turns-00016.parquet:57779
dcc30187235aa4497631566edegenerate_repetitionAbsentFinal dense release
USER
Can you remove the timestamps: it's easy to imagine a world without 00:00:20.320 labor unions we're essentially living in 00:00:22.480 that world now 00:00:23.920 and we are worse off as a result 00:00:28.000 few of you probably belong to unions but 00:00:30.720 almost all of you benefit from them 00:00:34.320 unions that brought us the weekend 00:00:36.880 more importantly unions built the middle 00:00:39.680 class 00:00:40.719 by ensuring that workers had the incomes 00:00:44.239 to support families to buy 00:00:46.960 homes and cars 00:00:49.039 and to dream 00:00:50.960 that their children could do better than 00:00:53.440 they could 00:00:56.320 it was union power and advocacy that 00:00:59.600 helped us win social security and health 00:01:02.800 insurance upon which almost all of us 00:01:05.040 depend 00:01:07.439 in the 1950s 00:01:10.159 33 00:01:12.320 of private sector workers belong to 00:01:14.400 unions 00:01:15.520 big labor stood proudly beside 00:01:19.280 big business and big government 00:01:22.880 no more 00:01:24.640 today 00:01:25.759 only six percent 00:01:28.080 of private sector workers 00:01:30.079 are members of unions 00:01:33.520 with their decline in numbers came a 00:01:36.000 decline 00:01:37.200 in political and economic power 00:01:39.600 and the result 00:01:41.200 a significant increase in inequality a 00:01:44.320 significant deterioration in the 00:01:46.079 possibility of a middle-class lifestyle 00:01:48.000 for this generation or the next 00:01:50.880 and a receding chance 00:01:53.680 to own a home 00:01:55.680 or afford retirement 00:02:00.399 we need unions to regain the power 00:02:04.719 so that we can regain what we have lost 00:02:09.280 build a better future 00:02:12.640 and help forge democracies that are 00:02:16.000 built on a decent social contract 00:02:18.959 between citizens and government 00:02:20.959 and among citizens themselves 00:02:26.080 yes we need unions today as much as ever 00:02:30.959 as a professor of political science and 00:02:33.040 someone who has studied labor unions for 00:02:35.200 a long time 00:02:36.879 i can tell you that one of the most 00:02:39.200 important things that unions do 00:02:42.400 is to counter balance the power of 00:02:44.720 corporations 00:02:47.040 they even the playing field 00:02:51.599 yes 00:02:52.720 we need unions 00:02:55.519 but we need 00:02:56.800 better and different unions that are 00:03:00.000 more attuned to the 21st century 00:03:04.480 let's picture the world before unions 00:03:09.040 small children 00:03:10.959 toiling 00:03:12.000 all day and even into the night 00:03:14.959 in noisy polluted factories 00:03:18.959 or immigrant women workers jumping from 00:03:21.760 a burning sweat shop 00:03:24.239 because the fire escapes were locked 00:03:28.080 so that they 00:03:29.760 could not take breaks 00:03:32.959 that was new york city in 1911 00:03:35.680 that's bangladesh 00:03:37.360 now 00:03:41.440 but unions changed that 00:03:44.799 by winning protections for workers 00:03:48.400 they transform lives 00:03:50.799 they enabled even the worst off 00:03:53.599 to achieve the american dream 00:03:56.640 consider the longshore workers those who 00:03:58.480 load and unload ships 00:04:00.799 in the 1930s they were destitute 00:04:03.439 homeless men who lived on the beach 00:04:06.319 they were warfrats 00:04:08.879 in the morning the boss 00:04:11.599 came 00:04:12.799 and yelled all along the shore thus the 00:04:15.120 name longshore 00:04:18.000 they pleaded for the scarce jobs 00:04:21.839 just as migrant day laborers do today at 00:04:24.479 places like lowe's and home depot it was 00:04:27.600 humiliating degrading 00:04:30.560 but when the unions won the right to 00:04:32.639 organize 00:04:33.919 and won contracts 00:04:35.919 the wharf rats became lords of the dock 00:04:39.680 they became middle class they could 00:04:41.840 marry 00:04:43.280 they could support families they could 00:04:44.960 send their children to college they had 00:04:46.960 health insurance and benefits 00:04:49.040 they had dignity respect they were full 00:04:51.600 american citizens 00:04:54.320 unions enabled others to attain the 00:04:56.800 american dream 00:04:58.240 by raising wages generally 00:05:00.800 and by reducing wage disparities 00:05:03.440 between men and women and among the 00:05:06.479 races 00:05:11.199 my research has shown me 00:05:15.360 that with every transformation in the 00:05:17.840 economy the technology 00:05:19.919 the way we work 00:05:21.520 there has been an evolution in the labor 00:05:23.680 movement 00:05:25.280 craft unions 00:05:27.039 think construction work or even beer 00:05:28.880 making 00:05:30.160 emerged from medieval guilds 00:05:33.840 with the rise of industry auto steel 00:05:38.240 new forms of organization emerged 00:05:43.520 when white-collar workers 00:05:45.680 in offices in government in healthcare 00:05:49.199 and professions 00:05:51.199 began to want 00:05:52.639 voice and representation 00:05:54.720 yet another kind of union developed in 00:05:58.000 my mind in my ears is dolly parton 00:06:00.560 singing 925 00:06:02.800 inspired by a real life union of that 00:06:05.919 name 00:06:07.520 when you hear that song thank the unions 00:06:11.440 for a decent working day 00:06:16.160 history shows 00:06:18.080 that unions helped people get dignity 00:06:21.520 rise out of poverty 00:06:24.000 inhibit workplace dangers and harassment 00:06:28.400 and improve health and well-being of us 00:06:31.039 all 00:06:34.160 these are not yesterday's problems 00:06:38.800 workers of today still need and want 00:06:42.880 unions 00:06:44.800 an mit survey in 2021 revealed that 50 00:06:49.360 of the non-union workforce would join a 00:06:52.080 union if given a chance 00:06:54.880 so margaret 00:06:56.319 if unions are so great 00:06:59.360 why are they in such serious decline 00:07:03.280 because the odds are stacked against 00:07:05.840 them 00:07:07.759 many of you have read about the amazon 00:07:10.400 warehouse workers 00:07:12.160 who failed to win a union representation 00:07:14.880 election in alabama 00:07:17.280 they failed because of concerted 00:07:19.759 employer opposition 00:07:22.639 indeed there are many employers 00:07:25.759 and politicians 00:07:27.599 who are preventing the reform of labor 00:07:30.639 laws passed nearly a century ago 00:07:33.759 in another era 00:07:35.280 and another economy 00:07:39.680 these are laws that inhibit 00:07:43.440 agriculture 00:07:44.720 and domestic workers from organizing 00:07:46.639 largely black and brown workers 00:07:48.879 they make it hard for workers 00:07:51.440 in the gig economy to organize those we 00:07:54.960 call forth with our apps ride share 00:07:57.759 delivery service specialized tasks 00:08:01.520 there are employers and politicians who 00:08:04.240 are pushing states to pass right to work 00:08:07.599 laws 00:08:09.199 laws that abolish the requirement 00:08:12.800 that those who are covered by union 00:08:14.879 contracts have to pay union dues 00:08:17.919 this effectively kills the unions 00:08:22.160 now 00:08:23.440 many workers in 27 states 00:08:27.199 do not have to pay for the benefits the 00:08:29.840 unions provide for them 00:08:32.000 states that include michigan indiana and 00:08:35.440 wisconsin former union strongholds 00:08:39.679 and society 00:08:41.440 loses big 00:08:44.080 a recent study revealed that in 00:08:46.720 right-to-work law states 00:08:49.040 there is slower economic growth higher 00:08:52.000 consumer debt lower wages worse health 00:08:55.040 outcomes 00:08:56.160 and lower civic participation 00:08:58.800 than in states without such laws on the 00:09:01.360 books 00:09:04.800 but it's not just employers and 00:09:07.360 politicians that are holding unions back 00:09:10.320 unions 00:09:11.440 are cause of some of their own problems 00:09:15.200 some unions are extremely bureaucratic 00:09:18.880 stifling debate 00:09:20.800 and innovation 00:09:23.120 some union leaders are corrupt 00:09:26.240 rigging elections paying themselves 00:09:27.920 humongous salaries 00:09:29.920 even when they represent very low income 00:09:32.240 workers and some commit felonies jimmy 00:09:35.519 hoffa is the notorious example of a 00:09:38.640 labor leader who went to prison 00:09:40.880 but just this year 00:09:43.920 several high-ranking officials in the 00:09:46.320 united auto workers 00:09:49.120 were sentenced for embezzlement 00:09:54.000 now many critics possibly some of you 00:09:56.959 blame unions for inflation 00:09:59.760 when wages go up consumer prices go up 00:10:03.440 true enough 00:10:04.880 but so does the standard of living for 00:10:07.519 workers 00:10:09.519 if we paid one to two cents more per 00:10:13.200 apple 00:10:14.800 apple pickers and packers 00:10:17.200 would have decent wages decent housing 00:10:21.440 and some protection from pesticides 00:10:25.760 and we as 00:10:27.440 taxpayers 00:10:28.880 benefit from higher standards of living 00:10:31.600 by workers 00:10:33.040 the pandemic gave us the term essential 00:10:35.440 workers 00:10:37.040 if those in grocery warehousing food 00:10:40.399 processing delivery 00:10:42.399 had strong unions indeed any 00:10:45.519 unions at all 00:10:47.360 there would have been no need for 00:10:49.120 federal programs 00:10:51.200 for those who have jobs 00:10:53.600 to feed their families 00:10:55.600 and prevent 00:10:56.959 evictions 00:10:59.360 now there are many reasons for union 00:11:01.120 decline including structural ones 00:11:03.839 the decline in union jobs and 00:11:06.240 manufacturing 00:11:08.320 but a major reason is public lack of 00:11:11.920 awareness even misinformation about the 00:11:14.720 value of unions 00:11:18.240 well before president reagan fired the 00:11:20.800 striking air controllers in 1981 00:11:24.160 there has been concerted and continuous 00:11:26.399 opposition by employers and politicians 00:11:29.120 to undermine unions 00:11:31.519 employers no longer suppress unions 00:11:35.440 by hiring private armies 00:11:38.160 like u.s steel ford and coal companies 00:11:41.600 did 00:11:42.399 now they hire very high priced 00:11:45.120 consulting firms to do that work 00:11:48.560 elected officials may no longer call out 00:11:50.959 the police 00:11:52.560 and the national guard to cart labor 00:11:54.800 organizers off to jail 00:11:57.200 now they pass legislation that restricts 00:12:00.160 union organizing and power 00:12:04.160 but workers are beginning to fight back 00:12:06.480 as the headlines reveal 00:12:08.560 they are building solidarity across 00:12:12.639 racial ethnic religious partisan divides 00:12:16.639 martin luther king exhorted us 00:12:20.079 to to enrap ourselves in a single 00:12:23.040 garment of destiny 00:12:25.440 i have observed several unions that i've 00:12:28.000 studied built expanded and inclusive 00:12:30.000 communities of fate 00:12:32.160 in which large numbers of others 00:12:34.560 recognize that their destinies are 00:12:37.360 entwined 00:12:38.959 despite differences 00:12:40.880 and distances 00:12:43.680 this doesn't always happen 00:12:45.920 but it can and it must 00:12:48.880 if you took my class or 00:12:50.880 gave me another hour i could give you 00:12:52.880 numerous 00:12:54.000 examples 00:12:59.279 we need as as employees and citizens to 00:13:02.880 build solidarity through communities of 00:13:05.440 faith that crosses geographies and 00:13:07.519 differences 00:13:08.720 but to do that we need to reimagine 00:13:12.320 labor unions for now 00:13:15.920 the labor movement must evolve as it has 00:13:18.160 in the past 00:13:19.519 even producing possibly alt unions 00:13:22.800 alternatives to unions 00:13:25.600 alternatives to traditional unions 00:13:29.360 workers in gig 00:13:31.519 professions tech 00:13:34.720 don't necessarily want a traditional 00:13:37.440 union 00:13:38.560 but they do want influence over their 00:13:41.199 wages working conditions and even 00:13:44.079 the policies of their companies 00:13:46.240 and they are reimagining old approaches 00:13:48.959 and 00:13:49.760 coming up with new ones 00:13:52.079 in order to build worker voice and power 00:13:56.079 some are reconfiguring worker 00:13:57.920 cooperatives employee owned 00:14:00.839 businesses in which the workers 00:14:03.600 determine wages 00:14:06.320 working conditions 00:14:08.480 and distribution of profits this is not 00:14:10.399 a pipe dream 00:14:12.160 mondragon in spain has over 80 000 00:14:16.160 employee owners takes in over 13 billion 00:14:19.680 dollars a year 00:14:21.199 and redistributes its profits 00:14:24.079 to build worker skills and capacities 00:14:26.560 among its member cooperatives 00:14:29.519 a newer approach is to use platform 00:14:32.320 technologies to teach workers their 00:14:35.199 rights 00:14:38.000 in our global hyper-connected 00:14:41.120 and socially isolating world 00:14:45.040 platforms such as coworker.org 00:14:48.079 or unit 00:14:50.240 recognize and address the fact that 00:14:52.560 there is a mobile workforce 00:14:55.360 that no longer has water coolers or 00:14:57.360 lunchrooms around which to gather and 00:14:59.120 strategize 00:15:01.279 these platforms provide workers with a 00:15:03.440 way to share experiences 00:15:06.399 access organizing resources 00:15:10.160 and build networks at scale across 00:15:12.399 geographies and employers 00:15:15.560 coworker.org had a huge win 00:15:19.839 with alphabet the parent company 00:15:23.040 of google a giant among tech firms 00:15:26.480 alphabet workers 00:15:28.880 recognize that they are part of a 00:15:31.440 community of faith that crosses large 00:15:33.839 distances 00:15:35.440 they have been protesting 00:15:38.160 google's contracts with the pentagon and 00:15:40.560 with immigration authorities 00:15:42.880 they have normal run-of-the-mill 00:15:44.720 economic union demands 00:15:47.360 but they also have the political demand 00:15:51.279 that they should have a say over company 00:15:54.079 policies that affect them and us 00:15:59.680 now whatever you thought of unions in 00:16:02.079 the past i hope 00:16:04.160 i hope 00:16:05.360 that these examples have revealed to you 00:16:08.399 what they can be today and for tomorrow 00:16:12.800 unions once significantly 00:16:15.839 reduced income inequality the gap 00:16:18.480 between the rich and the poor 00:16:20.720 they can again 00:16:23.360 these graph lines came together 00:16:26.880 when unions rose 00:16:29.519 i'd like to see those lines permanently 00:16:32.480 converge 00:16:34.160 and inequality reduced once and for all 00:16:38.399 billionaires are building rockets to 00:16:40.720 explore outer space this is so exciting 00:16:43.600 but equally exciting 00:16:46.800 is are the workers 00:16:48.959 who are providing the goods and services 00:16:51.040 on which those billionaires we all 00:16:53.199 depend 00:16:54.560 exploring 00:16:55.920 new ways 00:16:57.680 to gain power and voice 00:17:00.800 if even some of these explorations 00:17:03.440 succeed 00:17:05.280 workers will gain dignity 00:17:07.599 economic security 00:17:10.240 and the power 00:17:11.839 to challenge 00:17:13.359 employers and politicians 00:17:16.640 the result 00:17:18.400 the resuscitation of the middle class 00:17:21.520 and a far more equitable society 00:17:25.280 thank you
ASSISTANT
It's easy to imagine a world without labor unions we're essentially living in that world now and we are worse off as a result. Few of you probably belong to unions, but almost all of you benefit from them. Unions are what brought us the weekend; more importantly, unions built the middle class by ensuring that workers had the incomes to support families, to buy homes and cars, and to dream that their children could do better than they could. It was union power and advocacy that helped us win social security and health insurance upon which almost all of us depend. In the 1950s, a third of private sector workers belonged to unions. Big labor stood proudly beside big business and big government. No more. Today, only six percent of private sector workers are members of unions. With their decline in numbers came a decline in political and economic power, and the result: a significant increase in inequality, a significant deterioration in the possibility of a middle-class lifestyle for this generation or the next, and a receding chance to own a home or afford retirement. We need unions to regain the power so that we can regain what we have lost, build a better future, and help forge democracies that are built on a decent social contract between citizens and government, and among citizens themselves. Yes, we need unions today as much as ever. As a professor of political science and someone who has studied labor unions for a long time, I can tell you that one of the most important things that unions do is to counterbalance the power of corporations. They even the playing field. Let's picture the world before unions: small children toiling all day and even into the night in noisy, polluted factories, or immigrant women workers jumping from a burning sweatshop because the fire escapes were locked so that they could not take breaks. That was New York City in 1911. That's Bangladesh now. But unions changed that by winning protections for workers. They transform lives. They enabled even the worst off to achieve the American dream. Consider the longshore workers – those who load and unload ships. In the 1930s they were destitute, homeless men who lived on the beach. They were 'wharf rats'. In the morning, the boss came and yelled; all along the shore – thus the name longshore – they pleaded for the scarce jobs, just as migrant day laborers do today at places like Lowe's and Home Depot. It was humiliating, degrading. But when the unions won the right to organize and won contracts, the 'wharf rats' became 'lords of the dock'. They became middle class. They could marry, they could support families, they could send their children to college, they had health insurance and benefits, they had dignity, respect; they were full American citizens. Unions enabled others to attain the American dream by raising wages generally and by reducing wage disparities between men and women and among the races. My research has shown me that with every transformation in the economy – the technology, the way we work – there has been an evolution in the labor movement. Craft unions, think construction work or even beer making, emerged from medieval guilds. With the rise of industry – auto, steel – new forms of organization emerged. When white-collar workers in offices, in government, in healthcare, and professions began to want voice and representation, yet another kind of union developed. In my mind, in my ears is Dolly Parton singing 9 to 5, inspired by a real-life union of that name. When you hear that song, thank the unions for a decent working day. History shows that unions helped people get dignity, rise out of poverty, inhibit workplace dangers and harassment, and improve health and well-being of us all. These are not yesterday's problems. Workers of today still need and want unions. An MIT survey in 2021 revealed that 50% of the non-union workforce would join a union if given a chance. So Margaret, if unions are so great, why are they in such serious decline? Because the odds are stacked against them. Many of you have read about the Amazon warehouse workers who failed to win a union representation election in Alabama. They failed because of concerted employer opposition. Indeed, there are many employers and politicians who are preventing the reform of labor laws passed nearly a century ago in another era and another economy. These are laws that inhibit agriculture and domestic workers from organizing, largely black and brown workers. They make it hard for workers in the gig economy to organize those we call forth with our apps – ride share, delivery service, specialized tasks. There are employers and politicians who are pushing states to pass 'right-to-work' laws – laws that abolish the requirement that those who are covered by union contracts have to pay union dues. This effectively kills the unions. Now, many workers in 27 states do not have to pay for the benefits the unions provide for them – states that include Michigan, Indiana, and Wisconsin – former union strongholds. And society loses big. A recent study revealed that in right-to-work law states, there is slower economic growth, higher consumer debt, lower wages, worse health outcomes, and lower civic participation than in states without such laws on the books. But it's not just employers and politicians that are holding unions back. Unions are the cause of some of their own problems. Some unions are extremely bureaucratic, stifling debate and innovation. Some union leaders are corrupt, rigging elections, paying themselves humongous salaries, even when they represent very low income workers, and some commit felonies. Jimmy Hoffa is the notorious example of a labor leader who went to prison, but just this year, several high-ranking officials in the United Auto Workers were sentenced for embezzlement. Now many critics, possibly some of you, blame unions for inflation. When wages go up, consumer prices go up – true enough. But so does the standard of living for workers. If we paid one to two cents more per apple, apple pickers and packers would have decent wages, decent housing, and some protection from pesticides. And we, as taxpayers, benefit from higher standards of living by workers. The pandemic gave us the term 'essential workers'. If those in grocery warehousing, food processing, delivery, had strong unions, indeed any unions at all, there would have been no need for federal programs for those who have jobs to feed their families and prevent evictions. Now there are many reasons for union decline, including structural ones – the decline in union jobs and manufacturing. But a major reason is a public lack of awareness, even misinformation about the value of unions. Well before President Reagan fired the striking air controllers in 1981, there has been concerted and continuous opposition by employers and politicians to undermine unions. Employers no longer suppress unions by hiring private armies, like U.S. Steel, Ford, and coal companies did. Now they hire very high-priced consulting firms to do that work. Elected officials may no longer call out the police and the National Guard to cart labor organizers off to jail; now they pass legislation that restricts union organizing and power. But workers are beginning to fight back, as the headlines reveal. They are building solidarity across racial, ethnic, religious, partisan divides. Martin Luther King exhorted us to 'enwrap ourselves in a single garment of destiny'. I have observed several unions that I've studied build expansive and inclusive communities of fate in which large numbers of others recognize that their destinies are entwined, despite differences and distances. This doesn't always happen, but it can, and it must. If you took my class, or gave me another hour, I could give you numerous examples. We need, as employees and citizens, to build solidarity through communities of faith that cross geographies and differences. But to do that, we need to reimagine labor unions for now. The labor movement must evolve as it has in the past, even producing possibly alt-unions – alternatives to unions, alternatives to traditional unions. Workers in gig professions, tech, don't necessarily want a traditional union, but they do want influence over their wages, working conditions, and even the policies of their companies. And they are reimagining old approaches and coming up with new ones in order to build worker voice and power. Some are reconfiguring worker cooperatives, employee-owned businesses in which the workers determine wages, working conditions, and distribution of profits. This is not a pipe dream. Mondragon in Spain has over 80,000 employee owners, takes in over 13 billion dollars a year, and redistributes its profits to build worker skills and capacities among its member cooperatives. A newer approach is to use platform technologies to teach workers their rights. In our global, hyper-connected, and socially isolating world, platforms such as Coworker.org or Unit recognize and address the fact that there is a mobile workforce that no longer has water coolers or lunchrooms around which to gather and strategize. These platforms provide workers with a way to share experiences, access organizing resources, and build networks at scale across geographies and employers. Coworker.org had a huge win with Alphabet, the parent company of Google – a giant among tech firms. Alphabet workers recognize that they are part of a community of fate that crosses large distances. They have been protesting Google's contracts with the Pentagon and with immigration authorities. They have normal run-of-the-mill economic union demands, but they also have the political demand that they should have a say over company policies that affect them and us. Whatever you thought of unions in the past, I hope that these examples have revealed to you what they can be today and for tomorrow. Unions once significantly reduced income inequality – the gap between the rich and the poor. They can again. These graph lines came together when unions rose. I'd like to see those lines permanently converge and inequality reduced once and for all. Billionaires are building rockets to explore outer space; this is so exciting. But equally exciting is the workers who are providing the goods and services on which those billionaires, we all depend, exploring new ways to gain power and voice. If even some of these explorations succeed, workers will gain dignity, economic security, and the power to challenge employers and politicians. The result: the resuscitation of the middle class and a far more equitable society. Thank you.