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 In
Praise of Unions
Those who would destroy or further limit the rights of organized
labor--those who would cripple collective bargaining or prevent
organization of the unorganized--do a disservice to the cause
of democracy.
Fifty years or so ago the American Labor Movement was little
more than a group of dreamers, and look at it now. From coast
to coast, in factories, stores, warehouses and business establishments
of all kinds, industrial democracy is at work.
Employees, represented by free and democratic trade unions
of their own choosing, participate actively in determining their
wages, hours and working conditions. Their living standards are
the highest in the world. Their job rights are protected by collective
bargaining agreements. They have fringe benefits that were unheard
of less than a generation ago.
Our labors unions are not narrow, self-seeking groups. They
have raised wages, shortened hours and provided supplemental
benefits. Through collective bargaining and grievance procedures,
they have brought justice and democracy to the shop floor. But
their work goes beyond their own jobs, and even beyond our borders.
Our unions have fought for aid to education, for better housing,
for development of our national resources, and for saving the
family-sized farms. They have spoken, not for narrow self-interest,
but for the public interest and for the people.--John F.
Kennedy, October 1960.
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