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!" 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.
Harold Meyerson tells us why this is a Labor Day unlike others:
Labor Day 2023 isn’t like Labor Day 2022. It isn’t like any Labor Day of the past half-century.
The reason is simple: Labor law has changed.
Two Fridays ago, the National Labor Relations Board restored a good deal of labor law to its original purpose of enabling workers to bargain collectively for better pay and working conditions.
In its decision in the Cemex case, the Board ruled that when a majority of workers at a company or worksite affiliate with a union (something they could do by signing affiliation cards), the employer could either recognize that union voluntarily or request that the Board hold an election. If, during the run-up to the election or the election itself, the employer committed an unfair labor practice (ULP), the Board would immediately declare the union recognized and order the employer to begin bargaining with it...
Have a safe and happy Labor Day!
(Image: US Department of Labor)
