We Stand On the Shoulders Of Giants
History is written by the winners and winners prefer self-aggrandizement to more robust, accurate portrayals. (Imagine the history books if Hitler had won!).
That is why few names survive in the annals of American history to recognize those who moved America forward in its progress to provide free public education to all, abolish slavery, to give the vote to women, guarantee the civil rights of minorities, eliminate child labor, include 18 year olds in the voting process, provide minimum wage, protect the rights of the disabled, to have weekends, qualify for earned benefits like Social Security and Medicare, have safety and protection on the job, workers' compensation when injured on the job and unemployment insurance when a job is lost....The list of fights for rights is long and the names we know are few. And at every step, America's Labor Unions were in the fray. Some died. Many suffered. But the Labor Movement has endured. And if you are the beneficiary of one or more of those EARNED BENEFITS, you owe a union.
Today unions are struggling because Right To Work Laws (RTW) have legislated against them. But finally, economists are drawing attention to the fact that in the states where RTW laws are strongest, the state economies are the weakest. Finally the public is realizing that worker protections benefit ALL of us and there is growing support for unions. Finally, there is attention given to the fact that the decline in the middle class parallels the decline in union strength.
Today unions stand by workers whose employers would cheat them out of earned wages. Unions are working to protect the health and safety of all of us. The faces may change but the mission has not. These unsung heroes won't be named in ballads or textbooks. They know they stand on the shoulders of giants, but how many of us know that there are giants that walk among us today?
Labor Day is a holiday to honor the sacrifices of those workers who came before us AND those who struggle every day to deliver a product or service now. It is a WORKER HOLIDAY brought to you by America's unions.
~ Felicia Bruce