Seeing History Through the Eyes of Our Future
By Gerald W. McEntee
Every year, I have the privilege of going to Capitol Hill to get a glimpse of our future.
No, I am not talking about going to a meeting of an all-powerful congressional committee.
Instead, I get to spend time with about 300 high school juniors and seniors from all around the country. They come to Washington to participate in the “Presidential Classroom” program — a program I am proud to say that AFSCME supports and participates in. This year, 13 of the participants were children of AFSCME members.
These kids are some of the future leaders of our nation. They will not only inherit our successes, but also will be forced to deal with our failures.
Every year, I am impressed with the intelligence and curiosity these kids possess. But I am also shocked by the misperceptions and unflattering stereotypes many of them have about labor unions.
Simply put, these teenagers think the main function of a labor union is to go on strike.
During our discussion, I assured them that going on strike was NOT the main function of a labor union. I also listed some of the rights and protections that all workers, including them, rely on — rights and protections that would not have been possible without the vision, support and sheer determination of labor unions.
MINIMUM WAGE. Almost every hand in the room was raised that day as I asked these kids if they had ever held a minimum wage job.
I reminded them that in our not-too-distant past, leaders of industry took the value of human labor for granted. Vast fortunes were amassed at the expense of worker suffering and lifelong poverty. It was the union movement that promoted the idea of a minimum wage — a wage that would give workers a chance at dignity and a better life. That is why AFSCME, and the entire labor movement, is pushing for another increase in the minimum wage.
As I finished talking about the minimum wage, I was satisfied that I had, in some small way, dispelled some of the myths about the labor movement — especially as it is presented in high school history books.
But a flurry of questions from several students who spoke earlier in the day with lawmakers proved me wrong. “Doesn’t the minimum wage keep us from being able to compete in a global economy?” Or, “I heard from a senator that the minimum wage is a front for labor unions to increase their own members’ pay. Is that true?”
These are all questions we have heard before.
As I responded, I was reminded that regardless of the facts of history, or how reasonable and justified our arguments, those who oppose us will go to any length to pass off disinformation and outright lies as fact.
SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE. We also talked about Social Security and Medicare that day. Like the minimum wage, Social Security and Medicare have their roots in the labor movement. We talked about how people, after a lifetime of hard work, should be able to retire with dignity — with financial stability and quality health care.
Not surprisingly, most of the kids in that room, like most working Americans, thought that Social Security and Medicare would not be around for them when they retired.
Preserving Social Security and Medicare is one of AFSCME’s highest priorities. We are on Capitol Hill every day urging lawmakers to keep intact this system that has saved millions of older Americans from poverty.
WORK TO BE DONE. My afternoon with those kids reminded me that the American labor movement has its work cut out for it. We must educate our children about the important role unions have played in shaping our society, and we must also let our kids know that the labor movement is a movement of the future. If we fail to do that, all of our hard-won victories will be irrelevant and the American worker will be back at square one.
