Today, when many (certainly not all) of us get a nice long weekend to bid summer adieu, I think it’s important to remember why we have a holiday dedicated to workers.
Thanks to our forefathers’ and -mothers’ struggle – marching, striking, being beaten and shot – we have the right to an eight-hour work day (and overtime if we work more than that), the weekend, child labor laws, safer working conditions and a minimum wage.
Reading over this list, it’s apparent that even those basic guarantees are under serious erosion and attack. We, the working people of this country, are not done. We need stronger enforcement of those basic rights, and we need a new Bill of Economic Rights, much like the late, great FDR laid out in this speech:
To this end, for all American workers – public and private, part-time and full-time – we must have:
2. The right to a reasonable number of paid sick days, to be used for oneself or a member of one’s family (i.e., spouse, child, elderly parent, etc.). The current Family and Medical Leave Act only guarantees unpaid leave, which most workers cannot afford to take.
3. The right to a reasonable number of paid parental leave days for the birth of a child. The Federal Employee Paid Parental Leave Act of 2009 only covers federal employees, and again, the FMLA doesn’t provide paid leave. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a national campaign to link to; the fight is apparently state-by-state. California was the first state to implement a paid family leave act; other states have similar proposals. You can read more at the Progressive States Network.
4. Health care should be the right of every American, regardless of employment status or income.
5. The right to a reasonably stable schedule, with two days off in a row each week, so that swing-shift workers can plan and enjoy time off with their families, friends and interests. Unfortunately, I don’t know of any organized campaign for this. Maybe it’s time for cooks, waitstaff and convenience-store clerks to start one!
6. Stricter enforcement of the right to discuss all aspects of their working conditions, including wages, with anyone at any time. This is a pretty straightforward First Amendment issue, and company “nondisclosure” policies are illegal under the National Labor Relations Act, but I can’t tell you how many employers forbid discussing wages on the job.
I urge you to visit the links and sign the petitions. And after you’re done grilling the burgers and hot dogs, sit down and watch The Grapes of Wrath for a good idea of what it was like before we had labor laws. Or listen to some Utah Phillips and get inspired to join the cause.
