labor away

On Labor Day, we stand in solidarity with all the workers who lift our Nation to new heights and all the labor unions who give all workers power and voice. May we continue working to restore the American Dream for every person willing to work hard in our Nation by embracing what has always been the foundation of our country’s success: investing in America and American workers. ~ JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America 

labor day picnic - O. Naumenko, Shutterstock

American celebrate work and workers on this day by taking a break from work. The labor unions credited for this federal holiday began forming in the mid-19th century in response to the social and economic impact of the Industrial Revolution. National labor unions began to form in the post-Civil War Era in response to the dire need to create jobs in its wake. 

The Labor Movement in the United States grew out of the need to protect the common interest of workers. For those in the industrial sector, organized labor unions fought for better wages, reasonable hours and safer working conditions. The labor movement led efforts to stop child labor, give health benefits and provide aid to workers who were injured or retired. 

implementing diversity, equity & inclusion

In The Problem with Work, Kathi Weeks argues that domination and subordination are central experiences in the organization of work today. This is especially true for domination based on racial differences. Throughout history the disparity between white workers and slave or coolie labor is distressing. 

The expansion of European and American capital and the seizure of new territories around the world by colonial powers facilitated the dissemination of racist discourses and racial labor management practices. Abusive and no labor of love to be sure. 

Miners, factory workers, dock workers, and office workers are not the only wage workers. Feminist labor historians have long pointed out that domestic workers and sex workers are also wage workers, even though their labors are engaged in the intimate work of caring for others. 

the civil rights movement in the US

In colonial and postcolonial societies, this intimate work is largely performed by women of nonwhite and/or migrant backgrounds, a fact that underscores how race and gender shape the division of labor. 

The Civil Rights Movement in the late 1950s and 1960s opened a new chapter in the history of interracial labor movements. 

In our current world can we honestly say we have improved labor conditions on a global scale? Or has too little been done to improve the growing clamor? May they serve our work force much better in the coming years.