Labor Day – a day to be celebrated
Monday – Labor Day. We celebrate the day in honor of organized labor’s contribution to society. In reality though, besides the day off, the start of football season, and a free hot dog at R.C. Willey, the day doesn’t mean much to us anymore.
Organized labor is relatively dead around the country. And some say good riddance.
After all, it was the labor movement that paralyzed our country with strike after strike. And it was unions that cost small businesses so much money throughout the years. Besides the movie Newsies and their sweet dance moves, what has the labor movement done anyways?
Well, for starters, thanks to organized labor we have a two-day weekend, a minimum wage, paid holidays, an eight-hour work day, an end to domestic child labor, and much more.
Such niceties seem like a no-brainer today, but back in our not-too-distant past, the ideas were downright revolutionary.
Today though, unions don’t have a lot of weight to throw around. Capitalism is the word of the day, and union demands just don’t mesh that well with the principle of laissez-faire.
Ironically, the people who would benefit the most from such union measures are the same ones who oppose them the most vehemently. They are your NASCAR Republicans, blue-collar workers who place a high priority on God, family and the GOP. Many of us likely fit into this category, minus the NASCAR.
Somehow, today’s GOP has managed to weld the principle of capitalism to religion. Protesting incongruities in a free-market system will get you called a heathen at best and have you burned at the stake at worst.
But just try and mention to one of today’s Christians the importance of providing for the poor through a reliable and functioning welfare system, and you’ll be shot (they also love the Second Amendment). Somehow, we have things just a little backwards.
Where is the capitalism in Christ’s admonition to the rich man to “go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven?”(Matthew 19:21).
It was Judas, not Christ, who was maximizing his profits as I recall. Where is the capitalism in His death on the cross or suffering in Gethsemane? But the thirty pieces of silver that Judas got, now that sounds like the economics I’ve been taught.
I, for one, believe in capitalism because it works, not because God says it is right. Unfortunately though, capitalism isn’t flawless. Occasionally, in the pursuit of profit, people are exploited, most often the ones who can protect themselves the least-children, immigrants, and low-level wage earners.
For example, the CEOs of today make an exorbitant amount of money, while the common worker really hasn’t seen much of an increase in real wages. Just think Enron for a minute. Sure, the economy is doing well, but who is reaping the benefits? A booming Wall Street won’t always trickle down to a struggling Main Street.
That was where organized labor helped out in the past, and where we desperately need them today. For example, organized labor could work to increase our country’s $5.15 minimum wage, something that hasn’t changed in nine years.
Here in Logan, the salary of USU’s president was $153,182 nine years ago. Today, President Albrecht makes $240,327. He can get a 57-percent raise, but the job board in the Taggart Student Center is still full of $5.15-an-hour jobs nine years later.
And it’s not just the president’s salary. Minimum wage remains the same, yet tuition at USU has more than doubled in the last nine years. Instead of the almost $2,000 per semester we pay today, tuition and fees would have cost you just under $900 back in 1997. Yet we still make $5.15 today like we did back then.
A well-organized labor movement could help our country move past its current health-care crisis. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2004, 337,000 Utahns did not have health insurance. That number continues to increase as health insurance costs skyrocket. According to a representative from the Student Health and Wellness Center, 20-25 percent of USU students currently do not have health insurance.
Or what about crazy landlords! How many cases of student renter abuse could we cite?
Things could change, but someone has to change them. Historically, the labor movement has provided a means for people to join together and seek a common good. But without it, one voice can often be drowned out.
Where are those dancing Newsie boys when we need them?
Jon Cox is a senior majoring in journalism.