All Workers Need a Union!
Angela Zachary
12/15/2024
We are living under a dictatorship: the dictatorship of the exploiting class.
Americans love the cozy, warm feelings that are aroused by the ideals of freedom, justice, democracy, and the like, but these are just words when compared to the stark reality of the present state of the U.S. working class under capitalism. The reality is that working and oppressed people know very little of freedom, justice, or democracy. This is illustrated in our political duopoly: a false choice between two parties who both defend and maintain the status quo. Even more to the point, this reality is demonstrated in the American workplace…
Under capitalism, the workplace is a tyrannical, authoritarian structure. Despite providing the labor that makes industry run, working people have no democratic voice in the companies that exploit them. Daily, the whims, wishes, and dictates of our corporate overlords are passed down the chain of command. Do these commandments make sense? Do they reflect the needs of the workers? Of course not. How could we expect the exploiting class, the class of human leeches—who do not work for a living, but simply siphon off the unpaid value of their workers—to actually know what is needed on the shopfloor of a given company? No, it is the laborers themselves—those who are daily enmeshed in the workings of the company—who know what is best. But do they have a say in the decisions of the company, in how things are sourced, produced, and distributed, in the policies and procedures that guide their toil? Not under our present economic ordering…
For those who are content with the quarterly pizza party and the worthless feedback surveys that allow workers to “anonymously” offer their insights to the bosses, this article is probably not for you. Unfortunately, the degradation and exhaustion that springs from our exploitative system has driven many folks to the point of nihilistic despair or jaded pessimism on the prospect of things ever getting better. For many, though, this crushing system compels them to act… to organize! If you are sick and tired of the status quo, if you want to actually make a difference in your life and the lives of your fellow workers, may I recommend… unionizing!
Now, to start, it’s important to note that a union—even the strongest, most militant, most solidarity-entrenched union—does not, nor can it, qualitatively change our present economic system. Nevertheless, a union does infuse a level of freedom, justice, and democracy into a workplace. Given our current political climate and the worsening of conditions of working people across this nation, such an infusion in the workplace is needed as badly as one of blood for a trauma patient. The organization of workers is but one component towards the liberation our class so desperately requires, but it is certainly a critical component.
A union gives voice to the workers of a company. At the bargaining table and through the union stewards, laborers have the ability to express their demands and to address wrongdoings. Through the union, solidarity is built and class consciousness is developed. A union protects workers from mistreatment, double-standards, and cruel, nonsensical discipline from management. It provides a legally-binding contract that holds the bosses accountable. A union provides greater workplace safety measures and, of course, higher wages and better benefits. These are just a sampling of the benefits an organized workforce provides.
It is the belief of the Brigade that all workers, with only a few exceptions (cops, union-busters, etc.), need a union. This belief extends to those within the “gig economy,” to students, to prisoners, and to tenants. Anyone experiencing exploitation, forced to see their work enrich the parasitic class, needs the unity and strength that come from organizing into a union. We believe this to be especially true now as Trump begins filling his cabinet with some of the worst, most anti-worker figures the owning class has to offer. The need for organization in 2025 and beyond goes further than the immediate needs of workers within a given workplace—organizing constitutes the very foundation of struggle against all forms of exploitation and oppression!
Historically, the organization of workplaces has incubated countless struggles against oppressions, both inside and outside of the workplace. Racial animosities, sentiments of misogyny, queerphobic hostilities, and the like melt away in the economic struggles of contract negotiations, strikes, and organizing drives. Why is this so? Simply because these social and cultural divisions—enflamed and instigated by the owning class to divide workers against each other—are seen for what they truly are when workers come together around the common denominator which unites them: the exploitation all workers experience under the tyranny of the bosses. Within the crucible of class struggle, workers—Black and white, Queer and cis-het, men and women, young and old, native and immigrant—discover that they have more in common with each other than they do with anyone in the capitalist class; they recognize their shared class interests!
Louisville civil rights activist and labor organizer, Anne Braden, said something to the affect of “the best organizing occurs during the darkest times.” For working and oppressed people, we are certainly in the midst of dark times. It is the belief of the Brigade, based upon the study of human relations and development, that the wellspring of all effective liberation struggles is within the realm of the economic struggle between workers and their exploiters. Obviously, this is not to say that liberation struggles should be ignored; instead, it is to say that these struggles are best addressed and fought on the foundation of the economic struggle, the struggle that unites all working and oppressed people. It is in the workplace, then, that we find the chief conflict—or contradiction—that must be addressed. Through this fight against exploitation, we incite, build, and strengthen fights against oppression in all its forms.
In 2025, as in all times, the tasks before the working and oppressed masses are clear: educate, agitate, organize! If you and your fellow workers are tired of short-staffing, low wages, no benefits, double-standards, unequal treatment, unsafe conditions, and a general lack of respect, dignity, privacy, and leisure, organizing a union is an excellent starting point! If you’re concerned with the numerous social chauvinisms and needless divisions so prevalent in our society, if you want to pursue a meaningful way to oppose the rise of far-right, fascist governance, organizing a union is an excellent starting point! Not sure where to go from here? That’s ok; the Brigade has you covered…
The Louisville Workers Brigade is happy to provide free, confidential consultation with any worker considering the organization of their workplace. We can help you navigate the early steps of unionizing and will get you connected with a union that best suits your particular needs and industry. Our website is chock-full of resources to help you get started, including a full step-by-step guide for how to organize your workplace (see the link at the bottom of this article). We as Brigade organizers, workers ourselves, and many of us proud union members to boot, will freely and happily give our time, labor, and efforts to assisting you every step of the way.
The horizon before us is bleak and the obstacles facing working and oppressed people are plentiful. Despair, however, will only lead to lethargic, unproductive inactivity. Don’t fall into the trap of remaining in a comfortable online echo chamber of other left-progressives. Get out, get involved, and get organized! May we all meet in the trenches of class war and fight tooth-and-nail for our collective liberation!