1999 Labor Day Message by UAW President Stephen P. Yokich
6 September 1999
1999 Labor Day Message by UAW President Stephen P. Yokich
New Unions for a New Economy
DETROIT, Sept. 3 -- The following is the 1999 Labor Day
Message by UAW President Stephen P. Yokich:
"Labor Day 1999 finds the UAW and other unions at more than a turning
point on the calendar. Today's unions are reinventing themselves at a rapid
clip.
"Our goals remain the same -- workplace dignity, a say in decision making
both in public policy and in the workplace, a fair distribution of the
abundant wealth generated by our economy and the support for economic and
social justice that has defined us as a social movement, not just a collective
bargaining agent, from the very beginning.
"But times change and so have we.
"Education and training now play a big role in what we do on a day-to-day
basis. In most UAW plants and offices, we're involved in training programs
that range from health and safety awareness to acquiring skills on new
machines and new processes. We've also steadily improved our tuition
assistance programs for our members while also expanding benefits to
dependents so as to offset the high cost of secondary education.
"Work and Family is critical. Our union has an expanded work and family
emphasis because we realize that the challenges facing families with two or
more wage earners are greater than ever. We're involved in innovative new
bargaining provisions such as assistance for families with adopted children,
elder care pilot programs, child care services and child care referrals and
augmenting implementation of the Family Medical Leave Act. We carry those
same values into public policy discussion on the same topics.
"Quality matters. We're proud that we pioneered putting quality into
contract language at Ford in 1984. We think it's paid off for our members and
for all of the companies where we're more involved than ever. Just about
every employer talks about the contribution of 'teamwork' to quality. But
union involvement assures that it really happens. And by the way, quality is
just as important in the service sector as it is in industry.
"Diversity strengthens us. By any measure, the UAW's base is broader
today than ever. And that's saying something because we have always been
leaders in inclusiveness. In recent years, however, we've put even more
emphasis on involving women and workers in the 'new' economy such as graphic
artists, graduate student employees and health care workers. New immigrants
are traditionally vulnerable to economic exploitation and we are working with
many new immigrants on a range of job and community concerns. We've long
represented workers in Puerto Rico -- but currently we are very involved in
the effort to expand collective bargaining rights and recruit new members
there.
"International Solidarity. If there was ever a time when the UAW wasn't
supporting workers' struggles in Poland or South Africa or someplace, I can't
remember it. But today, such support isn't just about social justice -- it's
about the realities of the global economy. That's why our union is conducting
health and safety training classes in Mexico and why I'm proud to be serving
on the Supervisory Board of DaimlerChrysler. We know it's a global economy,
and that's also why we pay so much attention to U.S. and global trade policy.
Everything we have fought for and everything we want for the children of
working people all over the world depends on it.
"Organizing is our lifeblood. As the economy has changed, the percentage
of union representation has gone down. There are powerful forces that want it
to go down even more. That's dangerous. The scales of social and economic
justice are already out of balance. CEOs make way too much. Millions of
workers make way too little. What's even worse is that workers who stand up
for union rights are met far too often with fierce threats, disciplinary
actions, including firing and intimidation and intense pressure from
supervisors. That's not right. Workers shouldn't have to be afraid. If
anything, our whole society has an interest in expanding workplace rights not
restricting them. Some people say that things are so much better these days
that workers don't need unions any more. They haven't been in some of the
sweatshops that I've been in. But beyond that, even good jobs can be
improved. Especially in a healthy and growing economy, why shouldn't workers'
jobs get better too? We think they should and unions are a proven way to get
there.
"All in all, I'm excited about what we're doing these days. We have
healthy and constructive relationships with thousands of employers, many of
them among the most successful companies in the world.
"The ingredients of a new and higher standard of economic and social
justice are all around us. In industry, agriculture, medicine, education and
communications, technology and human ingenuity continue to provide the basis
for mass abundance on a far greater scale.
"But we also know that there are no guarantees. The workers' seat at the
decision making table is not reserved.
"It must be won over and over again by organizing our unorganized brothers
and sisters, by fighting for the rights and empowerment of workers in China
and Mexico and by never apologizing for our right to be full participants in
the democratic political process. That's how we can bring to future
generations the better life that our parents and grandparents fought for and
delivered to us."