According to Bill Fletcher, the genesis of his latest book, They’re Bankrupting Us! – And Twenty Other Myths about Unions, began while he was on a flight reading a book about global unionism. The book got the attention of the young women sitting next to him, who asked, “What is a union?”
The state of the union movement is dire, but Fletcher believes that sparks of resistance like those of Wal-Mart workers or the beat-back of legislation by Ohio workers for bargaining rights are optimistic signs.
Speaking recently in St. Louis at Painter’s District Council 2, Fletcher was adamant that a significant course change for the labor movement is necessary, now.
“If you lose the moment, you won’t lose it for a few months, or even for a year; more likely it’s decades – it’s gone,” Fletcher cautioned. “This is not something to play around with.”
One of the myths he takes on is “Workers are forced to join unions, right?” This claim is the scare tactic for corporations that don’t want unionized workplaces. It is the argument Michigan Governor Rick Snyder and the GOP used when they recently fast-tracked their “Right to Work” legislation. Snyder proclaimed that now workers had freedom to choose to join a union.
Fletcher points out that by law, unions with a contract have to represent all workers in the workplace whether they pay dues or not. He cited his own union, American Federation of Government Employees, as a prime example. There about 600,000 federal employees, but only one-third are dues-paying members. AFGE looks out for the other two-thirds just as passionately, he said.
When speaking, Fletcher masterfully weaves labor and civil rights history, popular culture (he’s a Trekkie, so expect a Star Trek analogy), poignant critiques and his own organizing experiences, tying them together with wit and wisdom. He is skillful at keeping a listener or reader rapt in the moment, while pushing them to explore bold and creative ways to build a truly democratic people’s movement for the future.
Most of Fletcher’s audience in St. Louis were folks associated with organized labor, so it was a missed opportunity for those outside the choir to hear an insider’s perspective of worker organizations.
Fletcher is known for his sharp analysis of the national and global economic systems. He is just as thorough in his critique of the labor movement where his roots run deep and wide.
Fletcher is a longtime labor, racial justice and international activist. Born in New York City, he got his start in the labor movement as a rank and file member of the Industrial Union of Marine and Shipbuilding Workers of America; he has been combining labor and community work ever since.
His is a storied background. He is the past president of TransAfrica Forum, a founding member of the Black Radical Congress and has served as a high-level staffer at several international unions. He has never veered far from his goal of working to make unions more democratic and inclusive and to ensure they are a vital part of the broader social justice agenda.
Fletcher is a prolific writer. In addition to numerous articles published in a variety of publications and on websites, he co-authored Solidarity Divided, which analyzed the crisis in organized labor in the U.S. His visit to St. Louis included a signing of his latest book, They’re Bankrupting Us! – And Twenty Other Myths about Unions.
They’re Bankrupting Us! was a sell-out at the event but Left Bank Books has ordered more books that are available for sale in their stores now.
