Strikes provide needed avenue for expression

More than 700 workers at the Keck Medical Center of USC recently striked, aiming to increase wages and benefits from their current standard, which workers feel is grossly unfair.

Caregivers expressed that they were not receiving the same retirement plan and tuition assistance as other hospital nurses and university employees, among other complaints.

Striking is a viable method to achieve these goals. Though some might consider it to be too strong of a reaction, striking is an essential avenue of expression. It increases publicity, and the 24-hour hospital strike was notable enough to be covered by all major local media outlets.

Through an increase of publicity, it is possible that other unions, or merely people sympathetic to the workers’ cause, will contribute as well.

Here, with the voice of discontent from the employees, workers have the perfect opportunity to implement a system that effectively caters to employees.

The workers have been negotiating since fall 2010, and clearly the strike was one of their last options to try to come to a fair agreement. Once all else fails, a strike is the next logical action to forcefully display that the current situation must be fixed.

Though the hospital had replacement workers in that day, these 700 workers on strike know the system better and replacement workers would need a significant amount of experience and training to be able to work at the same level.

The hospital left the workers no choice but to go on strike in an attempt to earn fair compensation and benefits.

Protests and striking have come to the forefront of the public eye in the wake of the Occupy movement and show a growing trend of restlessness and first-hand democratic action.

When done with a purpose, striking is an effective way to integrate yourself into the democratic process, instead of letting politicians or lawyers do the fighting for you. This is no exception.

The workers had grown tired of their conditions and took appropriate and necessary action to try to better their situation.

Regardless of whether a strike works — take the 2007 Hollywood Writer’s Guild strike — it demonstrates that the voice of the people will be heard and felt. This country was founded on democratic ideals and a right to free speech.

If workers are legitimately dissatisfied with working conditions, they have a right to strike. No one should have fewer benefits than another person. If you are at the same workplace, you should be able to receive those benefits too.

Strikes also demonstrate a measure of solidarity within the workforce. It shows the problem is serious and has an effect on the entire group, rather than a minority.

If a strike can achieve goals for the common good, such as addressing the grievances of the employees at the university hospital, then I can’t see how this is looked upon negatively. Hopefully, the people’s voice will be heard.

 

Mellissa Linton is a sophomore majoring in English. Her counterpoint runs Fridays.