Cook County College Teachers Union, Local 1600 - Labor History-Working Conditions by David Richmond, Harper College

I’d like to make a proposal to my fellow faculty: every paycheck we’ll each put a few dollars into an account. That way if any of us are killed on the job, we’ll be able to pay for the burial. Who wants in?

Most of you are probably thinking that I’ve finally lost my mind, and you definitely saw it coming (the signs were all there). But my proposal is only ridiculous because of the work that unions have done. In fact, that was the way some of the first unions were formed.

Working conditions in many fields were so dangerous that the odds of being killed on the job were startlingly high. At the same time wages were so low that the families of workers who were killed often could not afford burial services. Therefore, workers came together in “mutual aid societies” to protect their families in case of the worst. In fact, one of the main issues in some of the earliest strikes in the United States was what was called “post mortem security”.

Eventually these mutual aid societies came to the realization that they should instead be fighting for “pre-mortem security”. The idea may sound simple, but it took an overwhelming effort and huge sacrifices from hundreds of thousands of unionized workers to change the burden of responsibility for workplace conditions. For many decades, employers had practically no obligation—legal or otherwise—to provide humane working conditions.

Not only were times dangerous and the hours long, but job security didn’t exist. If an employer found someone willing to do your job for less money, you were fired. So unions not only fought to make sure their workplaces were safe, they also struggled to ensure reasonable hours (8-hour day), adequate time off (weekends, holidays, and vacations), job security (seniority and anti-discrimination safeguards), health benefits (insurance), and retirement security (pensions and social security). Today’s improvements were made only by workers standing up together, and even then there were setbacks at times.

Sometimes there’s a temptation to think that all of the work’s been done. After all, we don’t work in a mine or an industrial factory where safety of life and limb is a major daily concern. There’s no doubt that we all benefit from the work done by those who came before.

But if you’re tempted to believe that it’s all ancient history, try talking to your peers in many of the “right to work” states of the South and West, where unions have not had the same influence as in Illinois, and Chicago in particular. Compare your contract to theirs (if they even have a contract.) Some of these states have practically no worker compensation laws. Many of the poorer schools in these states have working conditions that remind one of a Charles Dickens novel. I assure you it’s not an exaggeration.

And unions still directly benefit our working conditions today. Unions have obtained and continue to protect our rights to tenure, academic freedom, leave time, insurance, seniority, time off, promotion, etc. These benefits were not given to teachers simply because society thinks we’re wonderful. If they were, these benefits would be enjoyed universally by teachers (and they’re not) and would not be so contentious at times (and they are).

Unions also enable us to collectively influence the political processes. Unions endorse issues that are important to workers and their families. Collectively we are able to support politicians who promote a working class/middle class agenda, and with our particular union, a pro-education agenda.

All of this means that we enjoy working conditions that would have been undreamt of in the past. The part that is easily forgotten is that many non-unionized teachers also benefit from our work because they have to compete against HarperCollege in the hiring process. So when you’re working with the union, you’re not just helping yourself, you are actually helping teachers all over the country.

And as for my original proposal of forming our own mutual aid society, in the faculty contract you’re already guaranteed life insurance (and the AFT will kick in an extra $100,000 for your estate if you’re the victim of workplace violence). Illinois has some of the best worker compensation laws in the country. So I guess we’re already covered. Therefore, rather than simply contributing some money to an account, instead be an active part of the union protecting those “pre-mortem” issues.

Perry Buckley chats with some of the Harper faculty leadership on Sept. 24: David Richmond, Sean Noonan and Tom Dowd.