President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris celebrated Labor Day at a stuffed Pittsburgh union hall.
“We celebrate unions because unions helped build America, and unions helped build America’s middle class,” Harris told the crowd, before lauding organized labor’s part in making the nation better, safer and more economically robust.
Labor unions have also been a savior for marginalized people. A recent U.S. Treasury report underscored the positive impact of unions on promoting fair wages, improving working conditions, and fostering economic stability.
Labor Day, established in the late 19th century, originated from the Pullman Strike of 1894, which disrupted rail transport and led to widespread unrest. The strike highlighted the need for labor reform, and President Grover Cleveland signed legislation creating Labor Day as a federal holiday, acknowledging workers’ vital role in the nation’s vigorous economic growth.
Labor unions have evolved to address wage stagnation and international job outsourcing, among other issues, but they remain focused on basic rights such as fair wages, reasonable hours, and safe workplace conditions.
Marginalized groups, particularly Black women, made substantial contributions to the U.S. economy, and they have been integral to the agriculture, domestic, and manufacturing sectors. The Great Migration, which saw many Black women move from rural Southern areas to urban centers, significantly contributed to the industrial workforce and urban development. Black women and other marginalized groups were pivotal in labor activism and the Civil Rights Movement. Their efforts helped dismantle discriminatory practices and paved the way for more inclusive policies and economic opportunities. Today, Black women and other marginalized groups still drive economic growth in diverse fields such as technology, healthcare, and education.
Despite their contribution, there remains a significant wage disparity. Black women earn approximately 63 cents for every dollar earned by white, non-Hispanic men, according to the National Women’s Law Center. Systemic barriers and discrimination continue to hinder equitable compensation and career advancement despite considerable progress in education and professional achievement by women of color.
My own state of Georgia has been central to the anti-labor movement since the 1940s. In 1947, Georgia became a “right-to-work” state that outlaws worker contracts that require employees to join a union or pay union dues. This decreases union membership, which means less union money to organize and lobby for better worker pay and benefits. The law's chief advocate, Vance Muse, was a well-known white supremacist who championed the law as a means to not only destroy unions but maintain the unjust racial order of the South. One of the more recent attacks on workers’ rights and unions was launched on February of this year when Georgia passed Senate Bill 362, which bars businesses that open shop in Georgia from receiving state incentives, if they recognize labor unions (unless workers vote to unionize with a secret ballot).
Labor unions face considerable resistance in the Southern U.S., often rooted in historical, racial, cultural, and political factors. Dr. Martin Luther King’s last speech was about supporting Memphis sanitation workers’ efforts for unionize. He was assassinated the next day.
But unions are vital to closing persistent race-based wage disparities and the paradox of labor shortages amidst high unemployment. To foster a more equitable and robust economy, it is essential to support and strengthen them, and to address systemic barriers to people of color, and invest in education and continued training.
VP Harris said as much during her Labor Day speech, praising the positive economic impact of unions for all workers.
“There has been a certain backward thinking approach over the last several years, which is to suggest that the measure of the strength of a leader is based on who you beat down, instead of what we know: The true measure of the strength of a leader is based on who you lift up,” Harris told the crowd.
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C. Dreams is an advocate who writes and lectures about prison and criminal justice reform, LGBTQ rights, harm reduction, and government and cultural criticism.
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