Like Your Weekend? Thank A Union

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.care2.com/causes/civil-rights/blog/like-your-weekend-thank-a-union/

A five-day work-week, mandatory minimum wages, and paid leave are all legacies of organized labor. So is Social Security, Medicare, and child labor laws. Without organized labor it is very possible none of these benefits for workers would exist.

As we look forward to the next big battles--for meaningful health insurance reform, for honest and fair immigration policies, and for a climate and energy bill that does not reward companies for promoting non-renewable and non-sustainable practices and resources, this country needs the voice of organized labor now more than ever. Organized labor built the American middle-class, and as Wall Street's practices have all but destroyed this demographic it's time to refocus.



For starters, we need to pass meaningful health insurance reform, one that contains a public option, and one that, once and for all, makes sure that we recognize the moral responsibility we have to not profit on illness and denial of care. We also need to recognize, and pass into legislation, a Farmworkers bill of rights. Currently thousands of immigrant workers face exploitation at the hands of the American agriculture industry with no mechanism to advocate for themselves. Those who pick our strawberries and harvest our greens deserve to be paid a minimum wage, have the security of workers compensation insurance, and to not be subjected to draconian work schedules.

Organized labor lost its focus and lost its vision over the course of the past decade. But now the issues are too big and impact to many to continue the myopic policies and practices of the past. To celebrate and honor this Labor Day, thank a union. They gave you your weekends, your job security, and the middle class. What better way to pay tribute to this amazing and powerful legacy than to pass the policies that will once again build the largest, most productive middle class in the world.

Read more: labor, unions, civil rights, minimum wage, paid leave