Documenting Labor Inside and Out
Solidarity
Local Solidarity
The pin shown on the right, one of the many collected by labor
activist Helen Quirini, notes one of the benefits of solidarity among labor
organizations--there is strength in numbers. The
call for solidarity is particularly strong during a work dispute. Members of other locals of
the union or of related unions may join the picket line as a show of support for the
striking union or take some other action of support, such as a monetary contribution to
the striking union's strike fund.
While many shows of solidarity are the efforts of individual labor
organizations, in the Capital District, solidarity displays have also been coordinated by
the Solidarity Committee of the Capital District. Formed in January 1984, the Solidarity
Committee has sought to "promote solidarity and understanding of the labor movement,
through educating and organizing in times of need," by supporting strike
activities, protesting manufacturing plant closures, aiding unemployed workers, lobbying
for political reform, and organizing non-union workers.
For example, in 1985 the chairman of the Solidarity Committee asked its members for their attendance at a rally being held by the Albany chapter of United University Professions (UUP). As a further show of solidarity and support for UUP, the chairman also wrote on behalf of the Solidarity Committee to the director of the Governor's Office of Employee Relations urging him to resume negotiations with United University Professions and to conclude those negotiations fairly, providing UUP members with similar benefits achieved by the other state employee unions. Such displays of support do not go unappreciated, as evidenced by a July 1984 letter from the Glove Cities Area Joint Board of the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union thanking the Solidarity Committee for its monetary and moral support of 1,600 glove and leather workers in their labor struggles.
The records documenting solidarity
between labor organizations provide a useful way to examine the larger labor movement and
how individual labor organizations help each other to achieve their goals. The records
also document when various labor unions have been in conflict with each other. The
collections
that make up the Archives of Public Affairs and Policy provide a convenient way to
explore these interrelations. Not only do they include the records of the Solidarity
Committee of the Capital District, but the records of many of the unions that the
Solidarity Committee has helped over the years, including United University Professions
and the Glove Cities Area Joint Board. In addition, the records of the individual
unions and locals included in the Archives of Public Affairs and Policy contain documents
relating to their own solidarity efforts, such as those of the
Solidarity Committee of United University Professions.
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