Labor Day, once called “a workingmen’s holiday,” originated out of workers’ protest over the 12-hour working day/7 days a week, low wages, and unsafe and unhealthy working conditions. Today it’s a celebration of the achievements and contributions American workers, male and female, make to the social and economic strength and vitality of our country.
Labor unions have been targeted by the politicians and public as evil and the source of all things wrong with our current economic conditions. But, as our country was moving from an agrarian to industrial society, it is through these labor unions that American workers came to have the wherewithal to purchase the goods that they were making. Something we need to remember today! And, it was because of the labor unions that our children are free to attend public schools, to become the educated populace necessary for a democratic and economically progressive society, instead of toiling in mines, factories and mills for pennies a day.
When we remember how and why this holiday came into being, can we as consumers in good conscience continue to buy products based solely on cost? Can we without embarrassment buy clothing that has been manufactured on the backs of child labor? Is it moral to buy electronics or sneakers or toys from companies that don’t pay their workers a fair wage and don’t provide safe and healthy working conditions for them? What would happen if our buying habits changed, and we wouldn’t purchase products from labor-unfriendly companies? Yes, the price of some products we desire may increase, however, so will competition, which can influence price, employment, and quality. And, better yet, the global pool of consumers with the means to purchase products and services from a wide variety of sources will grow and add to the economic viability of many countries.
Many think the need for labor unions is long passed, but look at the migrant workers in our country who toil outside labor laws. They put in 12 to14-hour days/7 days a week of hard physical labor, exposed to pesticides and dangerous equipment. They are low paid, uninsured, and suffer poorer physical health and have a shorter life expectancy than the general population. Their children often work by their sides but aren’t reported on the farmers’ books. The delicious tomato, peach, or mushroom you eat today may have been planted, tended, and harvested by one of these dedicated workers. You and I spend less of our money on food than any other country in the world. Now you know why. When will our migrant workers be included in Labor Day?
Fareed Zakaria’s blog entry, “Hey, America: Take a Vacation!” that he shared on his Sunday television show reminds us that the American worker is working too many hours on too many days every year. The average European worker gets three times more vacation days than the average worker does here and uses a higher percentage of those days. The average number of vacation days an American worker receives: 13. The average percentage of those used per year: 57%. H-m-m-m, do I see a possible solution to our high unemployment?
But, in fact, all the above is a mere digression from my true subject for this 5th day of September. This is the 60th birthday of my friend Muffy, and, in celebration, she and her cousin are kayaking the shores of the Upper Peninsula in girlfriend solidarity. Muffy has known me longer than any other non-relative and knows the true me, the one who imagined my doll was really a baby, and I was the teacher of a classroom of young students my age. She is an amazing and brilliant woman, well-described by the words of this post dedicated to strong women from Arlene’s Facebook wall:
I am strong because I know weakness,
I am compassionate because I have experienced suffering,
I am alive because I am a fighter,
I am wise because I’ve been foolish,
I can laugh because I have known sadness,
I can love because I’ve known loss.
I send her my love on this day, and I hope it will be just as special as she is.
