This month’s theme is “They want us…” with a summary of the issue today, a parallel from history, and how our ancestors fought back and can inspire us also! Grateful for your partnership in this work. Feel free to spread the word!
The issue today:
You might know I have a low-key obsession with the Supreme Court because they shape so much of our lives and they do a lot of pretending that they’re consulting the law when they’re mostly consulting their own feelings. Well, last year, in Glacier Northwest Inc. v. International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local Union No. 174, the Supreme Court assured us that workers still have the legally protected right to go on strike; HOWEVER, if that strike costs the company money, they’re allowed to sue the workers for the costs of not working that day.
If that strike costs the company money,
they’re allowed to sue the workers for the costs of not working that day.
I could have chosen a dozen different cases from the past ten years, but this felt so symbolic of the larger issue: if you’re mistreated or exploited or underpaid, you’re allowed to fight back. But if you cost the people who are mistreating or exploiting or underpaying you, you might have to pay them for the money you cost them.
It’s not necessarily that they want us poor; they just want to stay rich, and that’s not possible without exploiting us. And for some reason, the court wants to make sure they stay rich, too. Any theories about why? Drop them in the comments if you have a moment.
And for more info on this case, you can check out this excellent blog post.
This issue in the past.
Have you heard the term “right to work?” It’s a designation for states that want to limit access to unions. I wanted to let you know where the concept of Right to Work comes from, according to the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees: a guy named Vance Muse, back in the 1930s.
He was this Texan lobbyist who founded an organization called The Christian American Association as a front for big money special interests. He was a known anti-Semite, racist, misogynist. And while running a “right to work” campaign in Arkansas in 1944, the CAA circulated literature about the dangers of unions by stating “white women and white men will be forced into organizations with black African apes whom they will have to call ‘brother’ or lose their jobs.” People thought his power had receded since only 6 states were “right to work” by 2010; but today, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, it’s 26.
Vance Muse also loved child labor and hated the 8-hour work day. He’d LOVE what’s happening these days.
How our ancestors fought back
Since we’re talking about how some people want us poor, I wanted to tell you about an ancestor who fought for workers to be compensated justly. If you’re a paid subscriber to my Substack, you already know the amazing story about how before there was the Religious Right, there was actually a Religious Left: for the first half of the 20th century, most mainline churches were part of a movement to eliminate child labor, to protect the weekend, to create an 8-hour workday, and to create fair wages and safer work conditions.
The Federal Council of Churches brought together churches who couldn’t agree on theology but could absolutely agree that people shouldn’t die needlessly in coal mines just so companies could make a tiny bit more money than if the workers were safe. You can read more about it as a paid subscriber, but for now I wanted you to have a little bit of good news about ancestors who modeled for us that we really can come together and make a better world for workers.
And another thing…
Circling back to the legacy of that racist right-to-work campaign from the 1940s: Today, 26 states are right-to-work states, which limit union organizing. RTW states have lower median incomes; non-union workers have lower rates of wealth; and places like Princeton and Harvard Business school, not legendary bastions of left-wing thought, have found union companies are just as competitive, just as productive, and no more prone to geographic location than non-union companies. Also, about 11% of Americans are in unions. SO WHY DID WE LET OURSELVES BUY THE HYPE ABOUT UNIONS? WHY DO WE THINK THEY’RE BOTH OVERLY POWERFUL AND INFLUENTIAL AND DANGEROUS AND ALSO THAT THEY ARE INEFFECTIVE AND LAZY? Then again, Black people make up about 12% of our country, and some folks are also convinced the same things about Black people. So…someone out there wants us misinformed, poor, and distracted.
Please know that if you want to support a fight for workers in right-to-work states, there’s an amazing campaign going on right now for safety and fair wages at the Waffle House chain. I’m excited about it because the Union of Southern Service Workers is filling a gap in organizing workers in the US South, which has been left out of union organizing with horrific results. You can sign their petition and check out their universal rights declaration as well. My friend Steve made me aware of their work; one of their founders created it because of her experience working with the Poor People’s Campaign, and I love that connection. I thought you might, too!
peace,
Sandhya