Value Labor
Labor Day was first celebrated Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, originating during one of American labor history’s most dismal chapters. At the time, most employees worked 12-hour days, seven days a week in order to make a living. Children, the elderly, the poor, and recent immigrants often worked in unsafe conditions with insufficient access to fresh air, sanitary facility and breaks.
Instrumental in making changes to these conditions was Frances Perkins, the U.S. Secretary of Labor from 1933 to 1945 under President Franklin Roosevelt (FDR), and the first woman appointed to the U.S. Cabinet. She proposed: a forty-hour work week, a minimum wage, worker’s compensation, unemployment compensation, a federal law banning child labor, federal aid for unemployment relief, Social Security, a revitalized public employment service, and health insurance. During his first term, Roosevelt accomplished all of these goals, except national health insurance.
In 2021 we are still struggling with employee and labor issues that effect economic security. The COVID-19 pandemic—which isn’t over—changed so much, raised so many questions, and brought so many issues to the forefront—issues that impact the social contract we make with workers and employees. Here are a few that come to mind.
Should employees go to work sick? No and they shouldn’t have to choose between a paycheck and their health. What’s lacking is paid sick and family medical leave.
Why don’t sick workers go to the doctor? What’s lacking is many don’t have access to healthcare benefits. When was FDR’s first term in office? It began in 1933. We’re still discussing health insurance.
Are employees refusing to go back to work because of extended unemployment benefits? Likely not, at least not the vast majority of them. One thing that’s lacking and contributing to this situation is quality child care.
Which workers are most affected by what’s lacking in quality benefits? Mostly, it’s front-line workers in retail and service industries—but others are affected too. It’s time to look seriously at these issues. It’s easy for business, especially small businesses, to say they can’t afford them, or they will have to raise prices if they offer them. Have they done a cost-benefit analysis? Do they know the costs of not offering them? For example, the Center for American Progress reports that child care insecurity costs the economy $57 billion each year in lost earnings, productivity, and revenue.
This year, Labor Day is Monday, September 6. How can we honor front-line and essential workers? Not by sharing social memes. Start by thanking them for doing their jobs when you’re in retail establishments or conversing with service workers. Let them know you appreciate them. Wear your mask and get vaccinated. We can beat this virus, and we can provide economic security with quality benefits. We must value and honor everyone’s labor.