The Power of No

In the last several decades, union membership has declined from 20% in 1983 to just under 12%. And, if you take public sector workers out of the mix, the percentage drops to 6.9%. Ronald Reagan gets much of the credit, regarded as a union buster in ordering the air traffic controllers back to work and firing those that refused. In fact, that strike was an illegal action because the controllers were federal workers and, as such, were prohibited from such a job action. Despite my career as a unionized airline pilot, I am forced to agree with Ronnie's decision.

Nevertheless, the unionized work force has become endangered for other, more subtle,  events. Foremost is this feeling of rugged individualism that anti-labor forces have promoted. The "I don't need no stinking union" mentality has gone a long way in creating today's dearth of represented worker bees.

Added to this is the preponderance of court ordered cessation of other-wise legal job actions. Without the ability to withhold one's services, a union is nothing more than a paper tiger. Why organize and pay dues only to be neutered by a judge?

I'm happy to report that teachers in Tacoma, Washington voted overwhelmingly to defy a judge's back to work edict on Thursday. Their two day strike apparently had an effect. True to form, management turned to the court in an attempt to sidestep meaningful negotiation and, true to form, the court ordered the teachers back to class.

But wait: the teachers said no. A plain and simple, "No". This kind of peaceful defiance has long been lacking in wars between labor and management. And it is long overdue.

Without similar refusals, the level playing field supposedly created by unionization is nothing but a facade and is tantamount to providing an unloaded gun as a last means of defense.

The labor landscape is littered with employee groups that, in the name of civility and reasonability, have acceded to identical court rulings only to find that fruitful negotiation was but a wisp of smoke on a windy day. With such outcomes does it come to anyone's surprise that organized labor is suffering?

Regular readers also know that I am not necessarily a died-in-the-wool union supporter. Unions rise out of untenable workplaces where fairness and dialogue are nonexistent. 

Many companies operate without an organized work force due to an enlightened and engaged management. Management teams of this nature are equally endangered, wouldn't you say?

But given an employee group that is willing to sacrifice much in order to create a better environment for themselves and those that follow, it is incumbent on the courts to allow them to do so. And should the court attempt to restrict that right it is incumbent on the unions to defy.