Organizing the unorganized has always been the driving spirit behind the labor movement.
In earlier years, workers who tried to form unions were beaten by company thugs or shot at by government troops. Union organizers risked-and sometimes gave-their lives to win the light for dignity and justice on the job.
It is because of the sacrifices of these heroic men and
women that North American and European workers enjoy the standard of
living we have today. Throughout the world where similar standards of
living do not exist, many valiant workers are willing to make similar
sacrifices to better their standard of living.
Even now, organizing continues to be the labor movement's vital mission. In the industrialized world, the anti-union attacks take different forms, but they are just as intense and brutal as in the early clays of the labor movement. Union-busters now carry brief cases instead of brass knuckles, but their aim is the same: to divide and demoralize workers, to prevent them from having a voice on the job and in society. Despite the setbacks, unionists today are no more willing to give up the struggle than were our predecessors.
Workers know that hazards on the job maim and destroy thousands every year. Workers know that discrimination and favoritism rob people of opportunities for advancement. Workers know about inadequate health benefits that threaten the well-being of their families. Workers know about the lack of dignity that exists when people are denied a voice in their working lives. Workers know that ultimately the boss seeks to turn them into mindless cogs, and that this stifles their freedom and creativity.
And unionists understand that everything we have achieved can be taken away if we don't continue to organize. Employers pit one group against another, demanding concessions in order to be "competitive." To be strong, we must be united.
Organizing is the job of every single union member. It is the responsibility of all of us to educate our friends and neighbors about what a union really is.
That a union is more than just a collective bargaining agreement. It is more than the improved wages and benefits that come with a union contract. A union is more than the leadership and staff-the lawyers, negotiators, educators, economists-who assist us.
The union is the people themselves, joining together in a triumph of hope over lean, standing up together for justice, solidarity, and mutual aid.
You are the Union - Adopted from a pamphlet by the Seattle IWW, 1999.
- English - You Are the Union
- Spanish - Usted es el Sindicato
What do these terms mean?
- Glossary of Standard Union Terms
- Frequently Asked Questions by non-union workers about unions.
Six Myths about Unions:
IWW Organizers at Borders Books in Philadelphia in early 1996.
