By Howard A. Doughty
I can’t prove this, but it wouldn’t surprise me to learn that most of us would answer “No” to such questions as:
- Were your parents Union members?
- Before working at Seneca, were you a union member?
- Do you consider yourself “working class”?
Now, as an OPSEU member,
- Do you regard yourself as a member of your “profession” or “academic discipline” more than an OPSEU member?
- Do you feel better saying “I’m a college professor” or “I’m an education worker?”
These aren’t ideological “loyalty tests,” just indicators of self-identification. Let’s move on…
There are 658 full-time and 592 partial-load academic employees in Local 560. That’s a lot (and over 600 more part-time faculty trying to Unionize. I imagine, however, that most of us think of ourselves as nurses, engineers, accountants, sociologists (or whatever) than trade unionists.
It’s normal. Our society privileges personal, professional achievement. Union cards? Not so much. It’s obvious everywhere. So, the mass media rarely mention Unions unless there’s a scandal or an impending strike, especially in the public sector and, most breathlessly, when health-care workers or teachers are involved.
Even the “progressive” Toronto Star usually biases its reporting of “contract” negotiations by saying employers “offer” this, but Unions “demand” that. To be fair, its “Business” section permits one weekly pro-labour column (currently by Armine Yalnizyan); however, the rest conventionally reflects corporate interests. And, when did you last see or hear a “labour” segment in any broadcasting network? It’s always… “and now for the ‘business’ news.” The vast majority of people contributing to the economy (the workers) are ignored.
The dominant employer narrative is enabled by traditional Union concerns with improving wages and resisting managerial malfeasance. So, unless it’s bargaining time or members needing to file a “grievance,” Unions aren’t top-of-mind. It’s understandable; it should be otherwise.
I don’t mean OPSEU and Local 560 should neglect collective bargaining or ignore managerial abuse. Quite the opposite! But, we’ll do better with foundational Union tasks by doing more, not less!
Newspaper columnist Rick Salutin recently explained that Unions should both protect their members and promote progressive social change. Social conditions cause working conditions and it isn’t a “zero-sum” game. Advocating economic equity, social justice, and ecological sustainability doesn’t drain energy from supporting members, it augments it by building alliances and solidarity within the college and with other Unions and social movements.
Salutin mentions the media’s recent failure to cover important OPSEU events. “I saw no coverage in the mainstream media,” he writes, “of JP Hornick’s election as president of Ontario’s huge pubic sector Union, OPSEU. She was an underdog…and yet took over after 15 years of Warren “Smokey” Thomas, a blustering bully, the best thing about whom was probably his name. ‘We are at our most powerful,’ Hornick said, ‘when we are part of a bigger struggle for justice.’ That’s not bluster,” Salutin added, “she has a record to back it up.”
What does that mean for us? That depends on us!
With new provincial and local leadership, a new Collective Agreement (expected soon), and a new, more destructive Ontario government, we have urgent, important work ahead. We must build awareness, grow our knowledge, embrace solidarity, and liberate ourselves from our “silos.”
Let’s remember, unlike commercial establishments, financial institutions, factories, non-profit agencies, law courts. houses of worship, professional sports franchises, and most cultural organizations, the Union is a “democracy”! Collectively, we control our fate. Leadership is important, but it requires an informed and active membership. Your new Local Executive Committee is committed to doing better in the Union and the college; but, all its skills and energy won’t achieve our goals. Those goals are unattainable without you.
Political democracies don’t work if citizens only pay attention to politics and governance at election time. Union democracies don’t work if members only pay attention when collective bargaining takes place or when they need help in conflicts with bosses. And, as American sociologist Jane Addams wrote in 1902: “The only cure for the ills of democracy is MORE democracy!”