[Peace-discuss] Labor Day

[Ricky Baldwin]

[It's true, as many have pointed out, that the US is
virtually alone in the world in celebrating its Labor
Day on a day other than May 1 - ironic, since May Day
as a day of international labor solidarity was a
result of the Haymarket Square incident right here in
Chicago and the execution of innocent labor leaders
that followed.  

However, Labor Day is still important, whatever day
it's on, and here's why, in part, from a union
activist email group... RB]


Labor Day is [less than] one week away and working
families are
gearing up to celebrate and rededicate ourselves to
guaranteeing that every worker has the freedom to form
a union without employer interference. We know that:

+ Union members earn 26 percent more than their
nonunion
counterparts. 

+ More than 75 percent of union workers have health
benefits. Less than half of nonunion workers have
health
coverage. 

+ Nearly 70 percent of union workers have a pension.
Only 14 percent of nonunion workers have one.  

+ The 10 states where unions are strongest have higher
earnings, better health coverage, less crime, more
civic participation, less poverty and better schools
than the 10 states where union membership is lowest.

That is why more and more of America's workers want
union jobs or want a union where they work. More than
42 million nonunion workers say they want to join a
union. However, employers often harass and intimidate
workers when they join together to form their union.
That is wrong, often illegal and most definitely a
violation of the human rights of those workers.
Independent
research shows that, 

+ 25 percent of employers illegally fire at least one
worker for union activity during organizing campaigns.

+ 75 percent of employers hire union-busters to fight
union organizing.  

+ 78 percent of employers force employees to attend
one-on-one meetings with their own supervisors against
the union.  

+ 52 percent of employers threaten to call the
Immigration
and Naturalization Service during organizing that
includes
undocumented workers.  

+ 51 percent of companies threaten to close the plant
if the union wins the election, however, less than
1 percent ever actually do that.

[We could add some points on things we can thank
organized labor for, historically -- child labor laws,
OSHA, overtime pay, the weekend, etc -- or about how
still in many countries today workers literally die
for the right to form a union because it's their only
hope.  And there's certainly a lot wrong with unions,
and holes in child labor laws, OSHA, etc.  But the
above is a decent synopsis of why we still need them
here - and why Labor Day, whatever day it's on, is
still important. - RB]

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