In a unified act of solidarity, Kay Ivey joined governors of the former slaveholding states Texas, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Tennessee to make a joint statement against the United Auto Workers’ efforts to unionize autoworkers in the South. Calling the union a “special interest,” the governors claimed that unions threaten not only good jobs, but also the “values we live by.” As preachers from the South, we are tired of politicians trying to co-opt faith with talk about “values” when they do not have the facts to back up their claims. The truth is that workers are building power in the South and politicians who’ve made immoral partnership with corporate interests are feeling the heat. It’s past time for all God’s people to stand up for living wages and union rights.
During his nonviolent campaigns for freedom in India, Gandhi was reported to say, “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” It’s a tale as old as time: people who have power don’t go on the defense until they feel threatened. This week’s statement from Southern governors is a clear sign they are worried.