As we celebrate the 4th of July holiday this week and honor our great nation's birthday, we are reminded of why we continue to fight for workers rights across this country, and fight even harder to preserve the unions that built our country!
Last week, public employee union members were handed a mighty blow with the Janus vs. AFSCME decision, but it is not a mortal blow, by any means. In actuality, it has ignited a fire within workers that has been smoldering for years, decades even. An attack on unions is an attack on our sacred American values, including Democracy and Freedom, and workers know that!
Union power comes from the ranks of our membership. What could be more democratic than that? And real freedom is the freedom to be able to provide for your family, or to use sick leave to take care of a sick family member. These are American values.
Unions are the "tools that built America’s 'golden age,' according to a recent report connecting the decline of union membership over the past 40 years to income inequality and the erosion of the middle class. Union membership peaked following World War II, and so did income. Our grandparents, and other who came before them, worked hard for what they had, and they were rewarded for that hard work with good wages and benefits that could sustain their families and allowed them to retire with dignity. And that's the promise unions intend to keep!
As we enjoy this time with family this week and celebrate the tenants of our nation, including strong unions, take a moment to honor those who came before us and fought for what we have. It's time for our 'golden age.' American families, and the unions that shaped our nation, must be preserved!