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THIS PAGE LAST UPDATED 07/26/2005 12:52 PM
Quotes of the moment (updated 7/26/05) Read about Working Heroes--Men and Women Who Shaped America's Labor Movement
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z THE APWU LEADERS Moe Biller William Burrus Donald Foley Moe Lepore Leo Persails THE LABOR LEADERS Harry Bridges Cesar Chavez Eugene V. Debs Elizabeth Gurley Flynn Arthur Joseph Goldberg Samuel Gompers Big Bill Haywood Joe Hill Jimmy Hoffa Mother Jones Lane Kirkland John L. Lewis Peter J. McGuire George Meany Lucy Parsons A. Philip Randolph Walter Reuther Andrew Stern John Sweeney THE PRESIDENTS Thomas Jefferson John F. Kennedy Abraham Lincoln Franklin D. Roosevelt Harry S Truman AND OTHER VOICES Saul Alinsky Lenny Bruce Charles Bukowski Sir Winston Churchill William Clay, Sr. Lou Dobbs Frederick Douglass Albert Einstein Mahatma Gandhi Carl Jung Martin Luther King, Jr. Socrates Lao Tzu NEW additions to the Red Bank Local Collection appear in Red type. Recent additions (2005) appear in Blue type.
On July 25, 2005, the opening day for the AFL-CIO convention in Chicago, The Teamsters and SEIU announced that they were leaving the AFL-CIO because that organization has refused to commit to organizing unorganized workers. In 1955, when the AFL and CIO merged, one in three workers was a Union worker. Today, that number is one in ten. Our goal is not to divide the labor movement but to rebuild it.—Andrew Stern, President SEIU The labor movement belongs to all of us, and our future should not be dictated by the demands of any group or the ambitions of any individuals.—John Sweeney, President AFL-CIO The approach represented by progressive reform organizations like the SEIU represents the future — they grow in size, they have fresh ideas, they understand message in the media age, they connect with the middle class. These groups are on the right side of history.—Democratic strategist Chris Lehane What divides us pales in comparison to what unites us.—US Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA)
If you come only to help me, you can go back home. But if you consider my struggle as part of your struggle for survival, then maybe we can work together.—Aboriginal wise woman When you say fiscal responsibility, it seems to me that you really mean rich people keeping their money.—Alice Adams Any excuse will serve a tyrant.—Aesop Union gives strength.—Aesop I don't mind coming to work -- I just don't want to stay when I get there.—Louis H. Albert To be ignorant of one's ignorance is the malady of the ignorant.—Bronson Alcott Upon the conduct of each depends the fate of all.—Alexander The Great Power goes to two poles -- to those who've got the money and those who've got the people.—Saul Alinsky
No issue can be negotiated unless you first have the clout to compel
negotiation.—Saul
Alinsky Power is not only what you have but what the enemy thinks you have.—Saul Alinsky Tactics mean doing what you can with what you have...tactics is the art of how to take and how to give. —Saul Alinsky The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself.—Saul Alinsky, from his Thirteen Tactical Rules Those who want change must be against sacred cows and not only innately irreverent but outwardly, purposefully irreverent in their actions. They must be iconoclastic bulldozers willing to be regarded as profane spoilers of the sacred myths.—Saul Alinsky The Radical does not sit frozen by cold objectivity. He sees injustice and strikes at it with hot passion.—Saul Alinsky As an organizer I start from where the world is, as it is, not as I would like it to be. That we accept the world as it is does not in any sense weaken our desire to change it into what we believe it should be - it is necessary to begin where the world is if we are going to change it to what we think it should be. That means working in the system.—Saul Alinsky I tell people the hell with charity, the only thing you'll get is what you're strong enough to get.—Saul Alinsky We're talking about revolution, not revelation.—Saul Alinsky Society has good reason to fear the Radical. Every shaking advance of mankind toward equality and justice has come from the Radical. He hits, he hurts, he is dangerous. Conservative interests know that while Liberals are most adept at breaking their own necks with their tongues, Radicals are most adept at breaking the necks of Conservatives.—Saul Alinsky A free and open society is an ongoing conflict, interrupted periodically by compromises.—Saul Alinsky Learn more about this political activist at The Independent Television Service Eighty percent of success is showing up.—Woody Allen More than any other time in history, mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness. The other, to total extinction. Let us pray we have the wisdom to choose correctly.—Woody Allen The lion and the calf shall lie down together, but the calf won't get much sleep.—Woody Allen In my time we was beaten, rotten egged, cussed, threatened, tarred and feathered and blackballed from other jobs. Hurt in so many different ways. But at our meetings our advice to the men and women that was hurt, we would just say to them what the good book says, the Lord will not put more upon you than you can bear, at least none of us lost our lives like some did in the early 30's. Thank God!... —W.M. "Jack" Anderson, first local president, UAW local 645 (TX) One of these days you'll see the light and we'll have the union in. Just a matter of time.—W.M. "Jack" Anderson, first local president, UAW local 645 (TX) If nothing we do matters...then all that matters is what we do. Cause that's all there is. What we do now. Today. The smallest act of kindness is the greatest thing in the world.—Angel (TV series Angel, from the episode "Epiphany") Just because we've tried to kill or corrupt each and every one of you at one time or another...doesn't mean we can't be trusted.—Lilah Morgan, of the law firm Wolfram and Hart (TV series Angel, from the episode "Home") We'll hold this line until Hell freezes over -- Then we'll hold it on ice skates.—Anonymous, picket sign At critical times the authorities always claim they have no authority.—Anonymous Automation has opened up for thousands of skilled employees a whole new world of unemployment.—Anonymous Automation may be a good thing, but don't forget that it began with Frankenstein.—Anonymous Pay attention to your enemies, for they are the first to discover your mistakes.— Antisthenes
I can be a patient man with stupidity, but not with those who are proud of it.—Ed Asner, Postal Press Association Conference, 8/2/03 I will always have enough money to last the rest of my life...as long as I don't buy anything.—Ed Asner, Postal Press Association Conference, 8/2/03
Whenever you fall, pick up something.—Theodore Avery (attributed) Knowledge is power.—Sir Francis Bacon NAFTA and GATT have about as much to do with free trade as the Patriot Act has to do with liberty.—Michael Badnarik, Libertarian Presidential candidate In Unity there is strength; We can move mountains when we're united and enjoy life --Without unity we are victims. Stay united.—Bill Bailey Silence never won rights. They are not handed down from above; they are forced by pressures from below.—Roger Baldwin Sometimes the law defends plunder and participates in it. Sometimes the law places the whole apparatus of judges, police, prisons and gendarmes at the service of the plunderers, and treats the victim -- when he defends himself -- as a criminal.—Frederic Bastiat, "The Law" Every year, the compensation representatives at the various plants were instructed to compute and estimate the Workmen's Compensation costs for the plant for the coming year and we had to turn those estimates in to the accountants for the corporation. The safety personnel at the plant did the same. They computed their costs...then it was just a question of the corporation deciding which was cheaper, to take some injuries, take some deaths, pay some Workmen's Compensation or spend a lot of money and make it safe.—Daniel M. Berman Most Americans believe that there is a law that protects them from being fired for 'no cause.' But they're wrong. When entering the workplace, citizens are transformed into employees who leave their rights at the door.—Elaine Bernard The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed.—Steven Biko
I've often said that if you could
awaken all the martyrs in history and ask them if they It is time that the USPS realized APWU is a stand-up union. We will not back away from our determination to achieve justice and dignity for all the Postal Workers we represent.—Moe Biller, President, American Postal Workers Union, 1982 Giving private delivery firms access to mail boxes would lead to a glut of unwanted materials and destroy the security and sanctity of the mail.—Moe Biller, President, American Postal Workers Union, 1996 There will be no waiver granted by the APWU to the Postal Service to increase the use and number of casuals at the national or local level.—Moe Biller, President, American Postal Workers Union, 1997 Learn more about this Labor Leader at APWU.ORG (pdf) When a man says he approves of something in principle, it means he hasn't the slightest intention of putting it in practice.—Bismarck Wherever you are, there are people who are greedy and will take advantage of their workers.—Jim Blau, SEIU Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.—Arthur Bloch We are not complaining about the work. We want to see our hard work reflected in our pay.—Emmett J. Bogdon, President NALC Branch #116 (IN) The marvel of all history is the patience with which men and women submit to burdens unnecessarily laid upon them by their government.—William E. Borah True wisdom lies in gathering the precious things out of each day as it goes by.—E.S. Bouton Ways may some day be developed by which the government, without removing papers from secret drawers, can reproduce them in court, and by which it will be enabled to expose to a jury the most intimate occurrences of the home. —Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, 1928 We can either have democracy in this country or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both.—Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis The best of wages will not compensate for excessively long working hours which undermine heath.—Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis Yes, it is bread we fight for--but we fight for roses too.—"Bread and Roses," a strike poem
I'm a working stiff. I just happened to be around at the right time and nobody else wanted the job.—Harry Bridges, President of the ILWU (Longshoremen) for 40 years The most important word in the language of the working class is "solidarity."—Harry Bridges Why should we take it upon ourselves to pick up the pieces after industry discards people for machines? Isn't it about time unions got in there before the fact to insist that there must be some obligation to people in all this?—Harry Bridges It is a good union policy that officers shouldn't earn so much that they drift away from the members.—Harry Bridges Labor can not stand still. It must not retreat. It must go on, or go under.—Harry Bridges Interfere with the foreign policy of the country?....Sure as hell! That's our job, that's our privilege, that's our right, that's our duty.—Harry Bridges I would have worked with the devil himself if he'd been for the six hour day and worker control of the hiring hall.—Harry Bridges Learn more about this Labor Leader at The Harry Bridges Project Show me a guy who’s afraid to look bad, and I’ll show you a guy you can beat every time.—Lou Brock, baseball player Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?—Robert Browning
I didn't do it, man, I only said it.—Lenny Bruce, comedian Now the problem I had in understanding the law was because of the language of the law. Instead of taking each word and finding out the case that the word related to, once in a while I got lazy and I would apply common sense. And then I got really screwed up.—Lenny Bruce, comedian The quality of employees will be directly proportional to the quality of life you maintain for them.—Charles E. Bryan You may be sure that in this "new international system," the American citizen will count for precious little.—Pat Buchanan, 1993 Where are the jobs? Have they come and gone? To China. Or maybe to India? When we find those infamous weapons of mass destruction, will we also find the missing jobs?—R.T. Buffenbarger, IAM, September 20, 2004 At the moment, we have leaders in this country who care more about the short-term profits of big corporations than they do about the long-term well being of the average working man and woman.—R.T. Buffenbarger, IAM, September 20, 2004
Genius might be the ability to say a profound thing in a simple way.—Charles Bukowski, poet and postal worker, author of Post Office We are here to unlearn the teachings of the church, state and our education system. We are here to drink beer. We are here to kill war. We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us.—Charles Bukowski, poet and postal worker, author of Post Office Before you kill something make sure you have something better to replace it with...—Charles Bukowski, poet and postal worker, author of Post Office
[T]he most memorable concern of mankind
is the guts it takes to face the sunlight again.—Charles Bukowski,
poet and postal worker, author of Post Office Learn more about this beat-generation poet and former Postal Worker at Charles Bukowski - The Great Poet If we continue to buy imports...where will our children work?—bumper sticker All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.—Edmund Burke (attributed) All government, indeed every human benefit and enjoyment, every virtue, and every prudent act, is founded on compromise and barter.—Edmund Burke
You can not negotiate
with the turkey over what day Thanksgiving is.
Whether it is Thursday or Friday, the turkey is the victim. And WE will
NOT be victimized!—APWU President William Burrus, Postal Press
Association Conference, 8/2/03
A pig with lipstick is still a pig.—William Burrus, 1998 The role of a labor union is to ensure that the balance is not tipped in favor of the employer when employees do not receive wages and benefits commensurate with their contribution.—William Burrus Three hundred and seventy-five thousand postal employees are
deserving of Tell them that the APWU is united and strong. Here we are, and we are prepared to fight.—APWU President William Burrus Labor will remain united and continue to work to protect the interests of America’s working families.—William Burrus, November 2004 Read more about this Labor Leader at APWU.ORGToo often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.—Leo Buscaglia America is more than a geographical location. It is an inspirational dream of freedom.—Melinda Buskirk, steward (WV) APWU The history of America has been largely created by the deeds of its working people and their organizations--there is scarcely an issue that is not influenced by labor’s organized efforts or lack of them.— William Cahn, Labor historian If you try to fail, and succeed, which have you done?— George Carlin, comedian The Union is not a fee-for-service organization, it is a family.—Sue Carney, APWU Director of Human Relations Every advance in this half-century--Social Security, civil rights, Medicare, aid to education, one after another--came with the support and leadership of American Labor.—Jimmy Carter Diplomacy is saying 'nice doggy' until you find a rock.—Wyn Catlin Management doesn't seem to understand the importance of the human factor.— Charles, Prince of Wales The fight is never about grapes or lettuce. It is always about people.— Cesar Chavez
You are never strong enough that you don't need help.— Cesar Chavez Because we have suffered, and we are not afraid to suffer in order to survive, we are ready to give up everything -- even our lives -- in our struggle for justice.— Cesar Chavez We draw our strength from the very despair in which we have been forced to live. We shall endure.— Cesar Chavez When a man or woman, young, or old, takes a place on the picket line for even a day or two, he will never be the same again.— Cesar Chavez Learn more about this Labor Leader at The Cesar E. Chavez Foundation Those who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it. —Chinese Proverb When morality comes up against profit, it is seldom that profit loses.— Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm Labor Unions are the leading force for democratization and progress.—Noam Chomsky Workers and their families may starve to death in the New World Order of economic rationality, but diamond necklaces are cheaper in elegant New York shops, thanks to the miracle of the market.—Noam Chomsky Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never--in nothing,
great or small, large or petty--never give in except to convictions of honor and
good sense.—Sir Winston Churchill We will have no truce or parley with you, or the grisly gang who work your wicked will. You do your worst--and we will do our best.—Sir Winston Churchill When you have to kill a man, it costs nothing to be polite.—Sir Winston Churchill Perhaps it is better to be irresponsible and right than to be responsible and wrong.—Sir Winston Churchill The only thing workers have to bargain with is their skill or their labor. Denied the right to withhold it as a last resort, they become powerless. The strike is therefore not a breakdown of collective bargaining-it is the indispensable cornerstone of that process.— Paul Clark, 1989 If you ever saw a cat and a dog eating out of the same plate, you can bet
your ass it was the cat’s food.— Congressman William Clay If you object to unfair treatment, you're an ingrate. If you seek equity and fair consideration, you're uppity. If you demand union security, you're un-American. If you rebel against repressive management tactics, they will lynch and scalp you. But if you are passive and patient, they will take advantage of both.— Congressman William Clay, Sr., speaking to the AFL-CIO Federation of Government Employees, 1975 You must start with the premise that you have no permanent friends, no permanent enemies, just permanent interests.— Congressman William Clay, Sr. I have no intention of representing those powerful interests who walk over powerless people.— Congressman William Clay, Sr. You're either part of the solution or part of the problem.—Eldridge Cleaver The tendency of taxation is to create a class of persons who do not labor, to take from those who do labor the produce of that labor, and to give it to those who do not labor.—William Cobbett I have found some of the best reasons I ever had for remaining at the bottom simply by looking at the men at the top.—Frank Moore Colby The superior person understands rightness; the inferior person understands profit.— Confucius Members will hear me say repeatedly words are important; deeds are a reality.—US Senator Jon Corzine (D-NJ) What's so funny about peace, love, and understanding?—Elvis Costello, singer/songwriter Too many people live their life by a clock instead of a compass.—Stephen Covey, author (1/6/05) Be a light, not a judge; Be a model, not a critic.—Stephen Covey, author Knowledge dwells in heads replete with thoughts of other men; wisdom in minds attentive to their own.— William CowperPlato told Aristotle no one should make more than five times the pay of the lowest member of society. J.P. Morgan said 20 times. Jesus advocated a negative differential -- that's why they killed him.—Graef Crystal (1998) The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance; which condition if he break, servitude is at once the consequence of his crime and the punishment of his guilt.— John Philpot Curran One never notices what has been done; one can only see what remains to be done.—Marie Currie With all their faults, trade unions have done more for humanity than any other organization of men that ever existed. They have done more for decency, for honesty, for education, for the betterment of the race, for the developing of character in men, than any other association of men.— Clarence Darrow There is no such thing as the open shop, really. There is a union shop and a nonunion shop. Everybody that believes in the open shop disbelieves in the union shop, whatever they say.— Clarence Darrow Wherever men have looked upward and onward, worked for the poor and the week, they have been sacrificed.— Clarence Darrow I love those who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but they whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves their conduct, will pursue their principles unto death.— Leonardo da Vinci Nothing strengthens authority as much as silence.— Leonardo da Vinci
The most heroic word in all languages is revolution.—Eugene V. Debs There is certainly...something wrong in that form of unionism whose leaders are the lieutenants of capitalism.—Eugene V. Debs While there is a lower class I am in it, while there is a criminal element I am of it; while there is a soul in prison, I am not free.—Eugene V. Debs You have got to unite in the same labor union and in the same political party and strike and vote together, and the hour you do that, the world is yours.—Eugene V. Debs What can Labor do for itself? The answer is not difficult. Labor can organize, it can unify; it can consolidate its forces. This done, it can demand and command.—Eugene V. Debs Learn more about this Labor Leader at The Eugene V. Debs Foundation Watch out for the fellow who talks about putting things in order! Putting things in order always means getting other people under your control.— Denis Diderot If CEOs insist that middle
class Americans compete with cheap foreign labor, why not outsource the jobs of
CEOs? If business is all about cost, they should be the first to When was the last time you heard of a CEO's job being outsourced? It just doesn't happen.— Lou Dobbs, CNN financial correspondent and author of Exporting America (12/2/04) The fact is whether one looks at this [outsourcing] in terms of men and women, working men and women in this country who are simply being screwed, or whether one looks at this in terms of corporations who are benefiting, the fact is it is certainly not helping the American economy.— Lou Dobbs, CNN financial correspondent and author of Exporting America (5/22/03) I am pro-business, not pro-stupidity.— Lou Dobbs, CNN financial correspondent and author of Exporting America (12/2/04) Labor Day is a glorious holiday because your child will be going back to school the next day. It would have been called Independence Day, but that name was already taken.—Bill Dodds The only effective answer to organized greed is organized labor.—Thomas Donahue As nightfall does not come at once, neither does oppression. In both instances, there's a twilight where everything remains seemingly unchanged, and it is in such twilight that we must be aware of change in the air, however slight, lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness.— William O. Douglas The way to combat noxious ideas is with other ideas. The way to combat falsehoods is with truth.— William O. Douglas Fear of ideas makes us impotent and ineffective.— William O. Douglas
Power concedes nothing without a demand; it never has and it never will.—Frederick Douglass People might not get all that they work for in this world, but they must certainly work for all that they get.—Frederick Douglass If there is no struggle, there is no progress.—Frederick Douglass The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.—Frederick Douglass So much of what we call management consists in making it difficult for people to work.— Peter Drucker Business knows no pity, and cares for justice only when justice is seen to be better policy. If it had power to control the elements, it would grasp in its iron clutches the waters, sunshine and air and resell them by measure, and at exorbitant prices to the millions of famished men, women and children.—W.A. Duncan, in the Cherokee Advocate, 1892 The revolution starts now.—Steve Earle, singer/songwriter History teaches us that men and nations behave wisely once they have exhausted all other alternatives.—Abba Eban There ain't no rules around here. We're trying to accomplish something.—Thomas Edison Labor rights are as fundamental as human rights and the job of a democratic country is to protect both.—Tony Ehreneich, regional secretary of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU)
Imagination is more important than knowledge.—Albert Einstein It is appallingly obvious our technology has exceeded our humanity.—Albert Einstein Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.—Albert Einstein Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved through understanding.—Albert Einstein Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction.—Albert Einstein Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.—Albert Einstein Today in America, unions have a secure place in our industrial life. Only a handful of reactionaries harbor the ugly thought of breaking unions and depriving working men and women of the right to join the union of their choice. I have no use for those -- regardless of their political party -- who hold some vain and foolish dream of spinning the clock back to days when organized labor was huddled, almost as a hapless mass. Only a fool would try to deprive working men and women of the right to join the union of their choice.—Dwight D. Eisenhower Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed; those who are cold and are not clothed.—Dwight D. Eisenhower To the fervent proponents of ruthless corporate capitalism I say: make a millionaire CEO live as a poor sweatshop worker in Indonesia for one month and then ask him about the merits of the world economic system.—Vassilis Epaminondou When spiders unite, they can tie down a lion.—Ethiopian Proverb If the workers of the world want to win, all they have to do is recognize their own solidarity. They have nothing to do but fold their arms and the world will stop. The workers are more powerful with their hands in their pockets than all the property of the capitalists. . . .—Joseph Ettor, IWW organizer As machines become more and more efficient and perfect, so it will become clear that imperfection is the greatness of man.—Ernst Fischer
What is a labour victory? I maintain that it is a twofold thing.
Workers must gain economic advantage, but they must also gain revolutionary
spirit, in order to achieve a complete victory. For
There is less violence against labor today, but there are more legal restrictions... There has been labor protection by law but there has also been labor repression by law.—Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, 1962
I'm in the labor movement and I
speak my own piece. —Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, 1906, as a 16 year-old
radical
They did not believe in making any contracts. They believed that as long as you were organized, you could hold the office to what it said it was going to do. But a contract, a piece of paper held you and so they didn't make any contracts.—Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, 1962, on the philosophy of the IWW We couldn't see things with the eyes of 1962. We saw them with the eyes of 1905 through about 1917. Well, we certainly never heard of such a thing and we never thought it would be possible, that there would be social security or unemployment insurance... Also, we never heard of vacations with pay. We never heard of vacations, let alone vacations with pay. We never heard of seniority as it is understood today. There were no pensions for retirement of workers.—Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, 1962 History has a long-range perspective. It ultimately passes stern judgment on tyrants and vindicates those who fought, suffered, were imprisoned, and died for human freedom, against political oppression and economic slavery.—Elizabeth Gurley Flynn Why did good hard-working people suffer so? Why were men who were willing, able, and anxious to work, denied jobs? Why was there so much unemployment? Why were there rich people who apparently did little but enjoyed life?—Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, 1952 I hated poverty. I was determined to do something about the bad conditions under which our family and all around us suffered. I have stuck to that purpose for 46 years. I consider in so doing I have been a good American. I have spent my life among the American workers all over this country, slept in their homes, eaten at their tables. They are the majority of the people who have the inalienable right in our view to govern the country.—Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, 1952 Learn more about this Labor Leader at PBS: Elizabeth Gurley Flynn
It is always
somewhat perplexing and sometimes shocking to hear, from respected Win by persuasion when possible. Beat them at the table when necessary. And give 'em hell generally.—Donald L. Foley, APWU National Business Agent [W]hat this Union needs is more union workers and fewer union bosses.—Donald L. Foley, APWU National Business Agent (posting on 21st Century Postal Worker) It is not the employer who pays the wages-he only handles the money. It is the product that pays the wages.—Henry Ford Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.—Henry Ford People have power when other people think they have power.—Wyche Fowler How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.—Anne Frank We must indeed all hang together, or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.—Benjamin Franklin, July 4, 1776 They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.—Benjamin Franklin Clearly the most unfortunate people are those who must do the same thing over and over again, every minute, or perhaps twenty to the minute. They deserve the shortest hours and the highest pay.—John Kenneth Galbraith, American economist The topdog may win the game of force. But not the moral issue - and when that dawns upon him and his allies, change of consciousness sets in, and demoralization starts thawing the frozen heart. The game is over.—Dr. Johan Galtung There are two kinds of people, those who do the work and those who take the credit. Try to be in the first group; there is less competition there.—Indira Gandhi You must be the change you wish to see in the world.—Mahatma Gandhi
We must always seek to ally ourselves with that part of the enemy that knows what is right.—Mahatma Gandhi The future depends on what we do in the present.—Mahatma Gandhi There's enough on this planet for everyone's needs, but not for everyone's greed.—Mahatma Gandhi An excellent plumber is infinitely more admirable than an incompetent philosopher….the society that scorns excellence in plumbing because plumbing is a humble activity and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because it is exalted activity….will have neither good plumbing or good philosophy….neither its pipes or its theories will hold water.— John Gardner Poorly paid labor is inefficient labor, the world over.—Henry George That alone is wise which is just; that alone is enduring which is right.—Henry George It is difficult to go on strike if there is no work in the first place.—Lord George-Brown When people ask me, "Why can't labor organize the way it did in the thirties?' the answer is simple: everything we did then is now illegal.— Thomas Geoghegan Don't work jobs that you hate to buy things you don't need.—Otis Gibbs (from the song "Jesus On The Couch") Civil liberties victories never stay won, but must be fought for over and over again.— Ira Glasser Things that matter most must never be at the mercy of things that matter least.—Goethe Anything you dream you can do--BEGIN IT. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.—Goethe
“Equal Justice Under The Law.” That is
a great goal. But that goal has not been realized.—Arthur
Joseph Goldberg Learn more about this Labor Leader and Supreme Court Justice at The AFL-CIO WebsiteIf you pay peanuts, you get monkeys. —James GoldsmithYou can't do it unless you organize.—Samuel Gompers Do I believe in arbitration? I do. But not in
arbitration between the lion and the lamb, in which the lamb is in the morning
found inside the lion. I believe in arbitration between two lions or two lambs.
When a man puts a pistol to my head and tells me to deliver, there is no
arbitration. There can be arbitration only between equals. Let us organize:
then we will stand on an equal footing with the employers.—Samuel Gompers It is impossible for capitalists and laborers to have common interests.—Samuel Gompers The man who has his millions will want everything he can lay his hands on and then raise his voice against the poor devil who wants ten cents more a day. . . . We do want more, and when it becomes more, we shall still want more. And we shall never cease to demand more until we have received the results of our labor.—Samuel Gompers What does labor want? We want more schoolhouses and less jails; more books and less arsenals; more learning and less vice; more leisure and less greed; more justice and less revenge; in fact, more of the opportunities to cultivate our better natures, to make manhood more noble, womanhood more beautiful, and childhood more happy and bright.—Samuel Gompers No race of barbarians ever existed yet offered up children for money.—Samuel Gompers, on child labor Our movement is of the working people, for the working people, by the working people. . . . There is not a right too long denied to which we do not aspire in order to achieve; there is not a wrong too long endured that we are not determined to abolish.—Samuel Gompers Time is the most valuable thing on earth: time to think, time to act, time to extend our fraternal relations, time to become better men, time to become better women, time to become better and more independent citizens.—Samuel Gompers, on the 8 hour work day Labor Day differs in every essential from other holidays of the year in any country. All other holidays are in a more or less degree connected with conflict and battles of man's prowess over man, of strife and discord for greed and power, of glories achieved by one nation over another. Labor Day is devoted to no man, living or dead, to no sect, race or nation.—Samuel Gompers Where trade unions are most firmly organized, there are the rights of the people most respected.—Samuel Gompers Learn more about this Labor Leader at The Samuel Gompers Papers Never forget, people DIED for the eight hour workday.—Rebecca Gordon I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.—Edward E. Hale Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women; when it dies there, no constitution, no law, no court can save it; no constitution, no law, no court can even do much to help it.—Judge Learned Hand I pity the man who wants a coat so cheap that the man or woman who produces the cloth will starve in the process.—Benjamin Harrison The ongoing fight for justice does not end on an American factory floor. It extends to many regions of the world. We are all exploited by these global companies, by globalization.—Ed Havaich, GE worker and Union member Every dollar that the boss did not work for, one of us worked for a dollar and didn't get it.—William Dudley "Big Bill" Haywood I haven't read Marx's Capital but I've got the marks of capital all over my body.—William Dudley "Big Bill" Haywood
Fellow Workers, this is the
Continental Congress of the Working Class. We are here to confederate the
workers of this country into a working-class movement in possession of the
economic powers, the means of life, in control of the machinery of production
and distribution without regard to capitalist masters.—William
Dudley "Big Bill" Haywood Eight hours of work, eight hours of play, eight hours of sleep-- eight hours a day!—William Dudley "Big Bill" Haywood You ask me why the IWW is not patriotic to the United States. If you were a bum without a blanket; if you had left your wife and kids when you went west for a job, and had never located them since; if your job had never kept you long enough in a place to qualify to vote; if you slept in a lousy, sour bunkhouse, and ate food just as rotten as they could give you and get by with it; if deputy sheriffs shot your cooking cans full of holes and spilled your grub on the ground; if your wages were lowered on you when the bosses thought they had you down...if every person who represented law and order and the nation beat you up, railroaded you to jail, and the good Christian people cheered and told them to go to it, how in hell do you expect a man to be patriotic? This war is a businessman's war and we don't see why we should go out and get shot in order to save the lovely state of affairs that we now enjoy.—William Dudley "Big Bill" Haywood, on IWW neutrality and opposition to World War I If the workers are organized, all they have to do is to put their hands in their pockets and they have got the capitalist class whipped.—William Dudley "Big Bill" Haywood I want political action that counts. I want a working class that can hold an election every day if they want to.—William Dudley "Big Bill" Haywood A strike is an incipient revolution. Many large revolutions have grown out of a small strike.—William Dudley "Big Bill" Haywood Learn more about this Labor Leader at PBS: Faces of Protest When Reagan and Bush were running in 1980, they said, "We're going to get American industry moving again." And they did--to Taiwan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia--everywhere except here.—Jim Hightower, columnist and commentator Don't mourn for me--ORGANIZE!—Joe Hill Work and pray, Live on hay; You'll get pie in the sky when you die.—Joe Hill
I'm not afraid of death, but I'd like to be in the fight a little longer.—Joe Hill (attributed) In this queer world as everyone knows. I have nothing to say for myself, only that I have always tried to make this earth a little bit better.—Joe Hill Learn more about this Labor Leader at PBS: Joe Hill What is hateful to you, do not do to another. That is the whole of the Law, all else is commentary.—Rabbi Hillel We want a better America, an America that will give its citizens, first of all, a higher and higher standard of living so that no child will cry for food in the midst of plenty.—Sidney Hillman Make a habit of two things--to help, or at least, to do no harm.—Hippocrates Time is that wherein there is opportunity, and opportunity is that wherein there is no great time.—Hippocrates Prayer indeed is good, but while calling on the gods a man should himself lend a hand.—Hippocrates
No lawyer should ever excite his employer that he has found a new way to beat a Union. Because it doesn't work.— Jimmy Hoffa Those who seek to destroy us will be properly advertised to our members and our friends, to try and convince the working people of the communities...what they gained across the table, they will lose by the stroke of a pen.— Jimmy Hoffa, on the need for political action I may have my faults, but being wrong ain't one of them.— Jimmy Hoffa (attributed) Run from a knife and rush a gun.— Jimmy Hoffa (attributed) There is a time to be tough, a time to be adamant, a time to be open to compromise, and a time to reach agreement.— Jimmy Hoffa Don’t let any man into your cab, your home, or your heart, unless he’s a friend of labor.— Jimmy Hoffa (attributed) Learn more about this Labor Leader at Wikipedia A grievance is most poignant when almost redressed.—Eric Hoffer You can discover what your enemy fears most by observing the means he uses to frighten you.—Eric Hoffer It is the province of knowledge to speak and it is the privilege of wisdom to listen.—Oliver Wendell Holmes In present conditions a workman may not unnaturally believe that only by belonging to a union can he secure a contract that shall be fair to him....If that belief, whether right or wrong, may be held by a reasonable man, it seems to me that it may be enforced by law in order to establish the equality of position...in which liberty of contract begins.—Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. God give me work, till my life shall end. And life, till my work is done.—Winifred Holtby We are all here because we want to serve our brothers and sisters, and each individual should be given a constant opportunity to do that in the ways that will best benefit the Union as a whole.— Peter Holter-Mehren, WAPWU President (2002) Oh! God! That bread should be so dear, and flesh and blood so cheap!—Thomas Hood Seize the day!—Horace From the social point of view, the educational systems are oriented to maintaining the existing social and economic structures instead of transforming them.—Wilhelm von Humboldt Instead of proving to be "labor saving devices," our machines create more work for more of us to do! Instead of the "problem" of leisure, we face an array of problems caused by overwork; families that erode because we have less time to be at home, troubled and troubling young people who share little or no time with adults, anemic communities bled dry of the people's time, their life's blood, and institutions that focus solely on teaching people how to work rather than how to live together freely.—Benjamin Kline Hunnicutt The mountain rests on the earth: the image of splitting apart. Thus those above can insure their position only by giving generously to those below.—I Ching (The Book of Changes) Man must choose whether to be rich in things or in the freedom to use them.—Ivan Illich If the vote could do you any good, they would make it illegal!—Industrial Unionist slogan Every man is dishonest who lives upon the labor of others, no matter if he occupies a throne.— Robert Green Ingersoll This is my creed: Happiness is the only good; reason the only torch; justice the only worship, humanity the only religion, and love the only priest.— Robert Green Ingersoll I have come to regard the law courts not as a cathedral but rather as a casino.—Richard Ingrams Although it is true that only about 20 percent of American workers are in unions, that 20 percent sets the standards across the board in salaries, benefits and working conditions. If you are making a decent salary in a non-union company, you owe that to the unions. One thing that corporations do not do is give out money out of the goodness of their hearts.—Molly Ivins One man with courage makes a majority.—Andrew Jackson It's no use trying to be clever--we are all clever here; just try to be kind--a little kind.—F.J. Foakes Jackson The home is the most effective place to preach the gospel of unionism.— Charles E. James, African-American Union leader, 1905 I am convinced that if the members of labor organizations would follow some of the tactics of the employers organizations their movement could more successfully withstand its opponents and to progress as it has in the past. But if we are to be successful we must have, above all things, more loyalty and less selfishness.— Charles E. James, African-American Union leader, 1907 Learn more about this Labor Leader at Workday Minnesota
A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned -- this is the sum of good government.—Thomas Jefferson A little rebellion now and then is a good thing.—Thomas Jefferson Each of us has the power to be good or to be evil. That choice is yours and yours alone. The tragedy of our world is not that so many have chosen to be evil, but that so few have made any choice at all. —Martin Johns, Red Bank Local, APWU 
The least powerful person in the country, understanding collective bargaining, can become the most powerful, and that is what politics is all about.—Nellie Stone Johnson I'm not going to quit. There is too much to do. People need jobs, equality, education. We still need to organize to learn how the economics and politics drive everything in life. Can't stop now.—Nellie Stone Johnson, at the age of 90 in 1995 Learn more about this Labor and Civil Rights Leader at Workday Minnesota There are no problems we cannot solve together, and very few that we can solve alone.—Lyndon Baines Johnson A bad day at work is better than a good day in hell.—Scott Johnson My friends, it is solidarity of labor we want. We do not want to find fault with each other, but to solidify our forces and say to each other: “We must be together; our masters are joined together and we must do the same thing.”—Mother Jones, 1902 Pray for the dead, and fight like hell for the living.—Mother Jones I know that there are no limits to which the powers of privilege will not go to keep the workers in slavery.—Mother Jones
The governor can stop a strike any time. If I were the governor I would stop a strike by simply saying, "These men have a grievance and demand redress from you. Come and discuss these questions with the miners on the fair soil of America like intelligent, law-abiding citizens. If you refuse I will close up your mines. I will have the state operate mines for the benefit of the nation." It is not right for public officials to bring scabs and gunmen into any state. I am directly opposed to it myself, but if it is a question of strike or you go into slavery, then I say strike until the last one of us drop into our graves.—Mother Jones, 1913 On their side the workers had only the constitution. The other side had bayonets.—Mother Jones If they want to hang me, let them! And on the scaffold I will shout 'Freedom for the working class!' And when I meet God Almighty I will tell him to damn my accusers and the accusers of the working class!—Mother Jones I learned in the early part of my career that labor must bear the cross for others' sins, must be the vicarious sufferer for the wrongs that others do.—Mother Jones The producer, not the meek, shall inherit the earth. Not today perhaps, nor tomorrow, but over the rim of the years my old eyes can see the coming of another day.—Mother Jones, at the age of 93 (1923) The labor movement was not originated by man. The labor movement, my friends, was a command from God Almighty.—Mother Jones The next generation will not charge us for what we've done; they will charge and condemn us for what we have left undone.—Mother Jones I'm not a humanitarian, I'm a hell-raiser.—Mother Jones I asked a man in prison once how he happened to be there and he said he had stolen a pair of shoes. I told him if he had stolen a railroad he would be a United States Senator.—Mother Jones Learn more about this Labor Leader at The Illinois Labor History Society Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.... —Michael Jordan
We should not pretend to understand the world only by intellect; we apprehend it just as much by feeling.—Carl Jung (Psychological Types) Every individual is an exception to the rule.—Carl Jung (Psychological Types) The question is: How does a person react to an obstacle?—Carl Jung (Psychological Types) The healthy man does not torture others -- generally it is the tortured who turn into torturers.—Carl Jung The next time you wonder what the union does for you, take a look at the car you drive, the house you own, the standard of living you have, and realize that the union got these for you and that management is hell bent on driving your standard of living into the ground.—Tom Kelly, Local President (VT) APWU No one who works for a living should live in poverty. —Senator Edward KennedyBe patient. It may take thirty years, but sooner or later they'll listen to you, and in the meantime, keep kicking ass.—Florynce R. Kennedy
The American Labor Movement has consistently demonstrated its devotion to
the public interest. It is, and has been, good for all America.—John F.
Kennedy Our labor unions are not narrow, self-seeking groups. They have raised wages, shortened hours, and provided supplemental benefits. Through collective bargaining and grievance procedures, they have brought justice and democracy to the shop floor.—John F. Kennedy Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.—John F. Kennedy If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.—John F. Kennedy One man can make a difference, and every man should try.—John F. Kennedy Man is still the most extraordinary computer of all.—John F. Kennedy And when at some future date the high court of history sits in judgment on each of us, recording whether in our brief span of service we fulfilled our responsibilities to the state, our success or failure, in whatever office we hold, will be measured by the answers to four questions: First, were we truly men of courage... Second, were we truly men of judgment... Third, were we truly men of integrity... Finally, were we truly men of dedication?—John F. Kennedy, 1961 It's better to be a lion for a day than a sheep all your life.—Elizabeth Kenny We must learn to live together as brothers or we are going to perish together as fools.— Martin Luther King, Jr. If a man hasn't discovered something that he would
die for, he isn't fit to live.—
Martin Luther King, Jr. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.— Martin Luther King, Jr. In our glorious fight for civil rights, we must guard against being fooled by false slogans, as 'right-to-work.' It provides no 'rights' and no 'works.' Its purpose is to destroy labor unions and the freedom of collective bargaining... We demand this fraud be stopped.— Martin Luther King, Jr. In our society it is murder, psychologically, to deprive a man of a job or an income. You are in substance saying to that man that he has no right to exist. You are in a real way depriving him of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, denying in his case the very creed of his society.— Martin Luther King, Jr. What good does it do to sit at the counter when you cannot afford a hamburger?— Martin Luther King, Jr. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.— Martin Luther King, Jr. The time is always right to do what is right.— Martin Luther King, Jr. Learn more about this Civil Rights Leader at The King Center More men are killed by overwork than the importance of the world justifies.—Rudyard Kipling
If hard work were such a wonderful thing, surely the rich would have kept it all to themselves.— Lane Kirkland Don't believe that winning is really everything. It's more important to stand for something. If you don't stand for something, what do you win?— Lane Kirkland Millions of courageous and steadfast working people -- encouraged by President Roosevelt -- stuck their necks out for their unions, built their ladder into the middle class, and created a market that became the envy and target of the world. I would suggest that the benefits of this struggle have flowed not only to working people but to the corporate enterprises that have flourished in that market.— Lane Kirkland Never get into an argument with people who buy printing ink by the barrel.— Lane Kirkland We have come too far, -- struggled too long, -- sacrificed too much and have too much left to do, -- to allow that which we have achieved for the good of all to be swept away without a fight. And we have not forgotten how to fight.— Lane Kirkland Learn more about this Labor Leader at The AFL-CIO Website An injury to one is the concern of all.—Slogan of The Knights of Labor, circa 1880's Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don't recognize them.— Ann LandersIf all the cars in the United States were placed end to end, it would probably be Labor Day Weekend.—Douglas Larson The drop of rain maketh a hole in the stone, not by violence, but by oft falling.— Hugh Latimer Better to starve fighting than to starve working.— A slogan of the Lawrence, Massachusetts strike of 1912 All men dream: But not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: But the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, to make it possible.— T.E. LawrenceOn the Plains of Hesitation, bleach the bones of countless millions who, at the dawn of victory, sat down to wait, and waiting, died.—William A. Lawrence If nobody quits until I do, there will be no quitting!— UMWA organizer John R. Lawson The difference between a smart man and a wise one is this: A smart man can work his way out of a difficulty that the wise man will not get into in the first place.— Saul LiebermanA working class hero is something to be.—John Lennon 
Personally, I look forward to continuing the fight for justice and equality on the workroom floor. APWU will never NEVER allow [the] heinous thinking by management to continue without a battle. It's an atrocity which must be and will be stamped out. We are American workers and, most importantly, we are human beings!—Moe Lepore, Boston Metro Area Local APWU (1985) How lucky am I?—Moe Lepore, President Boston Metro Area Local APWU Our America is under siege. Everywhere we look labor is being attacked and, to our chagrin, so are our Veterans, elderly and disenfranchised. There should be outrage from one and all. This is OUR America, isn't it? DAMN RIGHT!—Moe Lepore, President Boston Metro Area Local APWU (2003) Labor needs to stand up and take America back for the people. We need solidarity. And its got to go on today. Let's put our stamp on this country!—Moe Lepore, President Boston Metro Area Local APWU (7/27/04) We're the good guys. We get to wear the white hats.—Moe Lepore, President Boston Metro Area Local APWU Read more from this Labor Leader at BOSTON METRO AREA LOCAL 100 Human history is work history. The heroes of the people are work heroes. —Meridel Le SueurImplementation of knowledge is wisdom.—Mike Levine, Red Bank Local APWU (attributed) If they're cutting your legs out from under you, that just means you're taller than they are; if they stab you in the back, it's because they can't face you.—Mike Levine, Red Bank Local APWU (attributed) We must explore different means of communicating with our members and put in place the mechanism to deliver our message.—Bill Lewis, APWU, President Trenton Metro and NJSPWU
Let the workers organize. Let the toilers
assemble.
The union miner cannot agree to the acceptance of a wage principle which will permit his annual earnings and his living standards to be determined by the hungriest unfortunates whom the non-union operators can employ.—John L. Lewis I have pleaded your case from the pulpit and from the public platform--not in the quavering tones of a feeble mendicant asking alms, but in the thundering voice of the captain of a mighty host, demanding the rights to which free men are entitled.—John L. Lewis The labor movement is organized upon a principle that the strong shall help the weak.—John L. Lewis The political stability of the republic is imperiled. In excess of twelve million wage earning are unemployed. In certain industrial states the percentage of unemployed equals 40 percent of the enrolled workers. Of the remaining 60 percent a large number are employed on a part-time basis, and are the victims of a continuous schedule of wage cutting. Those who are employed, directly or indirectly, must inevitably bear the burden of supporting the millions to whom employment is unavailable.... We are victims of our own national short-sightedness by failure in the halcyon days of prosperity to intelligently plan for the future.—John L. Lewis, 1933 The balancing of the budget will not in itself place a teaspoonful of milk in a hungry baby’s stomach, or remove the rags from its mother’s back.—John L. Lewis, 1933 Learn more about this Labor Leader at The AFL-CIO Website
 If
any man tells you he loves America, yet hates labor, he is a liar. If any
man tells you he trusts America, yet fears labor, he is a fool.—Abraham
LincolnLabor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if Labor had not first existed. Labor is superior to capital, and deserves much the higher consideration.—Abraham Lincoln I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. ... corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed.—Abraham Lincoln (attributed) All that harms labor is treason to America.—Abraham Lincoln Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally.—Abraham Lincoln Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves.—Abraham Lincoln I am glad to see that a system of labor prevails under which laborers can strike when they want to.—Abraham Lincoln That we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.—Abraham Lincoln You can not endow even the best machine with initiative.— Walter Lippmann
"Frank Little: 1879-1917: Slain by Capitalist Interests for Organizing and Inspiring His Fellow Man."—Frank Little's epitaph. Frank Little was hung in Butte, Montana for his Union efforts. A note was pinned to his body. It read, "First and Last Warning." Learn more about this Labor Leader at A Little Bit About A Great American Your silence will not protect you.— Audre Lorde Anyone with a part-time job works full-time for half salary.—Denise D. Lynn There are more instances of the abridgment of freedoms of the people by gradual and silent encroachment of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations.—James Madison Teach thy tongue to say "I don't know."— MaimonidesNever descend to the ways of those above you.— George Mallaby Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity.— Horace Mann It is better to have a right destroyed than to abandon it because of fear.— Phillip Mann In unaired rooms, mothers and fathers sew by day and by night. Those in the home sweatshop must work cheaper than those in the factory sweatshops. . . . And the children are called in from play to drive and drudge beside their elders. . . All the year in New York and in other cities you may watch children radiating to and from such pitiful homes. Nearly any hour on the East Side of New York City you can see them -- pallid boy or spindling girl -- their faces dulled, their backs bent under a heavy load of garments piled on head and shoulders, the muscles of the whole frame in a long strain. . . . Is it not a cruel civilization that allows little hearts and little shoulders to strain under these grown-up responsibilities, while in the same city, a pet cur is jeweled and pampered and aired on a fine lady's velvet lap on the beautiful boulevards?—Edwin Markham, poet, in Cosmopolitan magazine, January 1907 When a man tells you that he got rich through hard work, ask him whose.— Don Marquis To obtain a just compromise, concession must not only mutual--it must be equal also....There can be no hope that either will yield more than it gets in return.—Supreme Court Justice John Marshall A child of five could understand this. Send somebody to fetch a child of five.—Groucho Marx (Duck Soup) Understand the differences; Act on the commonalities. — Andrew Masondo, African National Congress The day you no longer burn with love, many others will die of the cold. —MauriacIt is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in argument.—William G. McAdoo We live in the richest country in the world. There's plenty to spare and for no man, woman, or child to be in want. And in addition to this our country was founded on what should have been a great , true principle -- the freedom, equality, and rights of each individual. Huh! And what has come of this start? There are corporations worth billions of dollars--and hundreds of thousands of people who don't get to eat. — Carson McCullers
In
the present age there is no hope for the workingman outside of
organization.—
Peter J. McGuire, co-founder of the American Federation of Labor
and reported "father" of Labor Day Organize, Agitate, Educate.— Peter J. McGuire, 1896 We must elevate the craft, protect its interests, advance wages, reduce the hours of labor, spread correct economic doctrines and cultivate a spirit of fraternity among the working people regardless of creed, color, nationality or politics. These principles are the foundation principles of our organization.— Peter J. McGuire No festival of martial glory or warrior's renown is this; no pageant pomp of war-like conquest, no glory of fratricidal strife attend this day. It is dedicated to peace, civilization and the triumphs of industry. It is a demonstration of fraternity and the harbinger of a better age--a more chivalrous time, when labor shall be best honored and well rewarded..— Peter J. McGuire, speaking about Labor Day Learn more about this Labor Leader at The AFL-CIO Website Instantly, the noise stopped. The whole room lay in perfect silence. The tire builders stood in long lines, touching each other, perfectly motionless, deafened by the silence.... For the first time in history, American mass-production workers had stopped a conveyor belt and halted the inexorable movement of factory machinery.— Ruth McKenney, ("Industrial Valley") Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it's the only thing that ever has.— Margaret Mead
Every piece of progressive social legislation passed by
Congress in the 20th century bears a union label.—George
Meany One cannot have a trade union or a democratic election without freedom of speech, freedom of association and assembly. Without a democratic election, whereby people choose and remove their rulers, there is no method of securing human rights against the state. No democracy without human rights, no human rights without democracy, and no trade union rights without either. That is our belief; that is our creed.—George Meany, 1979 Labor never quits. We never give up the fight – no matter how tough the odds, no matter how long it takes.—George Meany The basic goal of labor will not change. It is -- as it has always been, and I am sure always will be -- to better the standards of life for all who work for wages and to seek decency and justice and dignity for all Americans.—George Meany Learn more about this Labor Leader at The George Meany Memorial Archives It is not much matter which we say, but mind, we must all say the same.— Lord Melbourne This troubled planet is a place of the most violent contrasts. Those that receive the rewards are totally separate from those who shoulder the burdens. It is not a wise leadership.—Mr. Spock of "Star Trek" It is not only what we do, but also what we do not do for which we are accountable.—Moliere The workers of this country do not worry me. I can hire one half to kill the other half.— J.P. Morgan A Society that gives to one class all the opportunities for leisure and to another all the burdens of work condemns both classes to spiritual sterility.—Lewis Mumford Only through a union built on real union principles can we hope to win real economic justice.—Richard Myers No man can think clearly when his fists are clenched.— George Jean Nathan Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote.— George Jean Nathan In Germany they came first for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up.—Martin Niemoeller You know very well that whether you are on page one or page thirty depends on whether they fear you. It's as simple as that.—Richard Nixon A man who works with his hands is a laborer; a man who works with his hands and his brain is a craftsman; but a man who works with his hands and his brain and his heart is an artist.—Louis Nizer, lawyer One of my favorite jibes is, "I like you. I'll try to protect you when the revolution comes." I've been a little nervous about using it lately. —Sterling Nusbaum, APWU (WV) The true face of the unions is not now a man in a hard hat as much as it is a woman in a classroom or in cleaning smocks.—Karen Nussbaum, SEIU Every day I get up and look through the Forbes list of the richest people in America. If I'm not there, I go to work.—Robert Orben We're just honest working men that have been pushed so far and so hard that we can't keep it up any longer.—Frances O'Rourke, 1937 UAW sitdown striker Tough times will not last forever; only tough leaders do.—Alberto Ortiz, APWU, Puerto Rico Area Local (as posted on 21st Century Postal Worker) All animals are equal,
but some animals are more equal than others.—George
Orwell (Animal Farm) If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.—George Orwell Power is not a means; it is an end... The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power.—George Orwell (1984) If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face--forever. |
wanted to be martyrs again, my belief is that they would say not. But if you
asked them would they do it all over again, they would say yes.—Moe
Biller, APWU
What matters most is how well you
walk through the fire.—Charles Bukowski, poet and postal worker,
author of Post Office
Those unions that enjoy the right to
strike have no guarantee that sacrificing their jobs and their livelihood will
result in victory but they nevertheless engage in lengthy strikes, not because
they are assured of winning but because they are determined to fight.—William Burrus,
1998
improved wages and
working conditions, and through struggle, we will ultimately prevail. We
will fight you with every tool at our disposal, and we will ultimately achieve
our goals.—APWU
President William Burrus (2001)
The people united will never be defeated.— Cesar
Chavez
volunteer.— Lou Dobbs, CNN financial correspondent and author of
Exporting America (September 2004)
workers to gain a few cents
more a day, a few minutes less a day, and go back to work with the same
psychology, the same attitude toward society is to achieve a temporary gain and
not a lasting victory.
unionists, a lack of concern for the struggle of brothers and sisters outside
their own backyards. Such failure to bear faith and allegiance to real
solidarity is what lies at the heart of labor's inability to coalesce into the
force that some of our greatest leaders have envisioned. We must come to the
realization that we are all coworkers, brothers and sisters in the struggle with
owners.—Donald L. Foley,
APWU National Business Agent (posting on 
First they ignore you; then they laugh at you; then they attack you; then
you win.—Mahatma
Gandhi 
If the workers took a notion they could stop all speeding trains; every
ship upon the ocean they can tie with mighty chains. Every wheel in the creation
every mine and every mill; fleets and armies of the nation, will at their
command stand still.—Joe Hill
In the old days all you needed was a handshake. Nowadays you need forty
lawyers. — Jimmy Hoffa
Let their
crystallized voice proclaim their injustices and demand their privileges. Let
all thoughtful citizens sustain them, for the future of Labor is the future of
America.—John
L. Lewis
Better to go out in a blaze of glory than to give
in.—Frank
Little, IWW organizer
