April 16, 2010

Unions

" . . . America was the first country ever where a majority of its citizens joined the middle class. Labor unions created that middle class. Today, no country in the world has ever had a strong middle class without a strong labor movement.

"And like all social movements, the labor movement was born fighting.

"To end slavery, it took a war. For women's suffrage, it took marching in the streets. For civil rights, it took civil disobedience. Middle-class prosperity wasn't a gift to working families from the government. It wasn't something that workers got from employers after pleasant chats in the boardroom. Middle-class prosperity was the direct result of a long and difficult struggle. People fought and died for fair wages, safe workplaces and the right to join together in a union."
By James P. Hoffa; more at The Detroit News.

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