Marching in Mississippi for Democracy
By Wendy Fields, Executive Director
On March 4th, Democracy Initiative board member and NAACP President & CEO Cornell William Brooks, Sierra Club President Aaron Mair, and other progressive leaders will march in Canton, Mississippi in support of the right of Nissan workers to organize a union at their plant. Strong unions were pivotal when we had 30% union density in this country in achieving Voting Rights, ending Segregation, and building the middle class. The Democracy Initiative’s mission is to help mobilize the members of our 58 coalition organizations to defend and expand our democracy.
Unions are one of the best anti-poverty programs we have had in our nation’s history.
Democratic rights encompass not only the right to a voice in the electoral arena, but also the right to a voice in the economic realm, including the right to freely join a union without threats or retaliation. Unions are one of the best anti-poverty programs we have had in our nation’s history. They have paved the way for workers (union and non-union) to receive benefits such as paid leave, health care, and pensions from their employer. The contributions of labor was key in setting the wage and benefits standards for all in this country.
For men and women, unions help to bring collective power to the table. A recent study by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research found that women represented by a labor union earned $212 more per week compared to non-union women in a similar profession. The National Women’s Law Center found that unions have significantly decreased the pay gap between men and women to less than 10 cents. There is a demonstrable correlation to strong union membership and income equality, as demonstrated by this chart created by The Economic Policy Institute (EPI).
Reducing pay inequality is essential to a thriving economy, especially when wage growth lags behind productivity increases. Mississippi often ranks last when evaluating state economic performance. In 2015, Business Insider ranked the state last with the average weekly wage increasing at an anemic 2.3% between 2013 and 2014.
Mississippi has always been a central battleground for civil and human rights in our nation. During the 1960’s, brave champions of liberty risked and even gave their lives to win the right to vote and to end brutal and inhumane Jim Crow segregation. The struggle for human dignity and equality has always been tied to the quest for economic justice. Since the days of slavery, oppression of African-Americans has been directly linked to their exploitation in the labor context.
Nissan’s unfair treatment of the largely African-American workforce in Mississippi is a continuation of this exploitation and assault on human dignity. And, has limited the economic potential for the entire community and the State. Workers desire to organize a union is not just about economics. It is equally about having collective voice on the job and a seat at the table while building a quality product. They are concerned about safety conditions, unfair pay, and the lack of job security due in part to the utilization of “temps” rather than regular full time employees. The company responded with intimidation tactics, including constant threats to move the plant to Mexico if the workers form a union. Nissan has spent money and time to create a climate of fear in order to suppress union activity.
Why is Nissan treating U.S. workers as second class citizens?
What is particularly ironic — and disturbing — is that Nissan is a global corporation that recognizes and cooperates with unions all over the world. This raises the question: why is Nissan treating U.S. workers as second class citizens? Why are American workers alone denied a seat at the table where they can negotiate for a fair contract?
Many in the community and around the world are rising to the defense of the Nissan workers. Church leaders and civil rights organizations such as the NAACP have formed the Mississippi Alliance for Fairness at Nissan (MAFFAN) to demand that Nissan stop threatening the workers and respect their right to organize. Union delegations from Brazil, France and Japan have visited the plant in Canton, Mississippi, to show their solidarity. Students from Historically Black Colleges such as Tougaloo and Mississippi State have organized support.
Now it is time for the democracy community to stand up and articulate why this anti-union suppression is not just a matter of economic injustice, it is a blow to our democratic principles and institutions. I have witnessed first hand, that when workers are allowed to make an informed decision in a free and fair environment they successfully form their union. They develop great partnerships with the employer and produce quality products.
The United Nations Declaration of Human Rights identifies the right of workers to form unions as a fundamental human right. Unions have never been perfect institutions, but there has never been a democratic society that did not have a strong labor movement. Unions are a primary check and balance to the power of corporations. When unions represented a third of the U.S. workforce, the working class earned living wages including health care, retirement, and safe working conditions. Now that unions represent only about 6% of the private sector workforce, corporate elites have concentrated wealth and wages have stagnated.
If workers are not allowed to freely organize, unions will continue to decline, the working class will become poorer, and our democracy will be at even graver risk.
Democracy Initiative and its coalition of civil rights, worker rights, and environmental rights organizations are speaking out and demanding that Nissan respect the rights of its workers in Mississippi. The company must stop its anti-union campaign; must cease its threats and intimidation of workers; must grant the union equal access to speak to the workers; and must adopt a neutral position so the workers have the freedom to decide on their own whether to have a union.
Even if you cannot travel to Mississippi for the march, you can stand in solidarity with Nissan workers by telling Nissan: labor rights are civil rights!
To learn more about how you can be involved visit: dobetternissan.org.
