CWA 1180 - News

Ends and means
by Arthur Cheliotes
January 2005

We've all heard the saying that the ends don't justify the means, and most of us probably believe that's true, even if we don't always act on it because it's sometimes very inconvenient. But Martin Luther King used to put it in even sharper terms: The ends are predetermined in the means.

PARTICIPATE IN THE DISCUSSION!

The debate about the future of the labor is too important to leave in only labor leaders' hands. It needs to be engaged by union members at every level of the labor movement.

1. Write a Sound Off response about what you think of this debate and the direction the labor movement should go in.

2. Visit the "Unite to Win" website, www.unitetowin.org, and post your thoughts.

3. Download a special pdf version of the feature article on the debate, President Cheliotes's column and the Sound Off question that you can share with co-workers.

What does that mean? It means that you reap what you so, and moreover, you can't reap what you don't sow. Open, honest communication between two people, for instance, will build a trusting relationship; on the flip side, if you are deceitful, the relationship you create will never be a trusting one. The quagmire in Iraq provides a good example of King's adage about means and ends. It is clear that violent occupation and repression have led to…violence and repression. The U.S. will never create a peaceful, democratic government in Iraq by bombing hospitals, shutting down opposition newspapers and killing civilians.

The labor movement in the United States is right now in the middle of a crucial debate about what the future of the labor movement should look like. How we conduct that debate will itself help determine what kind of labor movement we have in the future.

If we want a labor movement that is vibrant and energized by members mobilizing, fighting for their rights, reaching out to new workers and giving hell to politicians who sell us out—if we want that kind of movement, then we have to have that kind of debate. We have to have members engaged and energized by the discussion. If we want members to be actively involved in their unions, then we have to actively involve members in the process of rebuilding and growing their unions.

On the other hand, if we want a labor movement where a few leaders makes decisions at the top and then hand out marching orders to the rank-and-file, then we can limit this important debate to union presidents and officers.

Of course, no one wants that kind of labor movement. We all want the other kind—vibrant, energized, mobilizing and fighting. And so it' important that we make sure the discussion about the future of the labor movement really is happening at all levels of the movement.

So far, the debate has been among leaders and staff and some labor intellectuals. It's been in a few labor journals and most recently, at a big conference here in New York. There's nothing wrong with that—all discussions have to start somewhere. The important thing is to make sure the discussions don't end there, that they continue and are extended and involve more people.

That's where you come in. We've written a story that introduces the debate to Local 1180 members (in the January/February 2005 issue of the Communique, and available here on the website), and the current Sound Off question invites 1180 members to add their voice to the discussion. I urge you to take the time to both read the article and respond by sending in your thoughts on the subject. It's an important first step in building a strong future for labor.

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