As we turn to Labor Day on Monday, September 6, we must take time to consider the American worker and the manner in which labor has created this magnificent nation we all enjoy. It is through labor that the United States achieved the highest standard of living in the world. It was the labor movement that took the lead in advancing the cause of economic and social justice. It is labor that serves as the backbone of our country.
Abraham Lincoln said of labor, “Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration.” Yet, despite Lincoln’s wisdom, we have allowed a society to emerge where capital controls labor.
Labor Day should be a time to reflect on the importance of action. For over thirty years, the tide has run against the forces of labor. Deregulation and the weakening of labor laws have reduced labor unions to little more than a shadow of their once towering figure. While the power brokers of capital have seen their stature increase many fold, labor has gained little and in many cases lost everything.
The great labor struggles of the past are merely a reflection of the things to come. The great divide between the haves and the have not’s will be bridged when working men and women once again rise up and demand an equal seat at the table of this nations bounty. It is not about wanting more, but about wanting and deserving a fair share.
Working men and women have a right to organize as a means of protecting their vital interests through fair wages, benefits, and working conditions. Working men and women have a right to demand that trade agreements protect the best interest of all workers, consumers, and society. Working men and women have the right to strike as a means of redressing their grievances.
For far too long the scales of economic and social justice have been tilted in favor of the wealthy and privileged class in our society. It is time for these scales to be recalibrated to provide economic and social justice for all. It is time that we in this country demand that a rising tide lift all boats.
On September 6, let us all remember that Labor Day is not about a day off from labor, it is about a day to celebrate the magnificence of labor. It is a day to honor all of those hard working men and women who have and continue to work in the foundries, factories, and fields to make this nation great. It is a day to rededicate ourselves to the task of giving labor “the higher consideration” it so justly deserves.
~ Bill
