Why Read This Little Booklet

Over the past few years, I have spoke to thousands of people just like you who are either in a labor union or thinking about joining one.  Many of you are discouraged.  I surely understand why, for this is the most anti-union administration most of us have seen in our lifetimes.

But I don't want you to be discouraged.  I want you to know that there is a least one professional economist, namely me, who thinks unions are not the problem.  They are the solution.  Strong, effective labor unions must be a big part of any program that has a realistic chance of solving our economic problems.

I want you to know that better wages, not more borrowing, is the foundation of a middle class economy.  Strong unions are our best chance of getting those wages.

I want you to know that middle class economies don't just happen.  They are made.  Union made.

I want you to know that all the talk of globalization, free trade, and building a stronger economy with cheap jobs and off-shore labor is just what you think it is - a bunch of nonsense.

I want you to know that the only people benefiting from our current anti-union economic policies are people so rich they cannot possibly spend their money in ways that stimulate economic growth.

I want you to know that our economic problems will not somehow magically fix themselves.  They can be fixed, but only through the power of middle class people working together toward the right goals.

I want you to know that when unions have been strong, the middle class has been strong.  When unions have been weak, the middle class has been weak.  This is no coincidence.

So, please, try not to be discouraged.  Read this little booklet as a way to keep your spirits up.  Read it to remind yourself of how important your union membership is.  Not just to yourself, but to your families, your neighbors, and the entire American middle class.

Click here for hard cover purchase.