Yvonne Abraham couldn’t be more right when she says that ultimately, it’s local workers who pay when organized labor is pushed to the side (“Don’t run from unions,’’ Metro, July 3). When we advocate for workers’ rights and union labor, we are fighting for the stabilization of working families and our neighborhoods and communities. That’s something all of us who care about our city, state, and economy should want, particularly as the income gap between the wealthiest and everyone else continues to grow.
The troubling actions of Boston Calling highlight another important role of organized labor: to protect workers from corporations that are only too willing to circumvent labor laws to make a greater profit. The recent attacks on unions not only undermine these efforts to protect working people; they have a larger, chilling effect on advocacy, which threatens community organizations, civil rights groups, and all those who are fighting for change.
Instead of targeting those who are fighting to improve the lives of working people, federal investigators should spend more time investigating the companies that are trying to rip off workers and the public.
Lydia Lowe
Co-director
Chinese Progressive Association
Boston