Labor – Casey Groves For Congress

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“Today, as we are confronted by the challenges of a global economy dominated by multi-national corporations that sweep past national borders and forage the globe in search of new workers and resources to exploit, we recognize that the future of working people and the future of our great Union depend on our ability to organize the unorganized and to build alliances with workers throughout the world. We recognize that the struggle for human rights, including the fundamental right of workers to form and join free trade unions, implicates universal principles which cannot be confined by national borders. The welfare of our members is interrelated with the ability of our fellow workers in the global marketplace to demand and obtain decent wages and working conditions from their employers. We pledge to support the legitimate efforts of our brother and sister workers to achieve the right to organize and obtain fair terms of employment. We reaffirm our belief that only through a strong democratically accountable Union can workers be protected and prosper and only with the allegiance of its members and the mutual support of united labor organizations can the Union survive.” -Constitution of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters

We stand on the verge of achieving the most transformational improvement to the economy since the inception of organized labor over a century ago. Everywhere you look you see the American worker rediscovering the power they have to enforce democracy in the workplace, some organizing for the first time like the Vestal Starbucks right here in our district, and others, like my own UPS Teamsters union, winning historic contracts with pay increases that have been truly life-changing. We have workers who are forcing the most powerful companies in the world to finally recognize the dignity of their labor. To make them understand that we are human beings, not interchangeable cogs in an unfeeling machine. And what makes these stories so inspiring is that they were accomplished under some of the most anti-worker laws in the industrialized world. Laws that were written by corporations, passed by Republicans, and upheld and legitimized by right-wing judges. An anti-labor minority that is responsible for the inequality and economic hardships we face today. But if we can rewrite these laws and level the playing field for working men and women, there will be an explosion of unionization across the country. Ordinary people taking back control over their own lives, bringing democracy to the workplace, and finally having relief from some of the largest sources of unhappiness and anxiety in our lives.

Labor reform is the biggest priority of this campaign. Not because it’s more important than any other issue, not just because I’m a union member myself, but because unions are the greatest vehicle for economic and social improvement for everyone who isn’t rich or well-connected. It’s more than just higher wages, safer working conditions, and expanded benefits, although those are certainly a cause great enough to spend a lifetime on. It’s the virtuous circle that is created in society when unions are allowed to succeed.

So what do I mean by a “virtuous circle”? Let’s say we pass the PRO Act which is a labor bill that would make it significantly easier to form a union. Unionization would rapidly grow, which would increase the power and influence of organized labor. More power and influence means that unions are much bigger players in the political world, using the voting strength of their members as well as union finances to support (or deny support) to political candidates based on how favorable they are to issues facing working people. If a mayor, governor, or senator for example fails to produce tangible results for working people, there is a mechanism in society that can either pressure them to act or vote them out as needed. This is what big businesses already do, it’s just that unions don’t have the resources to balance them out because of how rigged labor laws currently are. So stronger labor laws will lead to workers who are happier, healthier, wealthier, more represented and more empowered. This in turn leads to stronger unions and the cycle repeats. Add in sectoral bargaining (collective agreements by entire industries) and you have an economy that you can not just survive in, but truly thrive.

And beyond just the issues strictly pertaining to wages and conditions, unions advocate for all manner of equality and justice in society. From healthcare to anti-poverty measures, defending social security and fighting monopolies, strong labor unions are the political tools that will make the rest of the agenda I’ve laid out a reality, continuing to fight on for future generations long after we are gone, just as the heroes of the first labor movement did for us over a century ago. If the next congress passes no other bill other than the PRO Act (and provides the Department of Labor the tools necessary to make it a reality), it would still be the most transformational improvement to our society since the days of the New Deal.

From Walmart to Amazon, McDonalds to FedEx, and my old job at Lowes, I strongly encourage everyone to unionize, and I am ready to assist in that effort any way that I can. The true beauty in a labor union is that it gives us the tools to fight for ourselves, turning helplessness into empowerment. It turns a workplace based on authoritarianism into one based on democracy. And what is more American than a ragtag group of individuals banning together in the common cause of liberty, democracy and equality? That future is ours, if we choose to fight for it.

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The biggest priority for me in Congress will be to pass a labor reform bill that makes it as easy as possible for workers to form unions in the workplace. If we can capitalize on this moment, take advantage of a rare moment in our history when the economy is favorable to working men and women, the gains will transcend generations. Beyond unionizing, it is my priority to raise wages, improve safety conditions, root out discrimination, and fully fund the Department of Labor so that they have the ability to investigate the blatant labor violations that corporations have been getting away with for decades.

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