The industrial revolution was a time of innovation and job growth. These workers began a wildcat strike in response to recent reductions in wages. The strike resonated with workers nationwide, leading to strikes in more than 20 states, involving an estimated 260,000 men. But as they enjoy a little time off, we hope they can reflect on their accomplishments and take pride in supporting themselves. Unfortunately, it’s easy to lose focus on the meaning of Labor Day when you’re trying to eke out one more day of summer vacation with the kids.
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Now it’s time to flash forward to the strike that sparked the eventual initiation of Labor Day.
In my opinion, hard work is something to which a lot of modern Americans today seem to be allergic, for lack of a better description.
That’s the spirit that’s made the progress of these past seven and a half years possible. But the unemployment rate remained at 4.9 percent, the same as in July. The eight-hour day and the five-day workweek weren’t just given to us. Let’s keep it alive and continue to move it forward.
Labor Day is a day set aside to pay tribute to working men and women. More consumer goods were made available to all.
During the last few years, initiatives created to lower labor standards, weaken unions, and erode workplace protections have been launched.
By 2015, figures for union membership and representation had dropped to 10 percent and 11.3 percent, respectively. Last year, income for everybody else grew at the fastest pace since the 1990s. Does anyone think employers would be plumping up the pension fund or adding dental care to non-union employee packages if it weren’t for a marketplace that included better paid union workers?
But I was not coddled nor did I have it easy. But we can’t get so distracted by the latest bluster that we lose sight of the policies that will actually help working families get ahead.
So as a country, we’ve got some choices to make.
If biking is your thing, we have the Noah Bike Trail, which is 89 miles of marked trails in the scenic countryside.
Almost 95 percent of the private sector workers in America do not belong to a union.
“We need to build an inclusive movement for all working people”, the video states.
Probably the least understood impact of labor unions in the U.S.is on American schools and the education system we know today.
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So while you’re enjoying your day of no classes, take a moment to appreciate those who still have to rush to work. And it means exercising our rights to speak up in the workplace, to join a union, and above all, to vote. The American labor movement has become synonymous with values that Americans hold dear: a fair wage for a day’s work, safe working conditions for all, a labor force that is valued and protected from exploitation – and the weekend. I’m sure we will figure something out.
