Viewpoint: Those ‘public servants’ are our friends and neighbors

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.workdayminnesota.org/index.php?article_1_266

By Tony DeAngelis
21 March 2011

MINNEAPOLIS - When you hear the word “servant,” what does it mean to you?

Is it “one that serves others, especially one that performs duties about the home of a master or personal employer?”

What image appears in your mind? Is it the “domestic worker” as portrayed in Olde England? Or perhaps it is today’s “live-in maid,” who puts in more than 40 hours a week but whose household work is not protected under the National Labor Relations Act.

The idea of someone being a servant also can imply that he or she has a master. In his article in new unionism, “Of Masters and Servants,” Peter Hall-Jones traces the history of the “master-servant” relationship that began under English common law and evolved into our present-day system of labor relations in this country. Perhaps that’s why many citizen taxpayers see themselves as the “masters” of public servants, leading them to claim, “I pay your wages.” “You work for me; I’m your boss.”

Al Levin, in his seminal short documentary, “The Way the Eagle S**ts!,” argued that much of our self-worth and esteem comes from people who are less fortunate than us, from the poor, and we measure our success by the plight of others. I believe that we can also apply this argument to our perceptions of other workers.

In particular, when I was growing up in Pittsburgh, PA, the history of the struggles of steelworkers and other poor workers to gain better wages and working conditions were well-known, and the Steel City became famous for its hard workers. On the other hand, when the steelworkers became pioneers in bargaining longer vacations, other workers, rather than admiring this achievement, became envious and began questioning the work ethic of their fellow workers.

FULL story at link.

Tony DeAngelis is a longtime member of the staff at the Labor Education Service of the University of Minnesota, serving the educational needs of working people in the state.