It Takes A Movement

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)

The widespread demonstrations across the country sparked by the battle to protect collective bargaining rights in Wisconsin prove that organized labor works best from the ground up, said labor law professor and author Julius Getman (right) last week at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC). Getman stopped by UDC’s David A. Clarke Law School Friday evening to discuss his new book, “Restoring the Power of Unions: It Takes a Movement.” Introduced by his friend and former student Craig Becker – President Obama's nominee to the National Labor Relations Board -- Getman said that he was inspired to write the book by the successful drive to organize clerical and technical workers at Yale in the 1980’s. In his new book, Getman investigated how UNITE HERE successfully organized hotel workers around the country and, using colorful anecdotes Friday night, he explained how when unions are well organized and run with the voice of the members, organized labor wins. Getman expressed great hope that a merging of the immigrant rights movements with organized labor would provide a much needed membership boost. - story/photo by Benjamin Garlock