“So FDR I think said—he was asked once what he thought about unions.  He said, “If I was a worker in a factory and I wanted to improve my life, I would join a union.”  Well, I tell you what.  I think that’s true for workers generally.  I think if I was a coal miner, I’d want a union representing me to make sure that I was safe and you did not have some of the tragedies that we’ve been seeing in the coal industry.  If I was a teacher, I’d want a union to make sure that the teachers’ perspective was represented as we think about shaping an education system for our future.”

So now we know. “Join a union… Barack Obama says so!”

If you’re not already signed up to Union21 here’s the link to do so and catch up on the front page discussion on organising workers globally. It’s the third item down. www.unions21.org.uk/

Krugman’s article is mostly about what President Obama needs to do to save the US economy, but he’s very clear about the need for workers to have the freedom to join a union, and it’s a very persuasive argument, because one of the root causes of the current climate was sub-prime housing loans. Workers needed those loans but couldn’t pay them back. Because they weren’t earning enough. Similarly, in the UK, low wages have led to massive amounts of personal debt over the last generation – just ask your parents how much THEY had to borrow to buy houses and essential goods!

Here are some quotes from Krugman’s article picked out for me by Seth Michaels (hat tip) at the AFLCIO blog:

…you can do a lot to enhance workers’ rights. One is to start laying the groundwork to pass the Employee Free Choice Act, which would make it much harder for employers to intimidate workers who want to join a union…the legislation will enable America to take a huge step toward recapturing the middle-class society we’ve lost.

…one important factor was the rise of organized labor: Union membership tripled between 1935 and 1945. Unions not only negotiated better wages for their own members, they also enhanced the bargaining power of workers throughout the economy. At the time, conservatives warned that wage gains would have disastrous economic effects—that the rise of unions would cripple employment and economic growth. But in fact, the Great Compression was followed by the great postwar boom, which doubled American living standards over the course of a generation.

But it’s good to see even admittedly-liberal papers like the NYT supporting this measure. Here’s hoping President Obama will deliver.

The UFW was of course inextricably linked with Cesar Chavez, and the article argues that grass roots organising was much more important in mobilising voters than the technique of lobbying, writing cheques and then sending a mailing out to members just ahead of the vote (although I can’t help feeling that no one would want to abandon those either!)

One interesting aspect of the successful approach which is highlighted is the need for really good record keeping – how many bumper stickers distributed, how many people saw billboards etc – which UK unions and the left have been traditionally appalling at and dismissive of. All power to the elbows of those annoying people who insist we record what we do, rather than just putting in the hours!

Send a personalised one to your friends in the States here.