4. Literacy programs build the union

The basic goals and activities of unions - organizing new workers, fighting for economic and social justice, and collective bargaining - require good literacy and communication skills. Unions cannot reach all of their members through documents and leaf lets if some members cannot read or understand written documents well. Even those who can read well need clear language.

Literacy and basic skills programs can be important tools for building unions by:

• Involving a new group of members in a union activity. Often members are marginalized because they do not have the necessary literacy or communication skills to fully participate in the work of the union.
• Opening the door to union education programs. Many members may want to participate in union education programs but feel intimidated by their lack of basic skills. Union literacy programs can give them the confidence that comes from a supportive learning experience.
• The union's awareness of literacy can help it become more conscious of the need for its practices and communications to be more accessible to its members.

5. Cut-backs and closures of college and school board programs

Because of this situation, more unions are putting training and education on their bargaining agendas. This doe snot mean that unions have stopped fighting for improved public education. On the contrary, we are on the front lines of defending public education.

Moreover, in many cases we can use resources negotiated with employers to fund training programs that use the public education system.

6. Union-negotiated literacy programs are an alternative to the corporate agenda

Education and training are not neutral. Generally, employers see training as away to increase productivity and improve the bottom line. Basic skills can be misused as away to push corporate values of competitiveness and the employer's view of "team-work."

Employer-only programs tend to leave out the union. They paint a picture of a workplace where the union and the rights of workers are barely visible.

A basic skills program should integrate union values and goals. It should help workers develop a critical perspective on the nature of our society and its institutions. It should help them feel more confident about asking questions and standing up for themselves.

Unions have to take up the agenda on literacy and develop their own programs. They can and should bargain for control over the curriculum. They should ensure that while members learn basic skills, they are also learning about their unions and about the politics of the workplace and society.