Stand united in each state where unions are under attack

It is imperative that African American faith leaders continue the prophetic legacy of fighting for what is just, and today that struggle is protecting our democratic voices – the collective bargaining rights of public-sector employees.

Such a large percentage of African Americans are employed in the public sector. Before the recession, 18 percent of black men were employed in the public sector, making it the largest employer of black men, while 23 percent of black women were employed in the public sector, making it the second-largest employer of black women.

The rights of our brothers, sisters, fathers and mothers – our communities – are at stake. Therefore, this is our issue and for any African American faith leader to remain silent would be a betrayal of Jesus’ grounding and instructive declaration that: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me for He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor … and to set at liberty all who are oppressed …”

To preach justice is our mandate, to fight for the collective bargaining rights of our community is our call.

Thus, as African American faith leaders we have a responsibility to decode the truth of this situation for the citizens sitting in our pews. Some legislators would have our communities believe that the proposed policies in these states are an exercise in conservative spending and budgeting. However we know that this disingenuous messaging is a cover-up for their attack on our public voice for their monetary gain. It is clear that the budget crisis in Wisconsin, which is the front end of anticipated developments in at least 11 other states, grew primarily out of policies and laws that favor corporate and financial elites, evidenced by hundreds of billions of working people’s dollars being handed over to banks and corporations under the banner of bailouts, buyouts, and stabilizing the economy.

In short, this is a well conceptualized “power grab,” closely linked to the politics of 2012. Unions are being used as a scapegoat. We cannot build a future on falsehood and deception. It is evil and morally wrong to engineer a movement to take away the right of labor unions to collectively bargain while balancing the budget on the backs of workers, thus giving the impression that unions caused the current economic crisis.

As for this misconception, a comparison of North Carolina – a “right to work state” that lost the right of public-sector workers to collectively bargain in 1959 – to Wisconsin – which gained the right of public sector workers to collectively bargain in 1959 – is revealing. The unemployment rate in Wisconsin is 7.5 percent and its union membership rate is 14.2 percent; North Carolina’s unemployment rate is 10 percent and its union membership rate is 3.2 percent.

Wisconsin is facing a state budget deficit of $1.8 billion or 13 percent of its total budget while North Carolina is facing $2.7 billion budget deficit or 13.5 percent of its total budget. The problem is not the unions, it is poor money management.

African American faith leaders, not just in Wisconsin, but now in Ohio and Indiana and all over the United States, must stand boldly and decry these falsehoods. Dr. King taught us that, “an injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

Let us be clear, this injustice is in our backyards and so we must stand, whether in our pulpits or at state capitols, simultaneously united in each state under attack.

The Rev. Dr. T. Anthony Spearman is pastor of Clinton Tabernacle AME Zion Church, Hickory.