In 1934 Coast Unionism was secured by the organizing efforts of the International Longshoreman’s Workers Union. After years of bloody battles the ILWU began to organize the once lowly regard Longshoreman’s work into a highly skilled profession. Many during the 1930’s said that these workers could not be organized. The private shipping industry was to powerful, State and Local government were against the workers, the police and private guards owned by the shipping companies were too violent and powerful. The Longshoreman on the docks could not be organized. These workers did in fact organize.

In 1941 Henry Ford and the Ford Motor company sign the first contract with the United Automobile Workers of America and the Congress of Industrial Organization. Once again, many around the country said that these auto workers could not be organized. They said that the company was to strong, had too much money and Henry Ford would never allow for his workers to be part of a union. It was a struggle. Many workers paid the price and there was much bloodshed. These workers did in fact organize.
Teachers were once thought as too professional to be organized. Many teachers did not see the need for a union nor wanted to join a union. Teachers did in fact organize. Now teacher unions are some of most powerful organizations in the country. Organizations such as the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the National Education Association (NEA), the California Teachers Association and the United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA), the California Faculty Association (CTA) and others promote trade unionism and advocate on behalf of teachers, children, and parents.

Physicians once thought as having a culture of individualism never considered their profession as part of the traditional union movement. Now physicians are organized into the Doctor’s Council affiliated with the Services Employees International Union (SEIU), The Union of American Physicians and Dentists (UAPD) affiliated with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Union (AFSCME). The Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR) is part of SEIU and represents intern’s residents and fellows in states throughout the country.

Engineers and other professional are organized. In Los Angeles for example the Engineers and Architects Association represents this professional group of workers. The University Professional and Technical Employees (UPTE) represent 17,000 University of California employees and are affiliated with the Communication Workers of America (CWA). The Motion picture industry and the entertainment industry are represented by the Screen Actor Guild/American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG/AFTRA) Actors Equity Association, and International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) as well as other unions. These professional workers did in fact organize and continue to organize.

Every major sport organization has a relationship with the trade union movement. This includes the Major League Baseball Players Association, the Major League Soccer Players Union, The National Basketball Association, and The National Football League Players Association. Even the Referees in all the major sports have their associations.

There are of course many other unions and associations. I have just sited a few to give an overall example of the kinds of professional organizing taking place throughout the country. The successful organizing of these workers is based on the labor movements tactic of adopting a prolong struggle within certain industries in and effort to win worker loyalty and commitment for fairness, equity and having a voice in the workplace. Unions have used their organizing efforts as a means to understand that technology and professional occupations are changing and as a result unions need to change their organizing approach.
This trend of organizing must continue if labor is to mount a successful counter offensive to the right wing and corporate attacks upon union members and the labor movement as a whole. According to the Department of Labor, over 3 million professional and technical employees participate in collective bargaining organizations. Today 51% of all union members are white-collar workers. This is good sign.

The bad news for the labor movement is that many of the professional and highly skilled workers still view themselves as alienated from the labor movement. In many cases these workers consider unions as irrelevant and unnecessary. This is a perspective that perpetuates the myth of the “unorganizable.” This is a serious problem that needs to be rectified if the labor movement wants to continue to have success in this area or organizing. The positive news is that professional workers provide a base for which organizing can continue to take place with potential growth.

Labor has been successful in organizing professional and highly skills workers but there is much work to be done. If labor is to be relevant it must organize the three pillars of workers. Low-wage workers, professional and highly skilled workers and globalization international cross border organizing of workers. This is where the growth is in organizing.

Some questions for consideration regarding organizing professional and highly skills; Are unions viewed as an outdated organization(s) that no longer have a vital function to perform? Is the decline of the labor movement symptomatic of a terminal condition? Can unions be rejuvenated if they modernize their organizing techniques? Can unions develop organizing campaigns that will engage these workers? Is the organizing tech workers and other highly skilled workers an elusive goal for labor?

I now hear the same rumblings. Technical workers and other highly skills professional workers (i.e., Silicon Valley) can’t be organized. This remains to be seen but history is on our side.

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