Unions, Sustainability and Diversity-A Missed Opportunity

If it were not for the hard work of labor unions in the early 1940’s and 50’s we would not be able to think of a regular work week as 40 hours, get paid vacations and paid sick leave or enjoy the basic due processes employees assume are part of the work environment.  The growth of the middle class in the 1960’s and 70’s rests largely in the strength of creating livable wages through this advocacy. This Labor Day Holiday some may suggest that having won these key battles the need to unionize workers has lost its relevance in our society.  Membership is at an all time low with less than 12% of the workforce today holding union membership.  Unfortunately the relevance of organized labor’s early roots in protecting workers from abuse and unfair practices is needed now more than ever—but the needs look different. 

Today in the middle of the Great Recession, the growing wealth disparity in the nation and the new wave of discrimination faced by the long term unemployed and the 50-plus workers I can’t but wonder how Labor could have made a difference.   What would have happened if Labor had started 30 years ago advocating for long-term business sustainability, greater corporate transparency, or preparing workers for green jobs?  What would have happened if unions had looked at how poorly schools were preparing young people for competitive jobs or for careers heavily reliant on math and science? And what if unions had been more engaged in the fight to keep the workplace not only diverse but progressively inclusive—making sure ethnic minorities, gays, working mothers, and aging workers got hired at the most senior levels? These were missed opportunities for Labor.

After having achieved key milestones in fair wages and benefits, labor stayed focused on these priorities well into the 1980’s even when jobs were being outsourced abroad and US companies downsized workers but didn’t downsize executive compensation.  Instead of recognizing the changing work place demands and advocating for more employee training, workforce development and better education to remain innovative, unions remained focused on keeping wages and benefits firm for members. And the definition of employee “benefits” expanded—in some professions that took the form of protecting jobs regardless of objective measures of performance or targeted results.   It’s not surprising then that labor’s relevance comes into question when unions defend teachers who don’t teach, drivers who don’t drive, and tradesmen who don’t keep their skills relevant.  Protecting workers based on seniority, job classification systems, and the status quo became associated with union dogma just when all indicators pointed to needed innovation, workforce development, and new ways to engage in a global workforce.

Next week the AFL-CIO is hosting Next Up: The Young Workers Summit in Minneapolis.  The agenda is aimed at Gen Y and Millenials and provides a chance to learn about fighting back efforts to dismantle unions.  Several sessions are dedicated to organizing in a global context, organizing the new generation of workers, “indoctrinating” public policy and managing messages.  These themes are more defensive than offensive. Young workers may need exposure to Labor’s history but in order for Labor to regain its relevance in American society, young workers need an understanding of Labor’s missed opportunities, too.  To prevent a repeat of the past, Labor must improve workers’ ability to face unprecedented demands on their knowledge and understand seniority is not a measure of job security.  Young workers today need the ability to be continuous learners, the ability to recognize and advocate for sustainable growth industries, corporate social responsibility, and transparency.  If Labor is to regain membership, it needs an agenda that is willing to translate on the enormous complexity of economic, political, and social factors that influence the workplace today and prepare workers for the demands ahead.  

Treat Your Career Like a Venture Capitalist Invests in Opportunities

The recession seems to have struck the over 50 crowd the hardest—just when all those years of experience  were set to be leveraged to do great things.  Unlike the younger generations who have not expected long term careers in one place, many in the over 50 crowd never saw this coming.  And now finding work is a whole new game. The recession has run so deep that there’s now a new practice of asking individuals to work for “commission only” sales or to build up their own pipeline of work or participate in preparing a project or proposal with the hope of getting the project and working on it together.  For those of us who have been consultants, freelancers, or contract employees in the past—this is just a way of life.  Every day is an opportunity to prospect for work.  But how do you know where you should give the one thing you have plenty of during a transition-- Your Time? 

It’s not hard to find others who are working at putting together a project that you can support and then earn money later—if it sells, if it gets funded, if it gets adopted or if—you name it!  My advice is to treat your time during a transition like an investment strategy that’s often used by venture capitalists.  They are constantly getting proposals to fund new ventures.  They look at thousands of great ideas but invest in just a handful with the hope that one of those will turn into the next Big Thing.   They use key criteria for making investments and give start ups a timeline with clear goals to be met.  If goals are achieved, then they are given more money and if not, they walk away.  The founders—if they survive—are left with the option of shutting down or looking for another investor.

You may not have a huge savings account but you do have time. Depending on your personal financial picture, you may only have a few months to spare before you must earn income and so it’s key to set a date to assess whether you should continue contributing your time to a project.  Think of your time as your money to invest.  It is perfectly fine to offer time to the projects that meet your criteria-- but be realistic.  A great idea alone is not enough to strike it rich these days. It takes tremendous focus to mobilize marketing efforts and close a sale—if all you and your colleague talk about is an idea and there’s no business plan or marketing strategy, then it may be a long time before you see any revenue.  And, take a look at what exactly you are being asked to do with your time or “sweat equity” in a project or venture.  If you carry the greater share of workload, make sure the payout reflects this fact.   Create an agreement that spells out what you will be getting when the work comes through so that there are no surprises.   

This all sounds simple to follow but the emotional roller coaster of unemployment and instability can undermine your better judgment.  Take a breath. Reflect on your goals daily. Develop a success routine and stick to it.  Assess what progress you’ve made with your investment of time and adjust accordingly. Making your transition work is up to you.  Abraham Lincoln said it best: "Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing."

 

The Latino Leadership Vacuum?

Last week the Pew Center on Hispanics published the results of a study in which Latinos were polled about who they perceive as the most  significant Latino leader in the US.  A remarkable 64% answered they do not know.  Another 10 per cent said no one is a significant Latino leader.  Seven per cent named Sonia Sotomayor.  The remarkable absence of a Latino figure in the center of public discourse is not surprising when I think about the way Latinos are portrayed in mass media or –actually—NOT portrayed at all.  A separate Pew study of Latino media coverage found that vast majority of coverage of Latinos in 2009 was on immigration, drug wars, the H1N1 flu outbreak in Mexico City and Sonia Sotomayor—in that order.  And the remarkable thing is this: most of the time when these issues are discussed in major media outlets there were few Latinos present. 

Latinos are now the largest ethnic group in the US and are at the center of one of the most contentious debates in the US as immigration reform ensues.   Researchers David Hayes-Bautista, Rodolfo De La Garza and Dowell Myers,  journalist Robert Lovato are just a few of those who should be involved in the discussion.  These are the individuals who have dedicated years of study to provide informed perspective on a complex issue.  Yet in an age when media interns are asked to find experts for the most obscure  biotech developments, technical breakthroughs and the complexity of climate change—how is it that major news casts can cover immigration and fail to ask Latinos to be part of the discussion?   

This lack of presence of Latinos in the media is a key contributing factor in this perceived vacuum of Latino leadership.  But there’s more to it beyond the mainstream media neglect. In watching the endless number of people who claim their 15 minutes of fame—Joe the Plumber, Preacher Terry Jones itching to burn Quarans, and irritated flight attendant Steven Slater—I am stunned at the level of hubris evident to seize a moment in the bright lights.  This is so not Latino.  Latinos bring cultural values that emphasize humility, stoicism, and cooperation.  It is rare to see Latinos who want to draw attention to themselves.  Even in the face of remarkable achievements, few Latinos engage in self promotion.  It’s a trait that is at the same time admirable and yet limiting in a world that seems to notice the obnoxious first and the nobel last. 

The future of the nation is linked to the future of Latinos.  Latino leaders exist in every field and discipline and they need to be engaged in the media rich society we experience now.  We may be a quietly proud people but let’s not confuse this with being absent or unavailable to lead. -M

Mexico Celebrates Independence

Mexico has celebrated the anniversary of “EL GRITO” in the Zócalo of Mexico City, on the night of Septermber 15^th.  At midnight the President of the Republic rings the same church bells as did Padre Hidalgo, and repeats Hidalgo’s call for independence:

Long Live The Virgin of Guadalupe!

Long Live the Americas!

Long Live Mexico!

And Death to Corrupt Government!

With this cry for Independence, Hidalgo took up a banner of The Virgin of Guadalupe, and led some 600 insurgents into the city of Guanajuato where they freed numerous Mexican political prisoners and incarcerated the Spanish authorities. And thus began the Mexican Revolution of 1810, and Mexico’s struggle for independence.  

Despite all the celebrations around Cinco de Mayo (May 5th), September 16th is celebrated as Mexico's Independence Day--this is the real deal!

Immigrant or Native?

It is often said that the US is a land of immigrants but the unspeakable corollary is: not all immigrants are seen as equals.  We do not treat immigrants from Cuba the same as those who came from Ireland. We do not see the Vietnamese who crossed an ocean to reach us the same as those who cross the Rio Grande. We value immigrants with key skills and create special visas for them so that they can work at some of our most prestigious academic institutions and some of the most innovative corporations.  

Likewise, it should be understood that immigrants do not see our land in the same way.   The people who traveled an ocean, escaping the ravages of war came to the US to seek refuge.  In solidarity with their plight, the US grants asylum. The scientists, students and scholars, who visit us, see the United States as a place to expand their intellectual independence and create unparalleled opportunity. Our dire shortage of scientists and our desire to be competitive compels us to say yes to these elite immigrants. We do not have a one-size fits all immigration policy because we have different immigrants.

In the wake of the immigration debate sparked by the events in Arizona, we now desperately need to understand immigrants from Mexico and the unique relationship to this land among the many people whose ancestry transcends our borders.  While it is true many come here to seek jobs, their presence here is not limited to seeking opportunity.   In 1848 when the US signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo to secure the land we now consider to be California, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah roughly 100,000 Mexicans inhabited the territory.  As the US further expanded and borders shifted in what is now Texas, families that had lived in one region for several generations suddenly found themselves defined in between the land they called home and the new land that considered them outcasts.   Many Mexican immigrants consider themselves native to these lands. Indeed, they would at least argue “we were here long before any other immigrant group”.  And because of this history, Mexicans do not feel obligated to shed themselves of their tradition or history or language.  By contrast, the Irish, Italian and Jewish immigrants in the 1940’s knew they had abandoned their homeland in order to survive and live freely and thus their acculturation happened differently.  There was no turning back.  For Mexican immigrants, there is much less of a sense of having left “home” or needing to give up their identity. These lands are not foreign and there is nothing “illegal” about being here.

While some would argue that we are well beyond 1848, history cannot be ignored.  Immigration reform is desperately needed to address the presence of an estimated 7 million people from Mexico who remain in the Southwest and who overwhelming live quietly as hard working people, contributing to local economies. But policy and legislation will fail unless we consider the identity of this vibrant community and the cultural roots tied to these lands.  Many nations have drawn borders only to fail against the deeply rooted culture associated with geography.  The US is poised to fail in its reforms again, unless a new accord is found with a people who remain loyal to our lands.