We Are All In This Together

A song by Janet Jackson once asked the question; “What have you done for me lately?” regarding a relationship. Well, how often have we asked this about our relationship with our union?

I see it all the time. Not only where I work now, but also in businesses I have worked for in the past, I have seen co-workers being taken advantage of, management going against the collective bargaining agreement, the list goes on and on. It makes me angry to realize that many of us do not really understand what the word “union” means and how this affects us each day as members of SEIU, or any other union.

The word union by definition means the act of uniting or the state of being united. How many of us can truly say that we take this to heart each day at our workplaces. Being united means precisely that; we as members are united in our daily struggles in our workplaces. Our strength is in our union membership. We are all equal as members, and our strength is in our numbers. We truly are all in this together.

How often have we seen co-workers being reprimanded, disciplined, or doing something that is not in their, or for that matter, our best interests as union members and done nothing to help? I know I have done this many times. The reasons can be as varied as “I’m too busy”, or “It’s not my fight” or how about “I don’t want to get involved.” We have all done it and it is time for this to stop.

Our union stewards are our first line of defense, and I cannot thank them enough for the jobs that they do. However as good as our stewards are, they cannot be everywhere all the time. As members, we must be the eyes and ears of our members. Not only for ourselves, but also for each other. If you see something that you know is wrong, you as a member need to make it your responsibility to report the discretion. Take it upon yourself to make sure of all the facts, and report it to your steward, or call the union office and speak to your internal organizer about it. The union will make a final determination if a grievance needs to be filed, but if it goes unreported, the end result can be devastating for all of us.

All of us would like to have an easier time at our jobs. We all work very hard each day getting the work done at our facilities to make sure our patients and customers receive the best care and service that we can provide. One of the most common problems I see is with temporary workers or even supervisors doing the work of a union member. This can be helpful in the short term, but if it is allowed to go unchecked and unreported, it becomes an issue that can result in a loss of understanding of what a union job is. If it is a union job, a dues paying union member needs to do that job. This only serves our purpose of increasing our membership and our visibility in the workplace. We need to make certain that our jobs, our union jobs, remain just that, UNION JOBS.

At some point, your employer may approach you with the offer of advancement if you are willing to surrender your membership and representation by the union. I will never say to a friend or co-worker not to improve their situation or career, but make certain that you understand that you will now only be a single voice against the employer in any workplace disagreement. The offer of increased wages and more responsibilities may not be a great offer when down the road your seniority is a deficit and not strength if layoffs or termination of non-essential workers is needed.

When layoffs occur, as a union member a certain protocol must be followed as is stated in our collective bargaining agreement. If you are a non-union member, longevity of employment can have an adverse effect on your career.

Brothers and sisters, the days of we as workers being looked at by our employers as a necessary inconvenience and non-essential are over. We are an essential part of our facilities success or failure. They need to realize this. We are a strong powerful force when we realize that our strength is in our numbers. We must also realize that we are only as strong as our weakest link, and sometimes our weakest link is ourselves. Let us end the days of not being willing to stand up for ourselves; let us start the days when we as members stand up for each other. When we do this, we will truly become a force to be respected in our workplace.

Remember brothers and sisters;

SOLIDARITY TODAY, SOLIDARITY TOMORROW, AND SOLIDARITY FOREVER!

Yours in solidarity;

Mark Freeman
SEIU member
Methodist Hospital