Professionals Need to Organize
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I am a historian of 20th century American history. My mother was an activist in the teachers’ union in White Plains, NY. I think that professionals should organize just as much (if not more) than the traditional working class: maybe we need guilds instead of unions, but we need something.
In the humanities and academy, we are seeing a dramatic turn away from professional standards in employment — teaching assistants have struggled to unionize at certain schools, but professors byand large have not. Can we create an organization that honors the peer competition that drives creative, intellectual work while also establishing bonds of solidarity among academics and with other professionals outside the academy? That’s the challenge.
July 19th, 2007 at 7:42 am
One problem is that blue collar workers always had the feeling that “we are in it together.” Not so with white collar professionals where competition fostered the “I’ll get what I can while I can” and “screw you” attitude toward co-workers.
Unitl everyone understand that workers of every collar are the engine that runs this country, we won’t see much change.
July 26th, 2007 at 1:16 pm
I agree that we need to organize. I am in Manhattan and I have been unemployed for going on nine months. I am going through an eviction, etc. I can’t even seem to get interviews, let alone a job, other than a couple that ended very badly (one with an Indian law firm). My work history is good, I am educated and I am resourceful, with good communication and computer skills. My skills don’t seem to matter at all.
Do you know the book written by Stanley Aronowitz, The LAST GOOD JOB IN AMERICA: WORK AND EDUCATION IN THE NEW GLOBAL TECHNOCULTURE? The book was published in 2001.He has been an organizer since the 1960s. Recently, one of our Manhattan Access cable channels broadcast a panel discussion featuring Mr. Aronowitz and Laura Flanders. He talked about all of the issues that we are facing. And, I believe that the only chance of success that we have is to ORGANIZE and EDUCATE people.
When I am out walking, I always stop and talk to union members who are picketing, to more fully understand their issues. We are all in the same boat, so to speak. Solo, you are absolutely correct, the blue collar workers know that “we are in it together.” When I told them my story, the carpenters nodded, they understood every word I said. They’ve beeen there — losing jobs to people who are untrained, etc.
In addition, I began working with a Chicago-based lobbying effort — Bright Future Jobs. If you are interested in learning more about their work, go to: http://www.brightfuturejobs.org
October 7th, 2007 at 7:01 am
I’m an adjunct history professor in Kansas. Power has succeeded in fragmenting workers in my discipline about as much as we can be fragmented. I work 3 part-time jobs so I can get paid 1/3 of what full-timers make, not counting benefits, sabbaticals, travel expenses, etc. If I want to publish something, (the other half of my job) that work has to happen on my own time, for which I am not paid; to say nothing of student loans.
Jefferson said it long ago — debt is a form of slavery. Welcome to slavery, America. I don’t think we ever really knew what freedom was.