"The Report of my Death was an Exaggeration..." (With Bonus Tracks!)

Most American holidays honor an individual's contributions to our nation, its history or its character. We honor George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King and - in some places - Christopher Columbus.

Others honor the sacrifices made by the millions who have donned a uniform and sworn to defend our country from enemies foreign and domestic. We honor all who served on Veterans Day and those who gave their lives on Memorial Day.

But one holiday is unique. One day a year, we pause to honor the contributions of our friends and neighbors - and even ourselves. Labor Day is unique in celebrating the "rest of us," who get up every day and go to work to make America great. It's a day that celebrates not our individual accomplishments or acts of bravery, but our determination to work together in the daily work of literally building our country into a nation unlike any that has ever been seen on the face of the earth.

In particular, I hope we will take a moment to specifically recognize the contributions that the Organized Labor Movement has made to our national character. Many were surprised when a recent Gallup Poll showed a major uptick in Americans' support for labor unions. In that poll, 58% of Americans said they approve of labor unions, an increase of 5% over just a year ago and a dramatic recovery from the historic low of 48% just six years ago.

"The report of my death was an exaggeration," Mark Twain famously wrote in the New York Journal in 1897. I wonder what he'd say about today's labor movement.

I wish I knew what has caused the turnaround in public sentiment towards Labor, but there's no question that it's real. Maybe the relentless attack on unions and workers sparked a return to the fundamental sense of fairness at the core of our national character. Maybe the financial crisis and Great Recession reminded us that we need somebody looking out for the rest of us. Maybe it was the way all of labor came together to fight the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). Maybe people finally heard our message and understood that when labor is stronger, we all do better.

I don't pretend to know what caused such a dramatic reversal in our thinking, but I do know I'm thankful that it happened. I also know it's not a fluke. Just this week, I read an article about growing union membership in so-called "right to work states" like Arizona. The "Fight for 15" campaign to raise the minimum wage-driven largely by labor and fueled by the slogan "15 and a Union" is gathering steam and building successes across the country. Workers are feeling empowered. Labor is on the rise.

The report of labor's death was an exaggeration, indeed.

Still, there are people who say to me, on a fairly consistent basis, "Ken.I get that unions were important 100 years ago, when people died in sweatshops and child labor was commonplace.but why do we need them now? We have worker protections, child labor laws and a minimum wage." These well-meaning friends are under the misguided impression that we don't need to remain vigilant. They don't understand that powerful interests who would overturn every worker protection measure we have fought for since the industrial revolution. They've been lulled into a sense of security by never having lived in a world where there were no safeguards against employer abuse. What they don't realize is that they've also never lived in a world without an organized labor movement.

As a reminder to my friends and your neighbors, here are just a few things we take for granted but owe to Organized Labor:

 

This is just a partial list, but it's also a list of things we take for granted that could be taken away if there was nobody watching our elected officials. It's the labor movement that remains vigilant and keeps up the fight for working families.

So as you enjoy your barbecues this weekend, catch the last rays at the beach and lament the end of summer, remember that labor day isn't just about Frances Perkins, Cesar Chavez,  A. Philip Randolph, Samuel Gompers and the ghosts of Triangle Shirtwaist company. It's about you and me, our friends and neighbors. Our kids' teachers, the fire fighter who saved your house and the carpenter who built it. Labor day does celebrate heroism. It's the heroism of those who fight for a better life for all of us. Some of them wear uniforms, some don't. But we all get up every morning and go to work. And that's something worth celebrating.

Have a great weekend and a safe Labor Day.

In Solidarity,

Ken

Ken Green photo

Share this post

And now for something completely different - our Labor Day Spotify Playlist!

 

Have a song to add? Let us know! Tell us on Facebook and we'll add it to the list.