Labor Day, 2010

For years, succeeding generations of Americans celebrated Labor Day in a traditional manner. Created as a day to venerate the contributions made to the United States by organized labor, the holiday remained true to its origin.

There were community parades and picnics, and civic celebrations and oratory that celebrated the working man and woman. It was a day of government-approved rest, a day when all Americans could unite, if only briefly, in noting the vast distance U.S. workers had traveled as the country shifted from its agrarian roots to become an industrial and manufacturing giant powered by the demanding and sometimes dangerous labors of the American working class.

That’s still correct, but not so true as it was, say, 50 years ago. There will be parades and other high-profile events, though mostly in big cities, and there will be speeches, including an acknowledgment of the day from the president, other politicians and labor officials. All will make note, no doubt, of the rich history and undeniable contributions of the American worker over the years. Still, commemoration of Labor Day this year is tempered by the hard truths of the current economic scene.

Working men and women in the United States face trials they have not seen in decades. Almost 10 percent of Americans who want to work and are actively looking for a job can’t find one. Others simply have given up the quest, so they’re not counted in unemployment figures. Simply put, workers are in bind.

Well-paying jobs with benefits are difficult to secure. Those who have jobs increasingly struggle to maintain a decent standard of living. Stagnant wages — pay raises have become increasingly uncommon in the last two or three years — make it difficult to meet the rising cost of health care, education and essentials such as food and gasoline. For the first time, it seems possible, if not likely, that the next generation of working-class Americans will have a lower standard of living than its predecessor.

Labor Day, of course, is a day to reflect on the history of Americans who work, and the legacy they have given us. Working Americans, primarily through the unions they created and the rights they won, helped rid the workplace of the cruel abuse and criminal exploitation that were once rampant there. They were and still are at the forefront of the battle to safeguard the health and safety of those on the job. The holiday is also a time to look forward, and for workers to remember their strength and to profitably use the power and influence they wield.

Workers remain the vital heart of the nation and they could once again become a formidable voting block if they unite in common cause. This Labor Day they should pledge to use that power judiciously in November’s midterm elections. Doing so is unlikely to bring a prompt end to the woes of U.S. workers. Yet it surely would remind those who embrace and promote a political movement and mindset that is inimical to working class Americans, that they do so at their own and the nation’s peril.