Andy Stern, head of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) recently took the stage with Wal-Mart CEO, Lee Scott, during a luncheon to discuss health care. Stern had formed a coalition called Better Health Care Together that comprises business leaders, politicians, and labor leaders.
At the meeting, Governor Ed Rendell, of Pennsylvania, praised Stern and Scott as the odd couple of health care. The group was also praised by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California.
Stern has demonstrated considerable foresight for a union leader, for he realizes that if he is going to accomplish his goals, he must work with the business community. Indeed, I have preached for many years that there must be a coalition of management and labor for there to be optimal benefits for those on both sides of the equation. Stern has been pejoratively called the neo-con of the labor movement, but he really is a leader who knows that the old adversarial relationship hurts both workers and management.
Too often union leaders are not only out of step with their members, but they also have short-sighted views and so make demands of management that often hurt workers. In a global economy where cooperation is the key to success, companies and countries will thrive when workers and management realize that they share common goals. The best friend that Andy Stern could have is Corporate America with whom he shares numerous common goals.
