[Song by Pete Seeger / Analysis by JMcQ]

When the union's inspiration through the workers' blood shall run,
There can be no power greater anywhere beneath the sun;
Yet what force on earth is weaker than the feeble strength of one,
But the union makes us strong.

CHORUS:

Solidarity forever,
Solidarity forever,
Solidarity forever,
For the union makes us strong.

Is there aught we hold in common with the greedy parasite,
Who would lash us into serfdom and would crush us with his might?
Is there anything left to us but to organize and fight?
For the union makes us strong.

It is we who plowed the prairies; built the cities where they trade;
Dug the mines and built the workshops, endless miles of railroad laid;
Now we stand outcast and starving midst the wonders we have made;
But the union makes us strong.

All the world that's owned by idle drones is ours and ours alone.
We have laid the wide foundations; built it skyward stone by stone.
It is ours, not to slave in, but to master and to own.
While the union makes us strong.

They have taken untold millions that they never toiled to earn,
But without our brain and muscle not a single wheel can turn.
We can break their haughty power, gain our freedom when we learn
That the union makes us strong.

In our hands is placed a power greater than their hoarded gold,
Greater than the might of armies, magnified a thousand-fold.
We can bring to birth a new world from the ashes of the old
For the union makes us strong.

To be honest, I know little about the unions. It is one of my failings, and something that really should be rectified in the next few years. When one tries to learn some of the history that is obfuscated or downright written out of the history books, it becomes hard to learn about everything topically. Thus, I might have a little inkling of the history of the GLBT movement (only in the United States), but the union movement is something that is nebulous to me, at best.

I first came upon this song when I downloaded a lot of Pete Seeger songs. I think my mother had suggested eir to me, so I decided to queue up a CD or two. Pete Seeger had hit after hit; versions of �If I Had A Hammer�, �Sinking of the Reuben James�, and one of my other favorites, �Little Boxes�. One of the other songs that I downloaded that day was �Solidarity Forever�, the track that you can read lyrics to above. The song is a re-working of the melody for �Battle Hymn of the Republic�, and the song�s writer, Ralph Chaplin, makes the song even more poignant and pride-instilling than the original.

While the idea of a workers� devolution is one that is supported in socialist olphilosophy, the power of the worker is not exclusive to that line of thought. Think about it more basically; the worker is instrumental into creating those things � cars, houses, ready-made food � that every person in society uses. The power exerted by these individuals is tremendous. I am a graduate assistant, and provide my professor with data and information. My power relative to the worker is small, because I could go on strike and individuals could still go on purchasing cars, food, construct houses, and more.

It is true that globalization has decreased the power of the worker for the time being. Workers that get out of line too much or try to coordinate union activity could face being fired or having their positions moved to a country that does not have a problem cracking down on coordinative efforts. That does not mean that the worker is powerless, but that the worker needs to band together with other workers throughout. It is now that the old saying �workers of the world unite� really makes sense.

Individuals that are not in a direct �worker� position can aid those that are workers as well. While it is easier said than done, avoid those places that do not support unionization of their workers (Wal-Mart comes to mine, but undoubtedly, there are other places around that block union formation). Make it a point to be vocal. 100 people that stop shopping at Wal-Mart will not ultimately harm the bottom line of the business, but 100 people that can use their privileged connections (to newspapers, television, other publications, and the like) to put the view out to a wider array may.

Sure, lending support to the worker is not going to be easy as giving support to troops or children with cancer, but it can be done. Provide monetary assistance and relief (clothing, food) to those workers that are on strike. Stage a symbolic protest in support of the workers (again, this can help more when the individuals striking can use the prestige of their positions to get a larger segment of society to notice). When legislation, such as minimum wage laws come to a vote, actually turn out and cast your vote. When proposed changes to the laws are happening, write a letter or call up the local representative. Again, any little bit of effort works, and could change things in a way that is supportive of the world worker.

[JMcQ]