Almost a week has passed since we began our journey back from Brazil, but so many realizations from the conference still linger fresh in my mind. The final Friday of the conference was, for me the most inspiring of them all. I attended the second session of a meeting of trade union representatives from around the world. Representatives from Norway to Nigeria took turns detailing the struggles their countries and their unions are facing as a result of the recent economic crisis.
The fallout from the collapse of the U.S. financial sector seemed to instantaneously ripple across the world effecting workers in every country. The power of unions in countries where they were historically unchallenged is coming into question. Organizing and membership have reached a veritable standstill globally because of the fear that even a union won’t be able to provide much sought after job security to workers. Powerful calls to action and personal anecdotes added to the already charged atmosphere of the room, and prompted the level of intensity that the forum is famous for.
After three hours of rousing, endearing and forceful deposition, I was sad to see the session end. I felt like I’d learned more about the effects of globalization on the workers of the world, and the salience of interdependence on a global scale than in the past week. So much of what the forum was meant to be seemed to crystallize in that one session, and for me the 6 planes, 2 days, 3 taxis, 1 bus, and 1 rental car fiasco it took to get there were all worth it.
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