Labor Day, 2021

 

Today is Labor Day in America, a holiday established in 1894 by President Grover Cleveland following the end of the bloody Pullman strike. Over the years, the holiday has morphed from a celebration of labor (i.e., organized labor) into a "last weekend the pool is open"/ "summer's over!" kind of celebration. In these days of Republican/ oligarch-funded assaults on organized labor, let's remember a few of the things we owe organized labor: 

-- the 8-hour workday/ 40-hour workweek (a.k.a., your weekend);
-- minimum wage;
-- workplace health and safety standards;
-- child labor prohibition;
-- civil rights (the UAW under Walter Reuther shone); and
-- what's left of the American middle class. 

Today, the Washington Post editorial board suggests honoring a particular category of workers who have more than done their part during the past 18 months:

“Every single day doing the same thing over and over again, and you just never think there’s going to be an end.” So commented a critical care nurse at a Florida hospital facing a surge in hospitalizations of covid-19 patients. “They are all super sick, intubated, sedated and on their bellies, it’s disheartening,” said another intensive-care nurse. “Tired, overworked and overwhelmed” was how a director of emergency medical services in Florida described hospital staff, reporting “we’re working really hard: working overtime, working late hours and taking on more than normal because we don’t have a choice.”

For 18 long, hard months, these workers have been on the front lines in the country’s fight against the coronavirus. They have been joined by people who deliver groceries, cook meals, pick up trash, patrol streets, clean hospitals and care for the frail. Despite the hardships and health risks, they do their jobs, day in and day out, too often for little pay and few benefits. As Labor Day is celebrated Monday — with the pandemic sadly far from vanquished — these essential workers should be remembered and honored above all.

They should be remembered and honored -- and paid a commensurate wage! -- for the essential work they do now and going forward.

Have a safe Labor Day.