Labor Day

Whether people earn a living with their hands or behind a computer, I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who puts in an honest day’s work for a fair wage. It’s disheartening to witness the ongoing struggle between labor and fair compensation. Why do we allow this to happen? It’s painfully clear that many of the billionaires who wield immense power at the top of the economic hierarchy seem to overlook the workers who are the backbone of their businesses and the consumers who rely on their products. Too often, workers are viewed as obstacles to profit rather than valued contributors.

In the spirit of addressing these challenges, I want to say: long live labor unions!

I grew up in a warm, close-knit middle-class neighborhood that might remind some of the idyllic scenes from the Leave It to Beaver series. Everyone knew each other, and it was a community filled with children who all went to the same school—a truly wonderful way to grow up!

My father was a proud union member, and my mother, who devoted herself to being a stay-at-home mom, worked tirelessly to manage our household. Her role was crucial, taking care of cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, laundry, mending clothes, and packing school lunches—all without the conveniences we often take for granted today. I still cherish the memory of her excitement when we got a garbage disposal; it was such a different time back then.

While money was always a consideration, I was fortunate to grow up surrounded by families with similar circumstances, so we all shared the same concerns. There were questions like whether there would be enough for musical instruments, summer camp, or school supplies. Yet, we never felt deprived—we had food on the table, and we learned the joy of working hard for those "extras" while appreciating the dedicated effort my parents put into ensuring a stable family life.

Every workday morning, my father would wake up at 5:00 a.m. Mom would prepare his breakfast: Cream of Wheat with milk, two slices of buttered toast with jelly, a banana, and coffee. She lovingly packed his lunchbox with a sandwich, fruit, cookies, and a thermos of coffee. They maintained this routine for 40 years, a testament to their commitment, until my father retired.

Thanks to the union that my father belonged to, our family comfortably thrived on one salary, and because that union fought for fair wages and benefits throughout his career, my parents were able to retire with a respectable pension and health care that served them well into their 90s. They lived in the same home, managed their cars until absolutely necessary to replace them, kept their remodeling to a minimum, and were able to pay for college and weddings for my two sisters—all while enjoying regular family vacations.

I often think of the workers in the office who didn’t have the protection of a labor union. They were the first to face layoffs, and many had to leave the workforce around age 55, facing challenges in finding new jobs, especially at that age. My father, however, was protected as a union member and was able to retire in his early 60s, a privilege not granted to so many.

While I acknowledge that unions can protect some workers who may not always warrant it, most of the people I grew up with were dedicated, conscientious individuals. My father consistently put in the extra hours when needed, as did his fellow crew members. They valued their employers and understood the importance of supporting the company, even at a time when younger workers were often brought in at lower wages.

That’s the true power of labor unions: to safeguard workers from management that often views them merely as numbers on a spreadsheet. And it’s not just unions for those in traditional labor; they protect teachers, airline pilots, police officers, government workers, and many more.

Today, under the Trump administration, we’ve seen troubling developments. AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler referred to it as the single biggest act of union-busting in our country’s history. Essential agencies, including NASA and the National Weather Service, have been stripped of union protections. In June, Trump moved to reclassify career federal employees, jeopardizing their jobs and making it easier to dismiss them without due process. Approximately 400,000 federal jobs have vanished, many of which were union positions, and the manufacturing sector has lost a staggering 75,000 primarily union jobs. Moreover, the factories being reestablished due to tariffs are primarily designed for automation rather than for people, impacting real lives and families with long-lasting consequences.

People choose to unionize because management often fails to prioritize their welfare and dignity. While it’s completely understandable that management focuses on profitability, it shouldn’t come at the expense of protecting and respecting the hardworking individuals who deserve recognition for their contributions. We must always remember that it’s the collective efforts of these workers that keep our economy thriving.

Happy Labor Day!