According to the U.S. Department of Labor web page, Labor Day is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It is a tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity and well-being of our country.
It became a federal holiday in 1894, following the deaths of 13 workers and injuries to an additional 57 workers at the hands of the U.S. military and U.S. marshals who were mobilized by railroad owners in the now infamous Pullman railcar strike. Legislation making Labor Day a national holiday was rushed through Congress unanimously and signed into law a mere six days after the end of the strike as President Grover Cleveland feared further conflict.
Today we are several generations removed from the dark days of labor when labor leaders were jailed or fired upon by goon squads because they simply dared to stand up for decent and safe work conditions and a fair wage.
Some however, still seem to want to hearken back to those darker days and actually appear to bask in the feeling of sticking it to workers, particularly those who happen to belong to a union.
Recently, we have seen in our town an employer who willfully has broken the law and violated the rights of workers through harassment and intimidation. An Aug. 25 judgement from the National Labor Relations Board corroborates this assertion and has vindicated Sheraton Anchorage employees.
In another instance of insulting policy, a few Anchorage Assembly members decided they'd rather be able to tell their constituents they stood up to the union than approve an arbitrator's award, which even the mayor's own legal staff says will ultimately be adopted. How much will it cost the city to pursue this futile endeavor? I guess some Assembly members are fiscal conservatives only when it suits them.
What the mayor and his cronies on the Assembly have accomplished in regard to the Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility contract with the Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 367 is simply political theater.
It was the most avoidable strike vote I've ever witnessed and solely a result of the failure of Mayor Sullivan to bargain effectively, leaving an extremely conservative arbitrator with very little choice but to side with the union.
Despite conservative attacks here and elsewhere in the country recently, average folks who don't belong to unions have been standing up alongside union members, understanding that unions are looking out for the interests of all workers and realizing the very existence of a middle class is being threatened in our country. Recent data shows in terms of income inequality the U.S. ranks a dismal 64th, just a smidgeon better than Uruguay, Jamaica and Uganda. Not very good company.
There is a rising tide of pushback against these anti-worker forces. They have popped up here in Alaska and around the country in places like Wisconsin, Ohio and elsewhere. In fact, around the world.
A working middle class is absolutely essential to a functioning democracy. And organized labor is the key to maintaining a working middle class. Even if you don't like unions there is no denying what organized labor has gained for all workers, whether they are in a union job or not.
Decent wages, health benefits, safety conditions, Social Security, the eight-hour day, overtime pay, holidays and the weekend. These are but a few of the things organized labor has secured for all workers.
Many say the times for unions have come and gone, but every benefit earned in the past century I mentioned in the previous paragraph has been attacked recently. It should be clear that our role is as important now as ever.
As people enjoy perhaps the last big barbecue of the year today or get in that last three-day camping trip, I hope they remember that it was the struggles and blood of union members that made this day, and the protections all workers have on the job will simply be lost if unions aren't there to protect them.
Vince Beltrami is president of the Alaska AFL-CIO.
By VINCE BELTRAMI