Tom Cronin recently sent the following letter to some his friends and allies among community and labor leaders in the city. It is worthy of a wide readership among progressives.
As a preface, let me just say that Tom has been one of the most important voices among labor leaders in favor of progressive public policy. And he has done more than anyone else in the labor movement to forge broad coalitions. I’ve worked closely with Tom on a number of issues–especially transit funding, raising the minimum wage, and most recently inclusionary housing. I’ve learned a great deal from him about coalition building and the importance of militancy. More than one one he has encourged us to push our politicians as hard as possible–to the extent of engagining in sit-ins in their offices.
I would say that he will be greatly missed. But, while he won’t be leading DC 47, he is not leaving the city and I look forward to working with him on labor and progressive issues for many years in the future.
Marc
September 14, 2007
Dear Friends:
On September 27th, after 35 years as organizer, local president, council president, and member of the board of the Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia AFL-CIO, I’m retiring. That said, I’d like to take this opportunity to share some thoughts with you about the relationship between unions and community groups and progressive organizations, such as yours. Unions have fought relentlessly to raise the living standards of the working class in this country. Fought, and often won. Union struggles brought about the eight-hour day, the right to organize, minimum wage, various holidays and much, much more. Unions are called unions for the reason that union strength was built on solidarity, the principle that an injury to one is an injury to all. Unity is labor’s strength. Yet, even with its considerable, if diminished, clout, labor rarely prevails by going it alone. Unions are their most effective when reaching out to work with the community, or with like-minded groups and organizations. Broad backing by many groups around goals and programs creates the political consensus and militant spirit that can win big battles, like the fight for civil rights and the struggle against the war in Vietnam, Central America, and Iraq, as well as smaller, local ones, like the struggle to raise the minimum wage in Pennsylvania, establish dedicated funding for mass transit, improved health care for all Philadelphians, and the fight to prevent the Philadelphia city charter from being re-written to benefit political hacks. From its earliest days, District Council 47 built coalitions. We initiated and supported many different struggles in alliance with community organizations and progressive groups. And as long as we’re part of a society that’s inherently unjust, there will be more struggles and we will lead or support them.Today, for instance, there’s an urgent need for labor to take a stand on the issue of affordable and low-cost housing for people of moderate incomes. One out of every four Philadelphians lives in poverty, making this proportionately one of the nation’s poorest cities. Cuts in federal funding to the Philadelphia Housing Authority have resulted in staff layoffs and the final outcome will be fewer housing units for poor people. Meanwhile, the city offers developers of new housing—average unit cost, $500,000 and up—a 10 year tax abatement to lure suburban buyers into Center City and its adjacent neighborhoods. Why is this a union concern? Two reasons. Many of our members are required to live in the city. And like most Philadelphians, they can’t afford half million dollar homes. Secondly, we don’t agree with the “trickle down” idea that if only the needs of the wealthy are served (by subsidizing their housing purchases through tax abatements), all others will eventually see benefit. In fact, it works just the opposite. Tax abatements may help developers sell houses but they also deny the city revenue it needs to fund services. And while officials tout the low crime rate and the population growth of Center City and adjacent districts, it’s war all the time in the city’s poorest neighborhoods, where the availability of cheap handguns has produced the highest murder rate of any big city in America. Don’t the developers who have so richly profited from the city and what it has to offer have some responsibility to Philadelphia? Shouldn’t some of those profits be returned to the community in the form of affordable housing? Housing is just one issue where we’re on the front lines. There are others. If somewhere in this city there’s a community march or protest, you can bet D.C. 47 is there. We’re strong supporters of organizations like Jobs with Justice, Center for Responsible Funding Combined Campaign, the Philadelphia Unemployment Project, just to name a few. We’ve consistently fought for an increase in the minimum wage and for health care for all. We’re one of the few organizations active in the effort to ban cheap handguns. We’re proud to be part of this and I thank you for including us.This union has always been sensitive to the needs of Philadelphia’s communities. That’s why I feel it’s important for people in the community to recognize and support union issues. Think about what unions represent. Aside even from their political impact, union wages and benefits have offered a road out of poverty for countless working people in this country. All working people benefit when unions grow stronger. Victories have been dear in the period of Republican domination of the federal government. But there have been victories. Unions, working class communities and progressive groups and organizations need to continue working together to ensure that there will be more. It’s my hope that that spirit of comradeship and solidarity will persist well into the future.
In Solidarity,
Thomas Paine Cronin, President
AFSCME District Council 47
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