Public Employee Press

Book Review
Low-wage workers revitalizing American labor movement

Hundreds of New York City car wash workers rallied in April to celebrate the growth of their new union, its first six contracts and their recent victory in a $4 million wage-theft lawsuit.

A partnership of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union and two community organizations, Communities for Change and Make the Road, has been essential in their victories.

Community labor organizations are also in the forefront of organizing the fast-food workers who protested in 50 cities worldwide and held one-day strikes at McDonald's, Burger King, KFC and 14 other chains in May, demanding a livable wage of $15 an hour and the right to unionize without retaliation.

These militant campaigns by low-wage, predominately immigrant and African American workers are the new frontier of workers' organizing around the country, revitalizing our shrinking labor movement with new demands, strategies and tactics.

Students of two City University professors - former New York City Central Labor Council Executive Director Ed Ott, who built bridges between this emerging movement and traditional unions, and labor sociologist Ruth Milkman - researched and wrote the case studies in their book, "New Labor in New York: Precarious Workers and the Future of the Labor Movement."

The participant observers show us inspiring examples of the organizing that is building new unions, fighting for new legislation and demanding real enforcement of existing laws. With little or no job security, these workers are mobilizing nationwide and bringing to bear the weight of their alliances, often in high-profile media campaigns that reflect the influence of the occupy movement.

The authors describe campaigns involving domestic workers, fast food and restaurant workers, taxi drivers, freelancers, bodegas, supermarkets, "big-box" stores like Target, living-wage laws and national and local struggles for immigrant rights.

Like industrial workers in the 1930s and public service employees in the 1960s, these low-paid workers were once considered unorganizable and their demands - like $15 an hour and full-time hours - were believed unrealistic.

But as unions and community-based organizations have learned from each other how to organize in this era of low-wage work, the remarkable progress depicted in "New Labor" has redefined the possible with successes such as the car-wash contracts, new neighborhood grocery store unions, the New York State Domestic Workers Bill of Rights and New York City Living Wage Law. Impressing the politicians and the public, these victories paved the way for the New York City paid sick leave law, new wage and hour regulations by the Obama administration and a wave of local and state minimum wage increases.

" 'New Labor in New York' is a must read for anyone who cares about the future of workers in the 21st century," said AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka. The book is available for members to borrow free from the Ed Fund Library in Room 211 at DC 37.

— Ken Nash