The Best Gift We Can Give: Ourselves

The Rev. Nelson Johnson (center), a strong supporter of worker justice, writes that the greatest gift we give as unionists is the gift of ourselves.

The Rev. Nelson Johnson is pastor of Faith Community Church and executive director of the Beloved Community Center, in Greensboro, N.C. He is the recent past national co-president of Interfaith Worker Justice and, this summer, joined in prayer with tobacco workers and Baldemar Velásquez, president of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC). The Rev. Nelson reminds us here how fundamental to the union movement are the ways in which we give of ourselves.

The fullness of Christmas is upon us. For tens of millions, Christmas is the most significant holiday of the year. In fact it’s more than a day: Christmas is an entire season.  Perhaps no other holiday season involves us in such a range of activities and emotions.  Christmas is a season of sharing gifts with loved ones and being charitable toward total strangers; it is a season for gatherings of family, co-worker and religious entities. It is a period of reflection and commitment. Christmas is a season of renewed hope and new possibilities, proclaiming peace on earth and good will (or justice) to all. 

Even though there might be no formal relationship for some to the Christian faith tradition from which the Christmas holiday season grew, most people are drawn into Christmas activities. The core message in the tradition of Christmas is that there was a great “in-breaking” into the world of love and concern for the welfare of all, especially for the marginalized and abused.  It seems to me that Christmas is an important time to rethink, model and emphasize how all of us, particularly working people and the many worker organizations such as unions can give meaningful expression to the Christmas holiday season. I’d like to share two examples that I have been a part of recently.

Unions and working people in general can become greater gifts to each other: I saw a remarkable example of unions being a gift to each other recently in Chicago. The Republic Windows & Doors factory in Chicago, where 250 unionized workers, represented by United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE Local 1110), previously earned a living, was closed abruptly on Dec. 5, just as the Christmas season was moving into full swing. I was among religious leaders who gathered with the 250 workers to urge Bank of America—which has received billions of “bailout” funds—to release some of those funds to support the Republic workers. I was most impressed, however, when Dennis Williams, director of UAW Region Four, not only expressed verbal support for the embattled workers but brought a check of $5,000 for the workers. UAW reached across the “aisle” to bring the gift of its moral and financial support to another union. Gift-giving needs to be encouraged as part of the union/worker culture.

Promoting solidarity among unions and working people: During the Christmas season, we are reminded that we belong to each other and that we are our brother and sister keepers. After more than 15 years, the workers at the giant Smithfield plant, in Tar Heel, N.C., won a long struggle for the democratic right to be represented by a union of its choice (United Food and Commercial Workers [UFCW]) and to engage in collective bargaining. Although the heroic workers at Smithfield were at the forefront of this struggle for justice at the workplace, their accomplishment was made possible by the solidarity and innovative support initiatives demonstrated by faith groups, community organizations, other unions and worker organizations, and student and youth groups. Indeed, this was a reflection of solidarity and “loving our neighbors as we love ourselves.”

The economy in the United States and the world is plunging into an ever-deepening crisis. It is not clear what will be its depth, duration, or all of its features. We already are seeing rapid growth in unemployment and underemployment, foreclosures and homelessness, as well as budget shortfalls in education, social service and public transportation. All the challenges associated with vital changes, such as a sensible and humane immigration policy, passage of the Employee Free Choice Act, provisions for decent and universal health care, and implementation of a living wage structure will likely intensify. Let us use this Christmas holiday season as an occasion to strengthen our commitment to be gifts of hope and possibility to each other and to strengthen the bonds of solidarity among us. 

I am aware of some of the tensions within the worker justice and labor movement in our country. This Christmas season, I will be in prayer for guidance on how we should move forward together. I appeal to all of you to join me in praying for a strong, united workers movement that will not only ensure a decent standard of living for poor and working people in the United States, but also a movement that will become a gift to the entire world.

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