A love, or at least a respect, of labor

I'm fascinated by this story unfolding in Fond du Lac, Wis. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 1947 voted to reject a new Mercury Marine contract on Aug. 23. The marine equipment manufacturer said thanks for the memories and announced a move of its manufacturing operations down to another facility in Oklahoma. The union had tried to organize a second vote on the original proposed contract terms, but missed a deadline of Aug. 29. The union has now organized a second vote for Sept. 3-4, and Mercury Marine has agreed to await union vote.

It's a standoff at the FDL Corral. Happy Labor Day!


That's the state of unions today. The legacy of fighting for a safe work environment and fair pay has been replaced with an image of people fighting just to keep well-paying jobs from disappearing.

In fact, how many people think of Labor Day as a time for celebrating unions and people that work in the trades? Hardly any. For most, Labor Day is the official end of summer time to fold up the swim trunks and send the kids off to school.

I'm hit with quite a few e-mails from hard-working metal fabricators who take unions to task and hold them responsible for the decline in certain manufacturing sectors, particularly automotive. I understand the frustration and find it hard to muster a defense for an assembly line worker that retired at 55 and has enjoyed top-notch health care coverage for the last 25 years. It's a model that doesn't fit into today's rapidly changing labor landscape.

Then again, I'm not a fire-breathing anti-union zealot. I've been in metal fabricating shops with a union work force. The facilities operate smoothly, and I didn't know it was a union shop until I saw a bumper sticker on a locker or the interview subject brought it up. Some people won't admit that union shops can be competitive in the global marketplace, but the fact is many do OK.

I've got a relative in a union setting at a manufacturing plant in the South. He laughs with frustration over his co-workers who are still able to maintain their jobs after repeatedly being caught asleep on the job or even showing up drunk for work more than a couple of times. He also laughs at the young turks that roll through town on their way up the corporate ladder who demand machines perform at the upper end of their capacity only to see the equipment break down, just as the young turk was told by the equipment operator. He's caught in the middle, and when you are caught between two extremes, sometimes it's easier just to keep your head down and stay out of the fight.

I think that's where I am. The status quo seems to be working for most.

The upcoming fight centered around the Employee Free Choice Act, a provision that would allow unions to organize workplaces with signed cards and public voting, promises to be loud and headline-grabbing, but I'm not sure the current economy is one that supports the move to strengthen a work force's bargaining power. During these days of work furloughs and pay cuts, I'm not sure companies have a lot more to share with their workers.

So this Labor Day, let's honor those who work hard. That includes the welder inside a metal container that has an internal temperature of 110 degrees, the press brake operator that has to stay focused on the blueprint calling for 12 bends on one part, and the forklift driver carefully manipulating several tons of material through a maze of people and equipment. It's also the auto mechanic removing a transmission, the roofer working in the blazing sun, and the fast-food worker who deserves a break today.

I'll probably spend my Labor Day working hard in the yard and slaving over some ribs and chicken on the Weber. I'll give thanks that I work in front of a computer and that my father, a nonunion worker for the final 20 years of his work life, and my mother, a union teacher for 35 years, provided me the opportunity to get an education and not be burdened with tons of college loans. Their labor to support my future always will be appreciated and respected.