I recently had a hero on Politics Done Right. She paid the ultimate price for attempting to organize the workers into a union.
Evette Avery is a working mother providing for her family. She has been a Teamster Union Steward at UPS, as well as, an activist for workers rights for several years. She is currently working on the most extensive and effective organizing campaign with the IAM to get union representation for Delta ramp and cargo workers.
Delta recently terminated Evette after seven years in a most undeserving manner.
Every American worker should be in a union. Businesses have unions to lobby politicians to ensure laws are favorable to them. The Chamber of Commerce and every industry-specific organization uses the strength of numbers to bully politicians ensuring they get legislation favorable to the corporation and with that the shareholders, the few who control the country’s wealth.
Why then shouldn’t workers form groups to enhance their power? That is what a union of workers does.
Evette Avery explains why, especially in Right to Work states, every worker should be in a union. In less than 90 seconds she lays out the underlying case.
All workers must join unions or create one
“A Right to Work state is basically a right to hire and a right to fire,” Evette Avery said. “You can come to work with the wrong shirt on today. And you can go out the door, and it would be just fine.”
“Having a contract [being in a union], there are steps you would have to go through in order to fire an employee,” Ms. Avery continued. “You have that contract in order to protect your job. So without that, in a Right to Work state, it’s really a sad situation.
Workers, employees cannot and must not stand alone. Otherwise, they are at the mercy of the corporation. Without a union, employees are just a commodity to be discarded on a whim if corporations see it fit for profit maximization.
We go much more in depth throughout our conversation on Politics Done Right. Watch the entire interview with Evette Avery here.