Restore union power to revitalize America

By Bob King

We have watched with great admiration and respect as citizens in many Middle Eastern countries rise up and overthrow dictatorships and despots in favor of building new democracies. The founders of the United States fought valiantly and some gave their lives so that we could have democracy.

Those who believe in human dignity and the value of every person clearly choose democracy over any other form of government.

In school we learned that "power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely." We learned that our founders understood in a democracy there must be a balance of power between the branches of government. Finally, we learned there must be a balance of economic power to maintain a democracy. You cannot maintain a strong democracy without a strong middle class.

How does a middle class get built in a democracy? It is built by workers having the right to freedom of association and freedom of speech which includes the right to organize free, democratic unions and the right to bargain collectively with their employer.

There was not a large, strong middle class in the United States until workers organized unions and bargained collectively, which widely distributed wealth.

Corporations and the wealthy never would have shared real wealth if it were not for workers' collective power through unions.

The middle class was built by the democratic institutions of unions and collective bargaining.

It should be no surprise that some (fortunately, not all) of the wealthiest individuals and corporations want absolute power and are out to destroy unions and end collective bargaining.

Let's be clear: The fight in Wisconsin or in any other state is not about budget deficits. It is a power grab and coordinated attack against unions and collective bargaining controlled by Republicans anxious to pay back the billionaires and millionaires and corporations who lavishly financed their campaigns.

Remember this: In the 1950s and 1960s the economy was great. Jobs were plentiful. The middle class was created and growing. And 39 percent of all private sector workers were in unions. Now after years of union busting by corporations and union trashing by right-wing media, not quite 7 percent of those workers are in unions.

As a result, the middle class has shrunk, poverty is growing, tax revenue is down, jobs are scarce and the economy is fragile.

Now is the time for all citizens who care about democracy and rebuilding and maintaining a middle class to stand up and fight for the middle class and the right of workers to organize and bargain collectively. This fight is about our core values and whether the U.S. will be a beacon of freedom and democracy to the rest of the world — especially the new democracies breaking forth in the Middle East.

Do we have the same courage and compassion for one another to stand up for democracy here in the United States?
 

Bob King is president of the UAW. The opinion piece originally appeared in the March 2, 2011, edition of the Detroit News.