Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if Labor had not first existed. Labor is superior to capital, and deserves much the higher consideration. – Abraham Lincoln
Only a fool would try to deprive working men and working women of their right to join the union of their choice. – Dwight D. Eisenhower
The fight is never about grapes or lettuce. It is always about people. – Cesar Chavez
As we celebrate this Labor Day weekend. It seems appropriate to thank the men and women of the labor movement who paid with blood, sweat and tears so that the situation of all working people could be improved.
The minimum wage stands at $5.15. “Right to work” states keep proliferating. Benefits and workplace protections are being eroded. Once again, the Labor Movement, and all who have benefited from it, must act strongly to protect and expand workers’ rights – human rights – in this country and around the world.
Our forefathers and foremothers risked much for these rights. It is time we start picking up their mantle.
The Department of Labor website offers a succinct article about the history and meaning of Labor Day.
“Labor Day differs in every essential way from the other holidays of the year in any country,” said Samuel Gompers, founder and longtime president of the American Federation of Labor. “All other holidays are in a more or less degree connected with conflicts and battles of man’s prowess over man, of strife and discord for greed and power, of glories achieved by one nation over another. Labor Day…is devoted to no man, living or dead, to no sect, race, or nation.”
Though it exact origins are in dispute, Labor Day was first celebrated in New York City in 1882. Oregon and New York State led the way in making Labor Day a statewide observance and by the end of the nineteenth century, it had become a national holiday.
Parades, speeches, and dissemination of information about the Labor movement marked the day as ways of celebrating evolved throughout the years. In 1909, the AFL-CIO added Labor Sunday, “dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.”
The vital force of labor added materially to the highest standard of living and the greatest production the world has ever known and has brought us closer to the realization of our traditional ideals of economic and political democracy. It is appropriate, therefore, that the nation pay tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation’s strength, freedom, and leadership — the American worker.
The AFL-CIO invites all Americans to show their support for workers by participating in the “Buy Union” initiative during Union Label Week, Sept. 5-10. You can find a list of goods and services ranging from automotive to travel at the Union Label Website.
Have a safe and peaceful holiday. Here a few more thoughts to inspire you.
Let the workers organize. Let the toilers assemble. Let their crystallized voice proclaim their injustices and demand their privileges. Let all thoughtful citizens sustain them, for the future of Labor is the future of America. – John L. Lewis
If capitalism is fair then unionism must be. If men have a right to capitalize their ideas and the resources of their country, then that implies the right of men to capitalize their labor. – Frank Lloyd Wright
Ten thousand times has the labor movement stumbled and bruised itself. We have been enjoined by the courts, assaulted by thugs, charged by the militia, traduced by the press, frowned upon in public opinion, and deceived by politicians. ‘But notwithstanding all this and all these, labor is today the most vital and potential power this planet has ever known, and its historic mission is as certain of ultimate realization as is the setting of the sun. – Eugene Debs
The strongest bond of human sympathy outside the family relation should be one uniting working people of all nations and tongues and kindreds. –Abraham Lincoln
