The Invisible Hand by Frank Jimmy Hines The power of a union is not derived from the rights of just one man or woman; it is, as the name implies, through unity that we draw our strength. So what exactly is unity? After all, in its basic element, isn’t a union just many individuals? All of whom have individual rights, beliefs, and needs? With all of these individual differences, how can we ever expect to think as one? Fight as one? Win as one? It is evident – if you view it with an open mind – that the power of our union has declined over the years. Our bond, as members, has simply disintegrated before our eyes – so much to the extent that we are left asking “What Bond?” “What Union?” and wondering if it ever even existed at all. This was by no means an accident. Have you ever heard the saying, “Divide and Conquer”? It is an age-old war tactic to which – even in this day and age – we’ve fallen victim. While we were content to sit back and enjoy the comfort of our union in its prime, companies have evolved. It is now a new era of relentless corporate greed and we find ourselves waking on the battlefield, shaking from our heads the vivid dreams we thought were real. We hold tight to our old maps and muskets, refusing to acknowledge their utter ineffectiveness against company drones and GPS. “They are not our enemy,” we say, “I see no men upon the ground.” In this time of ever increasing corporate greed, companies are not above dirty tactics. These new strategies are not ones of direct assault, but of subtle manipulation which often go unnoticed until it’s too late. Unlike days of old, there are no goons waiting outside with baseball bats – oh no – now it is just the invisible hand guiding us straight toward self destruction. If a tree falls in the woods and there is no one around to hear it, does it make a sound? If your boss spikes your coffee with cyanide and no one is around to see it, do you still get sick? Better yet, do you blame the friend who brought it to you? You see, it’s hard to stick someone with the blame if you didn’t know they were involved… and as human beings, we do have a tendency to blame. Companies know this. Now if unity (or solidarity) is the source of a union’s strength, how might a company seek to defeat it? Oh yeah, that’s right – “Divide and Conquer.” If the corporate world can turn unions back into ‘many individuals,’ those individuals would have considerably less power. So what do companies do? They implement policies and procedures which are meant to amplify and exploit our individual differences. From the very beginning, unions have founded themselves on the idea of equal pay for equal work – and with good reason. Having long benefited from these union rights, subsequent generations have forgotten the purpose behind this principle. So in recent years, when the economy was in turmoil, many companies (including those which were still very profitable) took full advantage. “Tiers,” said the invisible hand, “will solve the problem. We won’t touch your wages and the cuts will only affect new members.” Of course, this sounded good to the unknowing members… that is, until the new hires began to outnumber them. Year after year in this tier system, members worked alongside one another for considerably different wages and – just as the corporations had hoped – it created a divide in the membership. It was no longer union against company, but tier against tier. New members wanted to take money from those with seniority to even out the wage; high seniority members began thinking that they should always make more than newer members. Of course, neither of these solutions encompassed the ‘union mentality.’ They forgot the importance of fairness and equality and chose to bicker amongst themselves; “who deserves more than who” instead of “where do we want to be.” If ever brought to a strike, how could they come to a decision? The lower half could afford it – strike pay would nearly cover their loss, but the top half would only be receiving about a third of their regular check. At the bargaining table, who do you fight for? Those who put in the most time or those who can’t afford to live? Does everyone get a raise and the problem continues? In this sense, how could these people unite? Common wages are one of the few things that can unite people of so many individual differences – and tier systems are an effective way to destroy that unity. Another prime example of the ‘invisible hand’ in action is Right to Work legislation. “No,” you may be thinking, “that’s just the Republicans.” But remember, it’s called the invisible hand for a reason. Many of these corporations are funding Right to Work agendas; likewise, many Republicans are company owners. Coincidence? I think not. Right to Work is not intended to give “rights” as its name implies, but is yet again another form of deception – or “soft language” as the great George Carlin once put it. Once again, it comes right back to “Divide and Conquer.” Right to Work is like putting a wolf in with a flock of sheep; slowly but surely it starts to pick members off and before you know it, the union is defunded and can no longer exist. Ok, maybe it’s worse than that – the state hasn’t declared that it’s mandatory to keep the wolf in the pen… yet. Brothers and Sisters, this is not simple paranoia, but fact. Unions – at their strongest – have the power to bring a company to its knees; they can force greedy corporations to pay fair wages, provide decent healthcare, and employ much needed safety standards… all of which cut into the massive bonuses that CEO’s hold so dear. If money is the root of all evil, a twenty-million dollar bonus can inspire some pretty awful things. So is it any wonder why companies might find it beneficial to destroy unions?
Posted on: Mon, 07 Oct 2013 00:15:14 +0000
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