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MAKING A PITCH FOR WORKING CLASS-THE DETROIT NEWS, MAY 26, 2008

Posted: Monday May 26, 2008

Making a Pitch for Working Class
Unions helped form the backbone of the Detroit Tigers’ pitching staff

Just as union wages and benefits have created the backbone of the middle class in Michigan, so has a labor background helped form the backbone of the Detroit Tigers’ pitching staff.

Justin Verlander and Dontrelle Willis are sons of labor. And that is appropriate when you consider how much organized labor plays a role in the national pastime — from the players on the field to the workers in the stadium to the unionized customers cheering for the team.

The Tigers got off to a slow start this season, but are starting to turn it around and look like the contenders they were projected to be before the season began. After many years of losing seasons, the Tigers in 2006 won the American League pennant and made it to the World Series. They were in contention but did not make the playoffs last season.

During tough economic times, the Tigers lifted all of Michigan on their shoulders and gave everyone a reason to cheer.

While the Tigers’ lineup is filled with powerful hitters — many of them All-Stars — it is pitching that often makes the difference in the game. Detroit boasts a starting rotation that rivals any in baseball. And two of the pillars of the pitching rotation are Verlander and Willis.

They share much in common. Both are former rookies of the year. Both have many achievements. Verlander last season threw an unforgettable no-hitter at Comerica Park and has become the ace of the staff. Willis was a two-time All-Star in the National Leagued before being traded this winter to the Tigers.

Both also have union backgrounds.

Verlander is the son of Richard Verlander, the District 2 organizing coordinator of the Communication Workers of America. After Justin was the second player drafted overall in 2004, negotiations stalled and the Tigers withdrew their offer. It looked like Verlander would head back to college, meaning the Tigers had wasted a No. 2 pick.

But Richard Verlander contacted the Tigers directly and jump-started negotiations that ended in a five-year deal. Tigers management credited Richard, a veteran of many labor negotiations from his time as president of CWA Local 2201, with playing a key role in reaching an agreement. Justin has fond memories of growing up in a union household and is a strong supporter of the Baseball Player’s Association.

Willis grew up in the Oakland, Calif., area as the son of a union iron worker. Dontrelle’s mom, Joyce Harris, is a journeyman iron worker and a member of Iron Workers Local 378. Iron workers perform heavy, dangerous construction work, often at dizzying heights. Often you can see them working across Detroit’s’ skyline.

Harris has worked on the Bay Bridge and helped build everything from roller coasters to skyscrapers. She also has worked for the California Building Trades Council as a recruiter at schools and community centers, encouraging young people to join a union apprentice school so they can earn good union wages and benefits.

Willis’ big personality, strong arm, involvement in the community and union background will be a big hit in Detroit.

The labor backgrounds of Verlander and Willis also will fit in nicely at Comerica Park. Union workers are employed in every facet of a Tigers’ game.

Not only are the players members of the Major League Baseball Players’ Association, but the umpires are unionized, as are the hot dog vendors, beer sellers and the cleaning crew.

Comerica Park itself was built using all union labor (including work performed by Dontrelle mom’s fellow union iron workers) and is widely acclaimed as one of the finest ballparks in the league.

So when Justin Verlander and Dontrelle Willis take the mound to go to work, they will not only be pitching before many soldout crowds, but before thousands of proud members of organized labor here in Detroit.

The working-class fans pay the money from their hard-earned paychecks that helps provide the financial foundation of the Tigers, while Verlander and Willis help provide the pitching foundation for the ball club now and many seasons beyond. These two sons of labor should feel right at home.

Mark Gaffney is president of the Michigan AFL-CIO, a federation of Michigan labor groups. Mail letters to The Detroit News, Editorial Page, 615 W. Lafayette, Detroit, MI 48226, fax them to (313) 222-6417 or e-mail them to letters@detnews.com.

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MAKING A PITCH FOR WORKING CLASS-THE DETROIT NEWS, MAY 26, 2008

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