Lessons for the Rebirth of Unionism

Union locals can be fatally hampered by naive optimism and by their own national leaders

book review by Jamie Newman, Free Press contributor

ike any historical account, The Betrayal of Local 14 is a looking glass. In Julius Getman's stirring account of one union local's attempt to stop the assault on jobs, we meet ourselves. We meet our own complacency, our belief in the goodwill of a company, our belief in the justice of federal labor laws. We confront our expectations of national union leadership. We meet our own capacity for betrayal.

This is a story of heroic efforts, of rekindled unionism, workers becoming true brothers and sisters. The papermakers of Local 14 were transformed into old-fashioned unionists who almost won their cause: saving jobs for their sons and daughters. Getman's book is also a story of missed opportunities, a loss of nerve at critical moments, a transformation that was too little and too late. If hindsight is foresight, this book gives every union the chance to reap victory where Local 14 suffered defeat.

Wayne Glenn, was local president of United International Papermakers Union, and had been friends with CEO Bill Gee of International Paper. The union had always enjoyed "good relations" with the company. Then in 1985 a new CEO, John Georges, came in. Within two years International paper demanded that workers take a wage cut, sacrifice hundreds of jobs in the name of Project Productivity, and forego their Christmas holiday. This was the betrayal by the company. When the workers went out on strike, federal law allowed International Paper to hire permanent replacements. This was the betrayal by the law.

What followed was a rank and file that organized heroic efforts. Although the union's national leadership never wanted the strike and gave only the appearance of support, Local 14 was able to mobilize substantive national public support for its cause. Jesse Jackson, Ralph Nader, Jimmy Carter's daughter Amy, and a line of other celebrities stood up for the workers. An alliance with environmentalists coupled with a corporate campaign exposing the environmental threats to the public almost brought International paper to its knees. But not quite. This was the betrayal by the international union.

What we learn from Local 14 is that "almost" isn't good enough. Local 14 was betrayed because it was ripe for betrayal. Early on Local 14 didn't understand the coldness of the company's intention to steal jobs from its sons and duaghters. The local backed down. It decided not to commit acts of civil disobedience because the officers were afraid of being sued and losing their houses. Instead they would lose their union. At critical moments Local 14 withheld action in deference to the national leadership. It counted on support actions of the international union when the workers themsleves could have taken action. And Local 14 lost its nerve. When the strikers had their foot on the neck of International Paper, they took it off.