Labor of Love

By the time this column reaches our readers, Labor Day will have passed. Nonetheless, as it is my tradition, I always take time out in my column in the first part of September to acknowledge and thank all the good and honest labor leaders of our nation and the City of Philadelphia. So many people take Memorial Day and Labor Day for granted. They just look at these two particular American holidays as a time to be off from work, be with family and friends, and party. Let me not leave out the conglomerates who also look at all holidays as a time for revenue boosters, as in sales at Home Depot, Target, Walmart, and other major retailers. What we all need to remember is that because of Unions, workers in America got some protections so that they would be treated fairly by employers and so that they would get benefits and fair wages.
In the history of America’s trade and labor unions, the most famous union remains the American Federation of Labor (AFL), founded in 1886 by Samuel Gompers. At its pinnacle, the AFL had approximately 1.4 million members. The AFL is credited with successfully negotiating wage increases for its members and enhancing workplace safety for all workers.
The Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) under John L. Lewis and the larger AFL federation underwent a huge expansion during World War II. The AFL-CIO merger occurred in 1955. Union membership and power peaked around 1970. At that time, private-sector union membership began a steady decline that continues today. However, membership in public sector unions continues to grow consistently.
According to the Department of Labor, the 2015 union membership rate was 11.1%, and the number of workers belonging to unions was 14.8 million.
The origin of labor unions dates back to the eighteenth century and the industrial revolution in Europe. During this time, there was a huge surge of new workers into the workplace that needed representation. Early workers and trade unions played an important part in the role of independence in the United States. Although their physical efforts for the cause of independence were ineffective, the ideas they introduced, such as protection for workers, became part of our American culture.
When I think of labor union leaders in Philadelphia, I always think, and will always think of union leaders such as Henry Nicholas, who led the National Union of Hospital and Health Care Workers for over 40 years as its President. I will always think of Pete Matthews, who led the AFSCME District Council 33 for almost 20 years. I will always think of Herman Wooten, who for many years was part of the Labor Union movement in Philadelphia. I’ll always remember Samuel Staten, Sr., who was President of Laborers Local 332 for many years. Earl Stout is another Labor Leader from Philadelphia whose name will still ring a bell to this day, with many of the rank and file members of District Council 33. James Sutton, a former President of District Council 33 is also a notable past labor leader to remember, from Philadelphia.
The photographs included with the column today reflect some of the faces of current Labor Union Presidents in Philadelphia.
Back on a national level, when you talk about the history of Unions and union leadership, we cannot leave out this man: Asa Philip Randolph, who was born April 15, 1889, and lived until May 16, 1979. He was an African American labor unionist, civil rights activist, and socialist politician.
In 1925, Philip Randolph organized and led the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the first mainly African-American labor union. In the early Civil Rights Movement and the Labor Movement, Randolph was a voice that would not be silenced. His continuous agitation with the support of fellow labor rights activists against unfair labor practices in relation to people of color eventually led President Franklin D. Roosevelt to issue Executive Order 8802 in 1941, banning discrimination in the defense industries during World War II. The group then successfully pressured President Harry S. Truman to issue Executive Order 9981 in 1948, ending segregation in the armed services.
In 1963, Randolph was the head of the March on Washington, which was organized by Bayard Rustin, at which Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have A Dream” speech. Randolph inspired the “Freedom Budget,” sometimes called the “Randolph Freedom budget,” which aimed to deal with the economic problems facing the black community. It was published by the Randolph Institute in January 1967 as “A Freedom Budget for All Americans”.
Unions have been the backbone of American workers for many years and deserve much more respect. Believe it or not, Unions also carry a lot of political clout. They support political leaders who they believe have shown themselves to be for American workers. Never take unions for granted. Support them when you can and if given an opportunity to join a union, I say, don’t hesitate.
The other “backbone” of American workers are small business owners. They may not be unionized, but don’t be mad at them. Maybe that’s what’s missing. Perhaps somebody needs to start a small business owners union to help them get more protection (Ann Turner).
Don’t forget about the small business owners. More often than not, they are the ones who offer our youth their first after-school job. They are the ones that often hire, right from within the community where they have their storefronts. Small business owners are the ones we always depend on in inclement weather when you can’t get further than a block or so away from your home but need a bag of snow salt, or a shovel, or bread. Small business owners, more often than not, are the ones you can depend on, to give a second or third chance to a person who may have had a brush with the law, but who needs a new opportunity. Small business owners although not given enough credit for it, are definitely part of the force that can help make or break a community. When a business corridor dies, as in a bunch of vacant storefronts, watch the residential community nearest the decaying business corridor start to die as well.
We want to see our communities and neighborhoods thrive, and so we need our business corridors to not only survive but become sustainable for many years to come.
One of the small businesses I’m referring to is the SCOOP USA Media Community Newspaper. We are a business, not a nonprofit. I know for a fact that the original owner and founder of the SCOOP very much appreciated the support he got from certain advertisers and business owners and maybe a handful of elected officials over the years he operated the SCOOP. I know for a fact that Sherri Darden, the current publisher, and owner of the SCOOP appreciates the advertisers she has at this time. However, the more advertisers, the better. Newspapers like the SCOOP cannot survive on compliments that say, “We love the SCOOP.” “We read the SCOOP every week.” Those compliments sound good, but they ain’t paying any bills.
The SCOOP will only be sustainable when our community, elected officials, corporations, small and large businesses put their money where their mouth is and invest in us. Invest by signing up for an annual membership if you can’t do anything else. An annual subscription for the SCOOP costs $75.00. For those who have the budget to do so, purchase ads in the SCOOP to get the word out about your Town Hall Meeting, Your School Bookbag giveaway, your Ex-Offenders Job Fair, or Senior Citizens Health Fair or business. Money talks and everything else walks. Advertise in the SCOOP. Don’t just say you love us. Demonstrate that you love the SCOOP. Buy ad space. Buy an annual subscription. Walk the walk. Don’t just talk the talk.
To be a labor union leader is a labor of love. To own a small business is a labor of love. Let’s show some love today to the SCOOP. Call the SCOOP office today at 215-309- 3139, and let us know what size ad space you want.