When I worked at the brewery, I was involved with the labor union - in a way. When I started there I was labeled a 'scab' because I was crossing a picket line.
The brewery workers went out on strike in April of 1977 and remained on strike for over a year. In May of that year, I applied for and was hired into, a job that was, at the time, non-union. The person that I was replacing had moved into a union job. Regardless, the folks at the picket line didn't care, anyone driving across the picket line, going to work, was harassed and yelled at and call a 'scab'.
Eventually, the union was decertified, meaning the remaining workers in union jobs voted the union out, after at least a year of strike activity.
When that happened, it changed how we could move around in different jobs at the brewery and I decided to move out of the laboratory into a General Brewery Worker job that had been a unionized position. It was more pay and the same hours, but it was a much more physically demanding job. Through the next few years, I learned more and more about Brewing and I moved up the ranks in the production arena in jobs that were hourly and had been unionized at one time. Eventually, I was promoted into a role of supervision as part of the management team. I don't remember how long it was after I became a supervisor that the union made another run at reorganizing the employees at the brewery. My role during this organizing effort was to promote the non-union desires of our Company ownership. This wasn't hard to do, as the employees at the brewery were very well compensated with benefit packages which included paid medical, good vacation and retirement pensions.
The vote was taken and the attempt to recertify the union failed.
Sometime later, a year or two, I really can't remember exactly, the AFL-CIO tried again at Coors to organize the hourly employees into joining the Union. Once again my role was on behalf of management. This wasn't too hard thing for me to do as I had never worked for union, so my viewpoint was quite narrow. And like I said, the compensation package for hourly employees at the brewery was rated at the top of the industry comparisons, so my conscience was clear. Again the organizing effort failed and for the remainder of my 31 years at Coors, the Afl-Cio never attempted another recertification at the brewery.
Since my retirement, I have more time to read and think and my viewpoint on unions has softened a lot.
Living in Wisconsin during the Governor Walker vilification of state employees, and especially teachers, I have come to appreciate the need for unionization to protect employees. In the past, unions accomplished great strides in improving employee safety and also in bargaining for good wages and benefits. I'm still of the opinion that the union wasn't needed at the brewery, but I do believe that unions can be a necessary protection for employees in many jobs across this nation. More recently I have come to question the ethics of some unions, especially some of the larger police unions.
Nonetheless, I can see that unions have played an important role in our nation's history. Whether they should have clout politically is sometimes questionable. Whether they should protect a brutal attack by a police officer is beyond questionable. Money and power may be the union's strong point but also can become a problem without checks and balances.
On this day, that celebrates the labor force that makes this a great country, I recognize the role of workers, whether they are organized, or not.
Barley & Hops have spent the entire day napping while I watch golf.
All is well.
Peace ☮
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