Solidarity Sunday: Finding Common Ground
As we head into the celebration of Dr. King's legacy tomorrow, I recently read a commentary from Armstrong Williams on what we are witnessing in parts of the country that is not simply about race or immigration, but about "integration, cohesion, and the social contract that holds diverse societies together."
It occurred to me that his insight would resonate deeply with anyone from either side of the political aisle, who has spent time inside a union hall or on a jobsite.
Every time I attend my union meeting I am reminded how, more than any other institution in American life, unions have long been living proof that diversity and unity are not opposing forces. Our membership is diverse by race, ethnicity, language, religion, gender, and background. Yet what binds us together is shared standards, shared values, shared language, and shared responsibility.
That is not accidental. It is by design.
A Functioning Union Depends on More Than Tolerance
Williams writes, "A free society depends on more than tolerance. It depends on participation."
The same is true of a strong union.
In a well-functioning union, we do not merely tolerate one another inside our locals, we rely on one another. Participation means showing up, doing the work, respecting the agreement, and standing shoulder to shoulder when one of us is treated unfairly. It means learning how the union works, reading and understanding the contract, and recognizing that rights come with responsibilities.
In the union world, assimilation is not about erasing anyone's identity. It is about entry into a common culture of solidarity. That culture demands something of every member, regardless of where they come from:
- Give a fair day's work for a fair day's pay
- Abide by the code of excellence
- Respect your coworkers and the jobsite
- Follow safety rules and protect one another
- Represent the union with professionalism and pride
These are not "cultural preferences." They are the common foundation of union strength.
Compassion With Expectations Is Not Contradictory
One of the most important lines in Williams's piece is his warning that "compassion without expectations fails both newcomers and host communities."
We understand this intuitively. We welcome new members. We organize across industries and communities. We fight for inclusion and opportunity. But we also expect members to live up to the standards that generations before them fought to establish. When those expectations erode, when parallel cultures develop inside a local where the rules are ignored, solidarity is optional, or the contract is treated casually, tension is inevitable. Not because people are different, but because the shared framework is violated.
Strong unions do not shy away from this truth. We know that unity is not automatic. It must be taught, reinforced, and defended from the time someone takes their first referral to the time they retire.
Williams argues that "assimilation must be seen not as erasure, but as entry into a common civic culture." That is exactly how unions have survived and thrived for well over a hundred years.
Every member brings something valuable and unique, but once you take the oath, once you carry the card, you are part of something bigger than yourself. You're accountable not only to your employer, but more importantly to your brothers and sisters. That shared commitment is what allows a diverse membership to function as a single force at the bargaining table and in the field.
Diversity can be a strength only when it's anchored by solidarity. And solidarity is found only when everyone understands that principles that define our membership means abiding and agreeing upon the oath we have taken.
In a moment when much of society is struggling to reconcile diversity with cohesion, unions stand as a living model of how it can be done, not perfectly, but purposefully.
That is a story worth telling. And it is a responsibility worth defending.
On the Lighter Side...
"They call him 'Blister', because he only show up after the work's already been done"
"He's about as useful as a screen door on a submarine"
"He's got two speeds…'slow' and 'in the way'"
I love the nicknames and roasts we hear on a jobsite to keep the job light and the day going. We're collecting favorites for a quote section piece for the future. Do you have any favorites? We promise not to attribute the quote to you. Nothing mean-spirited, just good-natured ribbing. Email them to us at info@unionup.net