Beyond the aspirations for the betterment of mankind, I have a deeply personal reason for my union advocacy, and for my critique of more modern unions. And that is because I have first hand observed the failures of it. I do not come from an academic background; quite the contrary, I come from the working class. I was raised in my childhood by my grandparents- my grandmother being a school secretary, my grandfather being a factory worker. My grandfather is, and was, a great man. He was a union member- specifically the United Steelworkers. He began working at the factory 40 years ago, and joined the United Steelworkers around the same time. In that time, he was never once called to strike- so perhaps his conditions were ideal? And yet, they were far from it. In those 40 years, he worked 6 days a week the entirety- on some weeks, he would work 7. Each day he would work at least 10 hours- most days going up to 12. Bare in mind, the United Steelworkers claims to support the idea of a 6 hour work day and a 5 day work week! But alas, it does not end there. I watched him come home, bleeding more times then not, I watched as his health steadily decline- the backbreaking labour causing him to become more or less crippled. I watched him buy his own shoes, buy his own clothes, pay for his own uniform- a task which should be the duty of the company! And I watched even more as he is forced to continue to work, until he is required to retire, for his retirement is not enough to live off of as it stands!
Then I watched my grandmother, I watched her grow bitter as the stress of her job grew upon her. She had no union, and she was on a contract. As a result of this, her workload would regularly grow to ten times more than any sane human should be able to handle. I watched as she would go in hours early, and not leave until the time her contract stated (most would leave prior to it). I watched her be terrified of being fired- because she couldn’t live off her husband’s (my grandfather’s) pay-check alone! And yet never once did she receive a meaningful raise, never once was she provided the option to promote- a blatant failure of the supposed ‘meritocracy’ they claim we live in. And now she is retired, and her checks are pitiful! She remains in perfect health, yet should her health have been poor she would’ve undoubtedly not be to afford her medical bills, and she is not yet at the age for government assistance! And when she did work, her insurance never covered therapy- and for that the rest of us faced the wrath, as her job was one of stress, and without therapy there was no healthy way to let that out that could be found!
And then in recent years I watched as my mother rejoin the workforce, joining into a factory. The factory she works for has no union- and it blatantly shows! She works 6 days a week, 12 hour days, just as my grandfather does. Yet her hours get thrown around randomly! She has failed as a mother, because she is unable to promise her children anything when she is unsure of when she must work. Just a few weeks ago her shift was rescheduled (without her consent or prior questioning), forcing her to work during the hours that her youngest child is supposed to come home from school, during the hours that her youngest child is supposed to go to his after-school classes, the hours which her youngest child would require tutoring (which he required, but she is unable to afford). Fortunately, she is not an only mother; yet I posit to wonder what would have occurred if she was? Not only is this unjust- but it shows the blatant disregard that the petty bourgeoisie has for the worker!
I find myself in a similar situation to my grandfather, and my mother before me. Yet unlike them I seek to better my situation through organizing! It will be with great difficulty, as the State which I live in has very little protections on worker organizing. However, the fight for worker solidarity and worker control is one worth the every struggle! And as part of that struggle, I will not rest until my grandchildren don’t have to watch me cripple myself to survive; I will not rest until my children don’t have to suffer in my absence; I will not rest until all the children don’t have to suffer in their adulthood! That is my personal declaration, and that is the goal of the New Patriot Party.