Attention: Philadelphia area union community,
I’m 47 years old and I’ve lived in Philadelphia my entire life. My father, Ironworkers Local 401 Business Manager Joseph J. Dougherty, has been a union member since I was a small child and a union official since I was 16 years old. Many of my family and friends are union members and I, myself, have been a member of Ironworkers Local 401 since 1982 when I was just 18 years old. It’s been part of the fabric of my life since I can remember.
As workers, we were taught to work hard and stand up for ourselves, our families, our union brothers and sisters, our contractors and especially for those pioneers who came before us who gave their blood, sweat, tears and for some their lives in order to establish the fair working conditions, benefits and wages that we now have today.
As I’ve gotten older and have been fortunate enough to know and watch Philadelphia area labor movement leaders like Philadelphia Council President Pat Eiding and Philadelphia Building Trades President Pat Gillespie work passionately and with compassion every day on behalf of all Philadelphia area union members and their families so that each and every one of us has a shot to maintain a job, fair wages, working conditions and standards. Firsthand over the years, I have watched my own father and other union officials like him dedicate their lives tirelessly to their members and to the labor movement with no ulterior motives other than to procure work and maintain standards. This has recently had me asking myself, “If there are so many good people in the labor movement, why do we get such a bad rap?”
Case in point, just a couple weeks ago on a scalding hot Father’s Day afternoon as my wife and I were headed to ShopRite to pick up some last minute groceries to take to dad’s, I saw IBEW Local #98 Business Manager John Dougherty (no relation to me) and #98 Business Rep Brian Stevenson along with several other Local #98 officials in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia demonstrating and handing out informational fliers to the general public to protest the hiring of non-union electrical workers to work at night by the shopping center. What was particularly inspiring was the fact that it was Father’s Day afternoon in Roxborough and although he could have easily have sent his members, apprentices or retirees who lived in the area, John Dougherty was handing out the fliers himself with his other union reps. Maybe I’m weird like that, but to me, it gave me chills down my spine to see a high profile union leader like Johnny Doc walk the walk, grassroots style.
As Johnny, Brian and company handed out the materials and spoke to the people, they did so in a very cordial and friendly manner. They were engaging and personable. There was no thugery, profanity or bullying going on whatsoever. Just some concerned men standing up for the standards and wages they have worked so hard to obtain on behalf of their members.
What was amazing was the variety of different responses they evoked. Some people walked or drove by without paying notice, others stopped by or honked in support and yet others drove by shouting obscenities without really knowing what was going on. I couldn’t believe one lady driving by shouting profanities without having a clue what was going on but you could just hear the venom in her tone.
I remember as I looked at the lady angrily screaming profanities at the top of her lungs with little kids in her car, having not a clue what was actually going on, it reminded me once again of the growing sentiment in this country that has spread like a cancer, of people who just do not like unions. The more I thought about it, the more I wondered why people increasingly feel this way? I mean are they opposed to fair wages? Are they opposed to fair working conditions? Are they opposed to 40-hour work weeks or weekends off? If there are so many good people and causes behind the actions, how in the world did we become the bad guys?
As I thought about, the only logical reason that I could come up with is, MAYBE IT’S ALL THEY SEE! Maybe it’s because the 6 o’clock news shows large groups of people protesting without explaining the reasons, or maybe it’s because the daily newspaper prints an unglamorous picture of a union leader as he rallies his members to vote to go on strike to keep their health and welfare benefits?######## As I thought about that, it became apparent that unions not only have an image problem, they have a PR problem. It seems now with all of the communication and PR resources available, that local unions would adapt and come out of the dark ages and start promoting themselves better like their big business and political counterparts. But currently only a small number of local unions use publicists or PR firms to enhance their images and even fewer aggressively use the often free tools available on the internet to do it themselves.
Let’s think about it for a second. Sure, pro-athletes, movie stars and the super rich etc. like to keep their good deeds and charitable endeavors private — but they are already lauded by the general public for their celebrity. And even though they do from time to time, they don’t need to promote their good deeds or image. On the other hand, unions, who are often ignorantly blasphemed and ridiculed for their efforts on behalf of working families, should make every effort to utilize the available PR resources to educate the general public about what we really do and what we are really about and much of the greatness that is bestowed within the union movement across the land.
For example, I wonder if that woman who drove by screaming profanities in front of her kids knew whether or not the non-union workers that were hired to work at night at the shopping center were getting paid fair wages with benefits. I wonder if she knew that the men she was screaming at from IBEW #98 who were standing out in 95 degree heat on behalf of working families had also spent the entire morning since 5:30 AM volunteering at the Gary Papa Father’s Day Prostate Cancer 5K Run. My guess is probably not!
FACT: In the city of Philadelphia alone, union leaders, members and working families make up a large portion of the fabric of our communities. They also support and contribute to a wide variety of community and charitable endeavors too numerous to list that raise countless funds for the needy. Just off the top of my head, the aforementioned union leaders listed above alone are involved with charitable organizations ranging from the Delaware Vally Stroke Council to The Variety Club, the United Way and the United Cerebral Palsy Foundation, just to name a few.
BOTTOM LINE: In relative obscurity and without seeking the spotlight or pomp and circumstance, union leaders and members throughout Philadelphia have worked tirelessly for years to not only make Philadelphia and vicinity the number one union region in America but to also give back and make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate so that everyone has a shot at the American dream. I wonder if the majority of the general public has any idea of the positive impact the union community has made in the lives of so many? My guess is NO.
WELL IT’S TIME FOR UNIONS TO USE THE SAME PR STRATEGIES AND RESOURCES THAT ARE USED AGAINST US TO LET PEOPLE KNOW WHAT WE ARE ALL ABOUT!!! PEOPLE HELPING PEOPLE!
Sincerely,
Joe Dougherty, Jr.
For PhillyLabor.com
