Union Values Are Democratic Values
By Executive Committee member Alecia Stephens
If you’ve bought one of our SCDP t-shirts with our logo either on our website or at our booth at a local event, you may have noticed another logo on the right sleeve. This logo certifies that the shirts were printed at a union print shop.
As Democrats, we support workers’ rights to a fair and living wage, safe working conditions and benefits that improve people’s lives outside their jobs. These are the same things that unions fight for every day. Unions formed as a response to the Industrial Revolution and the horrific working conditions in U.S. factories, farms and other places. Unions are the reason that Americans currently enjoy benefits and protections at their jobs, (albeit limited).
Requiring companies to pay workers a minimum wage? Unions. Banning child labor? Also unions. Federal regulations and guidelines to keep workers safe? You can thank unions for that as well.
SCDP t-shirt featuring a union label on the right sleeve.
At its peak in the 1950s, the percentage of workers belonging to a union was at roughly 35%. The idea that a single-income earner could support a family on minimum wage at that time is tied to the rise in the number of union workers. However, union membership has declined over the decades, in part because of Republican lawmakers' efforts to undermine unions and weaken workers’ rights.
In the last few years, efforts have been made to revitalize and strengthen unions in the U.S. Starbucks baristas and Amazon warehouse workers, led by mostly young people, have unionized their workplaces to fight for safe and equitable working conditions, higher pay and better benefits. The summer of 2023 was dubbed “Hot Labor Summer” with UPS drivers and the United Auto Workers (UAW) winning new contracts that benefitted union members and supported by Democratic lawmakers like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Are unions perfect? No. For a long time, many unions excluded women and non-white workers from membership. But our country is better when we have strong workers’ rights and safer working conditions. The latest rise in unionization of workplaces across the country has been spearheaded by the very same communities that were once barred from union membership. The backlash against these latest efforts from Republicans and corporations has been strong, but we are stronger together.
That is why the Sumner Democratic Party is proud to support unions by having the merchandise we sell produced by a local union print shop. We as a party want to live out the values we express, and there’s no better way than to support businesses with unionized workers.
SCDP just announced new merchandise for Spring 2026. If you want to support your local Democratic party as well as a local union printer here in Sumner County, pre-order yours by March 20th.
