Union work is great, even today.
It's not as good as it was, but what is?
Freedom to spout off if something is wrong - it still exists. It's not free, there may be repercussions, but if you can do your job you can have your say.
Electricians, as I am, work behind the "scenes". When our work is done, most of it is concealed, in the wall, the deck, the ceiling. The public sees only the tip of the tip of the iceberg. The inspector only sees a little sample of our work. You only know, as a layperson, that if you hit the switch, the lights light. Only the electrician, and maybe his foreman, know if the work was done well or shoddily. We carry on our shoulders the duty to do it well, to last, to be safe. We can do that if we know our jobs are protected from the manager who demands fast work, cheap, at any price.
Foreman today, worker tomorrow. Every foreman knows that one day, he may have to work for some of his crew members. Just knowing that reinforces the principle that foremen should be just, fair, as well as firm. He may be taking orders from that apprentice some day.
The wheel turns, and the hub is the union. Our loyalty is to the union, not the company. By looking to the union for continuity we are looking to each other, toolies, crew mates, partners, to be there down the line. We respect and nurture the employer. Our relationship rests on our contract, bargained, on paper. Good fences make good neighbors. Without the contractor we'd have no job, so we make sure he thrives. Even in the face of his own confusion.
We teach as well as learn. Non-union workers have to hide knowledge from each other. Jealously guarding knowledge makes his job more secure, but all their jobs less so. We depend on each other to know as much as possible: we train our apprentices with care, we inform each other so that we all look good, make our foreman look good, and the contractor no less.
We are a movement, not a gang. We look to a broader field to spread our belief that in labor there is dignity. Work is a meditation. We believe that dignity of work is a right that cannot be held without giving it away, and awakening the thirst for that dignity no mean task. And a good buck can't hurt, either.
So, despite the danger, the dust, the heat and cold, the long drives, the long foot-dreary hours, it's great. And it's going to be great to put up my tools for the last time.
It's not as good as it was, but what is?
Freedom to spout off if something is wrong - it still exists. It's not free, there may be repercussions, but if you can do your job you can have your say.
Electricians, as I am, work behind the "scenes". When our work is done, most of it is concealed, in the wall, the deck, the ceiling. The public sees only the tip of the tip of the iceberg. The inspector only sees a little sample of our work. You only know, as a layperson, that if you hit the switch, the lights light. Only the electrician, and maybe his foreman, know if the work was done well or shoddily. We carry on our shoulders the duty to do it well, to last, to be safe. We can do that if we know our jobs are protected from the manager who demands fast work, cheap, at any price.
Foreman today, worker tomorrow. Every foreman knows that one day, he may have to work for some of his crew members. Just knowing that reinforces the principle that foremen should be just, fair, as well as firm. He may be taking orders from that apprentice some day.
The wheel turns, and the hub is the union. Our loyalty is to the union, not the company. By looking to the union for continuity we are looking to each other, toolies, crew mates, partners, to be there down the line. We respect and nurture the employer. Our relationship rests on our contract, bargained, on paper. Good fences make good neighbors. Without the contractor we'd have no job, so we make sure he thrives. Even in the face of his own confusion.
We teach as well as learn. Non-union workers have to hide knowledge from each other. Jealously guarding knowledge makes his job more secure, but all their jobs less so. We depend on each other to know as much as possible: we train our apprentices with care, we inform each other so that we all look good, make our foreman look good, and the contractor no less.
We are a movement, not a gang. We look to a broader field to spread our belief that in labor there is dignity. Work is a meditation. We believe that dignity of work is a right that cannot be held without giving it away, and awakening the thirst for that dignity no mean task. And a good buck can't hurt, either.
So, despite the danger, the dust, the heat and cold, the long drives, the long foot-dreary hours, it's great. And it's going to be great to put up my tools for the last time.
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