It’s easy to be ambivalent about politics, but once you realize how it impacts you as a worker and different aspects of your life, you may want to rethink your attitude and take a more proactive stance.
How often do we hear, ” oh I hate politics!”, wait a moment…
Acting politically is the logical and enlightened thing to do
You wouldn’t elect your bosses as union stewards; you know they wouldn’t represent your best interests on the job. It doesn’t make any more sense to elect management persons to represent our interest in politics.
Union members know in their gut how to best change a situation they aren’t pleased with: use their collective strength. If they aren’t happy with how the workplace is, they can – collectively – go on strike. If workers feel that the union leadership in the local isn’t responding to their needs, they vote them out.
It is our collective strength and our commitment to political action that will convince governments and business to do the right thing. To achieve this, we must educate and organize our membership around our issues, strengthen our coalitions with like-minded social groups, and elect politicians who represent us – and hold them to our agenda.
It’s a fine tradition – and a current necessity.