
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, March 8, 1991                   TAG: 9103080722
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-13   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: R. H. MYERS
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

MEMORIES OF `MACBETH'

OUR PHILOSOPHIES and lives are shaped by those whose examples or words make lasting impressions on us. Coaches, teachers, employers, church leaders or co-workers are a few examples of those outside the family circle whose lasting impression is often the result of a very brief encounter in our lives. For me, one such case was my 12th-grade English teacher.

It was this lady who, one morning all those years ago, stopped midway through that day's study of "Macbeth" to reclaim the attention of three wayward young men. (We thought we were being discreet as we pitched pennies in the rear of the classroom).

With sternness in her voice and a mean cut of her eyes in our direction, she said, "The senior class of Blacksburg High School is no better than the worst of its students." Needless to say, the matching of pennies stopped in Ms. Hummel's class - and to our surprise we actually enjoyed our study of "Macbeth."

Now "Macbeth" didn't stay with me as Ms. Hummel's verbal wrist-slap did. Applied liberally, it can be said that no organization - be it a church, club, institution, government body, company or union - is any better than the worst of its parts. I think the same can also be said of a community.

We in the building-trades unions have had a lot to say lately about construction activity in the Roanoke Valley. While some may look at the Dominion Tower as a symbol of Roanoke's potential greatness, we see it as a symbol of futility.

To be sure, part of our frustration is centered on the obvious fact that it is being built without union labor. This means that workers on the project, be they area residents or not, are being paid substandard wages. Furthermore, they aren't covered under a health-care or pension plan. They don't have access to a bona-fide training or apprenticeship program either.

Another part of our frustration centers on the philosophy that Ms. Hummel fostered in me. It is also central to any understanding of the trade-union movement. And that is: As long as any group of workers cannot by the fruits of its labor adequately attain a rightful share of the American dream, then by that yardstick we must be measured as a nation and as a community. We know Roanoke can be a better community for all its citizens. The well-being of one group shouldn't be sacrificed for another.

Whether you realize it or not, that is exactly what's going on in this area. Almost as if by design, wages, benefits and working conditions for blue-collar workers are being driven down. In fact, because of the low pay they receive, many full-time construction workers are eligible for government handouts such as food stamps and Medicaid. Therefore, in an indirect way, the government is subsidizing employers who work to keep wages and conditions low. Is this the best we can be?

Perhaps, in the final analysis, we building tradesmen should not view the Dominion Tower as a symbol of futility but rather a symbol of solidarity. It has served to unite us, and has given us more focus than we've had in years past. It has also awakened our community and social consciousness to the plight of many of the valley's working poor.

To that end, it is imperative that we keep our campaign for fairness active on every front. We will continue to push for workers' rights here in the valley. Our aim will be to one day make this area truly a living-wage community.

After all, "stones have been known to move and trees to speak." That's from "Macbeth." Ms. Hummel should be proud.

by CNB