To most of us, labor day means a day off along with a grueling day after. But while most of us enjoy our family and friends on this holiday, we should also remember what this day really means.

On Sept. 5th, 1882, thousands of workers took a day off without pay to march in what was the first Labor Day Parade. They showed up to honor the workers of America as well as voice concerns they had with their employer.

Labor unions in some form are as old as this nation. While most of us are covered by a craft union in the USPS, most American workers are not so lucky. Labor unions have been declining since World War II, and took a big hit in the 1980's with layoffs and reduced pay and benefits.

While some of us have gripes and problems with our own unions, there are many things that the American worker could never have achieved if not for unions. Below are just a few:

• End child labor

• Establish the legal right of workers to form unions and

collectively bargain for wages, benefits and working conditions

• Establish the 8 hour work day and paid overtime

• Win workers' comp benefits for workers injured on the job

• Secure unemployment insurance for workers who lose their jobs

• Secure a guaranteed minimum wage

• Improve workplace safety and reduce on the job fatalities

• Win pensions for workers

• Win health care insurance for workers

• Win paid sick leave, vacations, and holidays as standard

benefits for most workers

• Win the right for public sector workers to collectively bargain

• Win passage of the Civil Right Acts and Title VII which outlaws

job discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin

• Win passage of the Occupational Safety and Health Act

• Win passage of the Family Medical Leave Act

American labor has a dark history filled with violence and bloodshed and tragedy. The rights we enjoy today were earned through blood and sweat of our early union brothers and sisters.

Here are a few key events in labor union history:

The Haymarket Riot

The Bayview Tragedy

The Triangle shirtwaist Fire

The Atlanta Washroom strike

Here is a photo slide show of 100 years of American labor

http://www.aflcio.org/aboutus/history/history/100years.cfm

So, on this labor day, I will try to remember the true meaning of Labor Day.

While it has become a day off for a BBQ, or an argument of whether or not to wear white shoes after Labor Day, I will remember our struggle through the years to achieve fairness and equality for the working men and women of this country.

The American union movement is intertwined in the fabric of this country. Even today, as we all know well, this struggle continues, although not in such desperate terms as our early union brothers and sisters. Every labor day, lets try to honor the sacrifices and bloodshed that gave us the working benefits we enjoy today and remember what Labor Day truly means.

And, I will end with one of my favorite quotes:

Although it is true that only about 20 percent of American workers are in unions, that 20 percent sets the standards across the board in salaries, benefits and working conditions. If you are making a decent salary in a non-union company, you owe that to the unions. One thing that corporations do not do is give out money out of the goodness of their hearts.

Molly Ivins

 

 

Text on photo in case you cant read it...

Postal workers face the ravages of the repetitive motion injuries of modern technology, along with the rigidity of nineteenth century management attitudes. They are charged with running the world's most complex postal system. At the same time they are unjustly stereotyped as lazy and inept by a top management eager to sell off postal services to private profiteers. Restructuring, automation, and out-sourcing make the postal environment a bellwether for trends affecting the broader workplace environment.