I am more than me,
not the one you had foreseen,
but just like you I had a dream –
a delicate contingency –
depending on a “we.”

*
The poem above was written over a year ago, during the last few months of the 2008 Presidential campaign. When I scribbled the first few lines, I was thinking about all the people in the country who were talking about “change” and “hope.” And I was thinking about then-candidate Obama, who had given a voice to the dreamy-eyed idealism of millions of Americans.

But one thing that disturbed me even then was how some people imagined President Obama would right all the wrongs done by our federal government, especially those done over the past 8 years. Sadly, there were far fewer people who seemed to understand that any substantive change in our political system was going to rely not only on the people at the very top, but also on those at every other level.

Some thought voting was all they had to do. Others went a step further, working tirelessly on the campaign. But far too many seemed to think that once the election was over, there was nothing more to do.

By the time the poem was finished, I realized there are folks who think this way not just about national politics, but also about local politics — and even union politics.

**
As a shop steward for most of the past nine years, I’ve been approached by many who want solutions, who want things changed for the better. Many of them are willing to step up and be a part of their own solution, but some believe that their part ends once they share their problems with someone like me.

Some people believe that shop stewards and business agents can work magic all by themselves. And yes, every once in a while, we may seem to get magical results. We may even get you exactly what you want without you having to lift a finger. But more often than not, you need to be involved if you want real solutions.

Sometimes I remind those who come to me for help that I might need their help to get them what they want. This is how it is for us as union members — we have to stand up for our rights. If not, we have no one else to blame when those rights continue to get trampled. When we make the mistake of thinking our leaders will do everything for us, we set ourselves up for frustration.

***
So when you come to me with a problem, don’t be surprised if I ask what you’re willing to do to help solve it.

If your rights are being disregarded in the workplace, but you aren’t willing to file a grievance, your problem probably won’t go away any time soon.

If you’re unhappy with the way you’re being represented, but you’re unwilling to make your voice heard, you’ll probably remain unhappy for a long while to come.

If you see problems, but you aren’t willing to work toward fixing them and supporting others who do, you probably shouldn’t expect too many solutions.

Any time we fall into the trap of thinking of our union as something “they” run, we surrender control of our union. The union isn’t just the elected officers, business agents or shop stewards. It’s every single member — we are the union.

And if we want something, we can get it, as long as we’re willing to work for it.

But if you pay a little closer attention, you probably know better.

But just in case you don’t think reform is needed, maybe you should consider that the per capita cost of health care in the U.S. is about double what it is in other industrialized countries. Or perhaps you should know that 7 out of 10 people who declare bankruptcy due to medical bills already have health insurance. Or maybe (if you need more motivation to support health care reform) I should tell you that the U.S. also lags behind other industrialized nations in terms of life expectancy.

All of these factors affect us, whether we realize it or not. And the rapidly rising cost of health insurance premiums will even affect those of us with good union-negotiated health care benefits — if we don’t do something to stem the tide.

Health care benefits are a huge part of every contract negotiated with companies like UPS, and the more expensive those benefits get, the more desperately management will try to do away with them. The rising cost of health coverage in the U.S. is also a huge part the competitive disadvantage hurting many U.S. companies whose overseas competitors benefit from more cohesive, government-structured health care.

All these facts aside, there are still people buying the propaganda that our health care (health insurance) system is the best in the world. And it probably should be, considering our system is twice as expensive. But the sad fact is most of the extra costs we face end up padding the profit margins of the insurance industry, not improving the quality of our health care.

Something needs to be done to curb the out-of-control health care costs in this country, but too many people are still stuck in the mud of lies from the past:

• Lies that suggest health care reform includes “death panels” to decide who lives and who dies — even though no such plan exists. The provision being distorted in this lie is one that provides optional counseling for those wishing to make advanced directives.
• Lies that suggest a government run program would be second-rate and include “rationing” — even though the best-ranked health care systems in the U.S. are the Veterans Administration and Medicare (which are run by the government) and neither engages in rationing anywhere near as much as the health insurance companies that deny life-saving coverage because of technicalities like “pre-existing conditions.”
• Lies that suggest we don’t need reform because there aren’t really 45 million uninsured in this country — even though the problems with our system affect the insured almost as badly as the uninsured.

The White House has put up a site to debunk some of the myths and misunderstandings, which you can access by clicking the image at the top of this post, or by clicking here.

It’s important to educate ourselves on this vital issue, and then to make our voices heard. I encourage you to do both, before it’s too late.

Many of us think of buying union when we make the big ticket purchases, but we can also make a difference in our week-to-week food shopping. In talking with my co-workers, I’ve noticed many who shop at non-union grocery stores. This isn’t meant to shame them — I’ve done it myself. Very few of us are perfect in supporting union jobs. But we should all try to be.

The grocery industry is rife with non-union stores, but there are also many union stores available to anyone wishing to support decent wages and benefits across the board. In the Philadelphia area, we have fine options like ACME, Pathmark and Shoprite. The UFCW has a sample list of union employers in the retail food industry, if you’re curious. You can also identify a unionized store by union markings at or near its entrance.

My local Pathmark employs members of UFCW Local 1776, and they’re some of the most friendly and helpful supermarket workers I’ve ever encountered. Their store is consistently clean and well-stocked (not to mention I get an actual cashier to ring up my order, even late at night). And, contrary to stereotype, my grocery bill is not that much more than it would be at non-union stores like Giant, Redner’s, Wegman’s, or the WalMart Supercenter around the corner from work. In some cases, my unionized Pathmark is actually cheaper.

Even though shopping union sometimes seems more expensive, by supporting unionized labor, we increase the bargaining power of union members across the board. Yes, that includes Teamsters working at UPS. Because when we support more sustainable, better-paying jobs, we help our economy, especially locally. The more people are able to afford goods and services, the more likely they are to give their business to sellers and service providers (like, say, UPS).

On the other hand, when we support non-union stores with their lower-paying jobs (what many refer to as the “WalMart-ization” of America), we increase the downward momentum that’s been decreasing wages for years. It’s the same momentum that’s been fooling too Americans (union members included) into thinking unions no longer matter. And to people who think unions don’t matter, shopping union doesn’t matter, either.

Speaking of which, if you’re a fellow UPS Teamster who believes unions don’t matter, imagine a future without industry-best wages, medical benefits, and a pension. If those are things you’d rather not have, then maybe you can say with a straight face that unions don’t matter.

But if you’re like me, and you appreciate a job with good wages and benefits, you should know full well how much unions matter. And if you know that much, you should understand the importance of supporting union workers whenever possible. By helping them, we help ourselves.