instantly recognizable to her today—our affiliation with the AFL-CIO. From day one, the AFT has been a part of the American labor movement—a connection that has never been stronger or more important.

The AFT is one of the fastest growing unions in the country. But our strength ultimately is tied to that of the larger labor movement, whose membership is at its lowest point in more than 100 years. The current state and outlook of America’s trade union movement are very much our concern. For one thing, labor unions are the leading and sometimes the only voice on behalf of working families and the less fortunate. Moreover, our history and our future cannot be separated from those of our fellow labor unions.

In the days when teachers were just gaining the right to organize, industrial unions were the labor powerhouse. Fledgling teachers’ unions got a boost from more-established unions in a number of places, including Washington, D.C., where the AFT’s campaign to represent the teachers was funded primarily by support from the AFL-CIO’s Industrial Union Department. We couldn’t have done it on our own, but with help from the IUD we won that campaign.

On numerous occasions in Rhode Island, my local union got immeasurable help from the Steelworkers, the Machinists and the Building Trades. They didn’t gain a single member by helping us. They even lost a little off their bottom line by reaching out. But they helped our union grow, which strengthens the entire labor movement.

In many ways, private sector unions led by example. Many teachers and other public sector union members won higher wages, health insurance and pension coverage because industrial unions had already blazed that trail. We were eager to follow in their footsteps in those days. Today we must view their decline as a caution: If we don’t fight for other people to have health insurance, secure retirement benefits, and all that is necessary for a decent standard of living, you can be sure that we’ll lose these benefits ourselves. And our nation will be poorer for it. We cannot exist as an island of privilege.

The decline in union membership (which today is just under 13 percent of the total workforce) has led to an erosion in workers’ rights and wages. Millions of workers are losing health insurance, pensions are being dismantled, and wages have been largely stagnant. And the White House and the majority in Congress have put various union rights in their crosshairs.

These challenges make having a strong and effective labor movement more, not less, relevant today. The AFL-CIO spearheads efforts that individual unions—no matter how large—cannot do alone. Political action, legislative efforts, support for organizing—these are all important areas where the strength of the whole is so much greater than the strength of any individual union.

There is some necessary self-examination going on in the labor movement today. Numerous possibilities for the future of organized labor have been debated in union forums and in the media. Some of these discussions have been productive; others less so. But some fundamental issues have to be addressed. Just as the AFT from time to time has taken a look at our union and adapted in response to changes and challenges, it makes sense for the AFL-CIO to do the same thing.

AFT secretary-treasurer Nat LaCour and I sit on the AFL-CIO executive council. And I serve on the AFL-CIO executive committee, the group charged with bringing recommendations regarding possible changes in the federation to the AFL-CIO convention. We are part of discussions about the role and functions of the AFL-CIO and how well the federation is carrying them out. The AFT has produced a position paper laying out internal and external challenges to the union movement and possible responses to these challenges. We continue to solicit input from members, elected leaders and staff on how to make the AFL-CIO the most effective institution it can be.

Unions are often at their best during challenging times. We remain committed to navigating the best course in the current political and economic landscape to strengthening conditions for our members and those they serve. And we are committed, as well, to standing with our brothers and sisters in the larger labor movement and to expanding that movement. We must fight to make fair wages, benefits and working conditions the standard—not a luxury. We can’t do it alone—and we won’t have to.