Happy Labor Day 2019

Ah, Labor day, that sanctimonious holiday for those who, well, labor. While it is celebrated by all as a national holiday, it holds a special place for those in the skilled trades. The reason, quite simply, is because it’s in honor of the struggles the labor movement has faced over its years. And if you don’t think there have been struggles over the years you don’t know your history – because it is the labor movement who brought you a lot of what you enjoy today. It all came at a cost though and that cost was HIGH.

If all this seems new to you don’t worry, between the links I’ll provide and the content of this article, I hope to give a crash course on the sacred holiday for those in the skilled trades.

Backstory

You wake up before the sun rises, leave your house, and head down to work at the coal mine with everyone else from town. To you, it’s just another toilsome day as you trudge along with others, gather your tools, and head in for a long day’s work.

In the background you hear the canary happily singing away while you notice the child next to you. You haven’t seen him before but that doesn’t matter; this mine is full of children. He looks to be about 7 or so if you had to guess. He coughs as he walks, the light of life having left his eyes.

Your mind begins to wonder what day it is. Ah, that’s right, it’s Tuesday. Again, that doesn’t matter though, because you’ll be in the mine for a solid 12 hours, emerging when the sun is setting outside. You can hear coughing from the coal dust in the air – a regular occurrence and one you’re not even picking up on anymore.

After a long, hard days work you emerge from the mine dirty and dog tired. All you really want to do is go home, wash up, get a quick bite to eat, and collapse on your bed.

The same routine takes place the next day. And the next. It’s a cycle that never seems to end. You used to wonder if this is all there is but not anymore; you have worked and seen enough to stop thinking about that altogether.

The day rolls around to get paid for your hard work. The foreman hands you the familiar company script, which you already know is to be used at the company store. You remember the first time you got paid and how you questioned the “money” that is company script. You also remember the foremans response: “be glad you got a job.” You tried to use the script at another store but they wouldn’t take it – something about how the company doesn’t pay what they said the value of their script was.

Many months have passed since you first got paid and you don’t even think about it anymore. There’s barely enough money to buy food for your family and you’ll never own your home – because that is owned by the company, too. You remember a coworker and his family were evicted just last month because he got hurt in the mines and couldn’t work. They had no place to go and although he was injured in the mines the owners didn’t care, they wanted the house for a new worker who would replace him. He didn’t have any money saved up either – what’s the point? That company script was worthless everywhere else except the company store.

As you wake up for another day of work, you look in the mirror and your mind snaps back to that child you saw in the mines the other day. You remember how you saw clearly the light of life had left his eyes. You know what that looks like all to well because you see it in your own eyes. Instantly, you think about your own kids, asleep in their beds. You mourn the idea that in a few short years your own children will be in those very mines along side you, toiling away for even less than what you make. You say to yourself this is no place for a child as you walk in the mine, trying to figure out if there was something, anything you could do to change your children’s future.

Reality

The above might be a dramatization but it rings with truth. In fact, I’ll go so far as to say I didn’t even really scratch the surface. I didn’t talk about the environmental problems associated with those coal mines, those miners who had black lung from years of exposure. I didn’t speak on how the canary in the mines was an early warning system for bad air – if the canary stopped singing it was time to leave the mine – if you could, that is. I didn’t write about the children who spent many years of their childhood in a dirty, nasty place and developed black lung and a death sentence as a result. I could have told you about the company, with the government’s approval and help, using force to squash any attempts to improve life and conditions. I didn’t even tell you about the loss of many lives at the hands of greed, either, though perhaps I should. I could have written so much more, but I think the point is valid and the above story is enough to make the point.

Nevertheless, it’s all true. The long work days, the children in those mines, no concern for air quality or worker safety, getting paid company script (often valued less to keep workers down), to be used at a company store, living in company owned housing, etc. Yes, the government was complicit in breaking up attempts to improve conditions and yes, it’s not a stretch to say they were, at times, in the pocket of private robber barons. Whether it was national economic interest or not, what does that matter when a whole generation (and by extension the next several generations) were at stake? How else do you explain their actions?

Why Labor Day is Important

Labor day is a celebration of the victories won by those who sacrificed A LOT for the generations that followed them. Take a gander at just some of the victories hard won:

• 8 hour work days
• weekends
• No child labor
• Social security
• Better working conditions
• OSHA

The above isn’t exhaustive nor is it meant to be. It’s a snapshot and each of the above was fought for and won because people, tired of poor working conditions, and wanting a better future for their children and future generations, organized together to fight for something better. They exemplified the old saying, “stand for something or you’ll fall for anything.” Before organized labor, working men fell for anything they were told. There were no rights, there were poor conditions to say the least, many weren’t paid with real money; they were essentially held captive by the company of the day.

Unfortunately, some have distorted history to try and take away from what organized labor has achieved over the years. Not wanting to give credit where credit was due, they purport lies from there being benevolent robber barons to organized labor is a bad thing for everyone. This is, of course, patently false and a lack of proper history fuels this, unfortunately. The old saying “those who don’t know their history are doomed to repeat it” is on full display today. It is not the intent of this article to delve into the difference between free market capitalism and what I call political capitalism but rest assured – there is a HUGE difference (any guess which one the robber barons employed in their quest for wealth and domination?). Nor is it my intention to really answer the critics in depth who say organized labor has outlived its purpose. That would be a totally different post. (Sneak peak here though: if you think the gulf between those in the upper stratosphere and those back down here on earth is big now, you have no idea. The gulf would be MUCH WIDER if not for the accomplishments of organized labor in the past, and it is organized labor who fights for those in the middle class even now. The rich have politicians on their side from BOTH parties in the political spectrum – you can’t say they are going to fight. Nor can you say laws are going to protect you because laws can be repealed; Wisconsin was an example of this some time back. Organized labor is really the only thing that has fought for working men and women then AND now. Organized labor’s value is immeasurable, all things considered).

At the end of the day, all who are in the skilled trades have greatly benefited by the tremendous sacrifice of those who came before us. President Kennedy said “a rising tide lifts all boats.” While not new, the idiom certainly applies to the efforts of organized labor – the conditions they fought and won have affected ALL in the skilled trades – and EVERYONE else by extension. If you don’t believe that then you are willfully ignorant of your history.

So while your barbecuing, cooking out, partying, and relaxing, be sure and remember you are doing so because some people fought for better and more. So here’s to the accomplishments of organized labor and the day set aside honoring it all. Labor day: the precious holiday for the artisan, craftsman, and skilled tradesman. Happy Labor day my friends!

External Links

I’ve attached in this section some external links for additional information. There really is a treasure trove of information for those who wish to delve into struggles organized labor faced. Be careful though: some seek to rewrite history, attempting to mislead you about the fight and issues of organized labor. Happy reading!

 

Below is a link to a really good synopsis from the history channel on labor day.

• History channel and labor day

Here is another good article to check out linking wage stagnation to declining union membership:

• The decline in union membership and wage stagnation

An honest assessment of the imbalance of power and corrective action demonstrates just how much the gulf has grown between those who have and those who have not. In an ever widening system, eventually something is going to break. This link is a run down of legislation which aims to correct the balance when workers elect to unionize and seek to collectively bargain.