
Many times in my life I have been proud to be a member of a Labor Union, specifically a third generation member of Sheet Metal Workers’ Local 19 in Philadelphia. We Sheet Metal Workers (AKA Tin Knockers, Tinners, etc.) have always had a long-standing reputation of being tough, no-nonsense types that don’t pull too many punches. Most importantly though, we always try to look out for each other, as those that came before us have in the past. This is at the very core of what it means to belong to a Union. We hear it every day: “Unions have outlived their usefulness,” “What have they ever done for us?” and the infamous, “Unions steal from their members and are run by criminals.” That last blatant lie always gets me fired up. Look throughout not just history, but our present, and you can see all the good Organized Labor has done (and continues to do) for this nation and the entire industrialized world. But for this piece I want to scale back the scope a bit and focus on what I feel is the perfect example of what a Local Union should be and how it takes care of its
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