Emile Durkheim viewed society as the sum of all social activities. Although Durkheim was considered a positivist, Durkheim often challenged other critiques. According to Durkheim, the types of social solidarity connect back to the different types of society. The terms “mechanical” and “organic” solidarity were introduced as part of Durkheim’s theory of the development of societies. The functions include: 1. To increase the skills of workers 2, Society’s needs 3. Creates solidarity (internal control and external control). The kind of solidarity that a society has depends upon when and where you are. Normally, mechanical solidarity operates in a more traditional form, and is found in a pre-industrial form of division of labor. People will play more roles, and is in a smaller scale society. Organic solidarity is referred to as society after industrialization, and a specialization of the division of labor. Organic solidarity is based on the dependence of individuals in more advanced societies.
In terms of solidarity, the Chicago Teachers Union is held together through a sense of organic solidarity. Back in September of 2012, The CTU went on a teacher’s strike where no teacher/CTU member was to teach within his or her school until a fair contract was negotiated. The strike itself built a society based on organic solidarity by creating a narrative, which was a reason for the strike that spoke to all CTU members. The CTU officially struck for equitable compensation, in large due to disrespect in the form of poor decisions made about teaching and learning from people who were never teachers. The collective lack of agency in controlling even their own classrooms had been taken from the members of the CTU in many ways (loss of prep time, testing, bullying by principals, no voice at board meetings, school closures), in which forming leadership and solidarity within this educational institution unified them. The members of the CTU (all Chicago Public School employees throughout the city of Chicago) clearly do now know one another on a professional or social level, but they were held together through a sense of organic solidarity through their actions and movements, such as all wearing red shirts to symbolize their solidarity and unity, and marching outside of each of their schools or buildings.
During the CTU teacher’s strike, each individual school was a representation of mechanical solidarity. Each school could be refereed to as its own “small scale” society-where everyone is more likely to know each other as opposed to knowing every single member of the CTU in Chicago. The members of the CTU were responsible for protesting outside of their workplace (their school of employment) and even Chicago Public Schools are scattered through various areas throughout the city, the schools and its’ teachers all connect back to organic solidarity because they all protested for the same cause and spread the same message across the city. If any of the surrounding schools nearby were in need of support, teams of members of other schools would often picket with them. Solidarity was represented when students and parents unified with CTU members as well. With solidarity, everyone felt connected through unity, similar work, and teacher/student rights.