Editorial:
Labor Day in the U.S. is when we celebrate the working man and woman. The people who toil in the factories, the schools, the fields, in offices, the people who make America great.
It is through the labor of hard-working men and women that America thrives, grows, and wealth is built.
Putting aside the hysterics of Donald Trump, it is the working person, the middle class which is the focus of the early presidential talking points. The Democratic candidates for president, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, are calling for sharing in the wealth, advancing middle class families, and jobs. Democrats believe in taking care of those less fortunate, as we have seen with President Obama’s Affordable Care Act.
Republicans on the other hand believe in building economic wealth from the top down. If you scan news stories on Republican economic ideas what you get are ideas on how to cut the tax burden on big business and curb federal regulations for corporations. When it comes to the working person, candidate Marco Rubio’s vision is pretty standard for the Republican Party: “give lower- and middle-income Americans access to training and education.”
Another theme of the Republican Party is the dismantling of worker’s unions. Republicans and the corporate elite view worker’s unions as albatrosses around their necks, dragging down profits. Again this idea is best exemplified by Republican candidate Scott Walker, who had been considered a strong contender. His presidential platform is based on his record as Governor of Wisconsin, where he has taken on the unions and won in many cases. In essence, Republicans believe that everything wrong with the economy lies at the feet of unions.
On this Labor Day weekend it is good to remember what unions have done for the working man. Without a union, workers are taken for granted: they suffer lower wages, long hours, no benefits, and no work place protection. With unions, workers receive a decent wage, working hours are defined, benefits are provided, and working conditions are regulated.
The best and most recent example of what a union means to the working person is seen in the United Farm Workers Union (UFW) created by Cesar Chavez. Prior to the UFW, growers did not even provide port-a-potties for farm workers, much less a living wage.
Unions provide a collective voice for the workers where they can stand on their feet and demand their fair share of the wealth collected by big business. If it wasn’t for the worker there wouldn’t be any business or wealth to share!
This weekend we honor the working man and woman, the people that make this country great!