As members of an educated workforce of Local 3 one of our observances has always been to know who and where is the source reporting the news we receive. Lately in the Daily News and on billboard advertisements around NYC, Richard Berman, a supposed columnist has accused the unions in The Building Trades Council (BTC) of NYC of racism. Instead of looking deeper into the broad makeup of and about the progressive strides the building trades have made for equality regardless of race, religion and ethnicity he has chosen to selectively or cherry pick points for the content of his remarks. Research by those who have taken exception to the slanderous accusations have uncovered Mr. Berman is funded by the United States Chamber of Commerce the agency well known since inception for its anti-union legislative lobbying.
There is a comprehensive history of unionism in the United States that is not taught in Elementary, Jr. High and High School. Some labor history is offered in college curriculums as part of American history studied in greater depth and focus.
The regimens, day after day by members of the building trades, by any union members and by all readers who accept their news from unscrupulous media suffer intentionally misleading news or a residual barrage of useless information. Although some readers may find the reports and advertisements amusing and an escape from the frustrations of daily life this consumption is detrimental to our pursuits especially if there is no other source searched out by readers to learn about the current events in our nation and our world. In one question we must ask, “How long will we let rag media interpret then distort the real potential of public policy implemented by elected officials?”
Maybe Richard Berman should review labor history, read about the lives of labor icons such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Walter Reuther, Eugene Debs and Harry Van Arsdale Jr. Historically a porter’s job on the railroads was considered that for a minority, specifically a black man’s job. And until the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP) organized the Pullman car porters they were exploited solely based on race. However, Berman is after the BTC. After a broader education on the virtues of organized labor and seeing the leadership role Local 3 has performed in race equality would he return to his articles and billboards offering truth and honesty? Berman is not looking for rectitude. He is a minion to the moneyed powers in the U.S.
And truthfully unionism has not been perfect in its crusade for equality. Unions have experienced fundamental struggles with race and gender, yet its core belief has been equality for all regardless of one’s background. Compared to corporate America the American labor movement is light years ahead on race and gender mobility.
Members of Local 3 who continue to subscribe to media that will incite constructive conversation to expand the benefits of unionism for all workers and seek public policy from our elected officials that protects all working people are our future. As a practice we don’t shy away to explain to others how disastrous it will be for working people if a Republican is elected president in the U.S.; if Mike Bloomberg decides to run; that last week Virginia became a right-to-work state making that state number 26; and that a natural gas leak from a well in California (which could have been avoided if friends of oil and coal (Republicans) didn’t continually block renewable energy initiatives by every Democratic administration) is in its 16th week with local residents still suffering forced evacuations seeing no return home. These are newsworthy headlines exposing social and economic conditions that demand public attention and action. To be silent is to acquiesce and in the words of Harry Van Arsdale Jr., “Eternal vigilance is the price of good unionism” is our motto.
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