The rhythm of the unions’ war

Any battle worth fighting should have a song.

The music of war gives voice to the conflict, hope to the soldiers and testimony from the trenches for future generations. A well-placed jingle and some clever rhymes can neatly encapsulate the goals of an entire army. And it can add a little bravado, such as in Woody Guthrie's 1942 call to arms, "All You Fascists," against slavery in the working class.

"I'm going into this battle
and take my union gun.
We'll end this world of slavery
before this battle's won.
You're bound to lose.
You fascists are bound to lose."

Guthrie's voice was just one of many railing against the machinery of America's corporate bosses, fighting desperately for higher wages and shorter hours. And theirs was just the latest skirmish in the centuries-old war between unions and those who oppose them.

And it really was a war. Many union supporters believed so strongly in their union cause that they were willing to die in its defense. And many did.

But the union war wasn't won or lost during Guthrie's time, nor has there been a clear victor in the years since. In fact, it doesn't feel much like a war anymore.

For unions, the battle lines have faded, and the fight just isn't as obvious as it used to be. It's hard to deny that in the last century, unions have vastly improved America's working class, stopping the exploitation of children in the work force and, as one bumper sticker aptly points out, bringing us our weekends.

But we've got the weekends, and the realities of the modern working class have forced unions and their opponents to shift their philosophies. They still don't like each other. They still go nose to nose on the picket lines. But it's toned down, less frequent.

It has to be because the conditions for working-class people have improved. They don't want to fight. They don't want to go to war. They want to go to work, not join an army. In other words, they might like the song, but they're sure not going to march to it.

So the unions are redefining themselves. They have to. They're losing members. And while a kinder, gentler union might not inspire any new fight songs, it might match a labor scene that isn't spoiling for a fight.