Belief is a powerful remedy. Particularly in the face of adversity. For labor unions, belief in the mission in the midst of the political adversity is what will help us succeed. Our story is not written - and it has no ending. We get to participate in each chapter. Believe it.
The NH House will be voting on so-called Right to Work this coming Thursday. The Labor Committee voted the two RtW bills Inexpedient to Legislate. Essentially, ITL is a recommendation from the committee to the House to defeat the bill. Despite the strong 14 - 7 committee vote, the vote in the full House will be close. The anti-union, out-of-state forces that support union-busting are heavily invested in making NH the first New England state to adopt so-called Right to Work. There will be a furious effort from far-right groups to make this a reality in the coming weeks.
So-called Right to Work impacts all workers. Study after study show that, by any measure, Right to Work hurts working families by reducing wages, benefits and retirement. Modern day union-busting is about continuing to clear the way for the wealthy elite to tilt the economic playing field to such an extent that there is no recovery for workers.
Labor unions have been in retrenchment since the early 1970's. It has been a long period of isolation and delusional protectionism, thinking that if we just look out for our own interest. It hasn't worked - it is never enough. Capitalism is a system that is designed to keep eating everything in its path. It is a system that is producing exactly what it is designed to produce; a very few winners and billions of losers. If left unchecked, capitalism will eat us all.
This is why it is critical to abandon what we are against, and begin building a future based on what we are for. We are for better wages and benefits for workers. We are for leave time for young families and improved retirement for seniors. Labor unions support dignity, fairness and respect in the workplace. We are for liberty, justice and freedom for ALL. We support equal rights and pay for women and minorities.
It is a strong, challenging mission. It is understandable that people who are in a daily struggle for existence would find it difficult to believe that a better future can be created. But it can, if you believe it can. Our current circumstances are dictated by what we believe to be true about ourselves. The limits we see are constructs of our minds and are not governed by the laws of physics - only by our limiting beliefs.
Believe in a better future. See it. Revel in the visualization. Dr. King inspired people by putting words to his 'Dream'. He was helping us to see it so that the universe would conspire with us to make it happen.
See the bright, happy future. Make it happen.
