When I was a high school student —long ago—in the middle of the last century, Labor Day was a big and important holiday. We recognized it as a day to celebrate the working man. Yes, it was mostly men. But in those days, women were highly respected as homemakers, mothers and wives. Family structures were more stable and durable. Men worked at well paying jobs in manufacturing, construction trades, in retail and wholesale. In those times nearly 66% of the work-force was employed. Jobs paid well enough so that husbands could adequately support his wife and children. A woman could remain in the home and devote herself to raising her family—if she wanted to. On my block there were few one-parent families. But there was one example I knew... my childhood friend Butch. His father was killed in the Normandy landing in WWII, and his mother raised him and his sister alone. She was the only female head-of-household on our street in those days.
Most of my friends and classmates went on to full time work after high school. Some became policemen, others worked in Manhattan offices, others went into the building trades. Some worked for their parents in a family business or retail store. Only about 10% of my class went to college. Most of them sought preparation for the professions—medicine, law, government, academia. But if you were ambitious and motivated there were many well-paying jobs for those with a good high school education. On my block, in a working class Brooklyn neighborhood, everyone of the men who headed households (and one woman) worked. I could see them every morning walking off to the train station, and in the evening coming home at night. So on this day—Labor Day—in those days gone by—we rightly honored the dignity and importance of these men—and women—and their essential contributions to our lives and community.
And another difference too was that most of these men and women were union members...like my own dad. The national statistics for those days indicate that about 1/3 of the work force were union members. Like my own father, they were almost all staunch Democrat too. The Democrat party was the party of the working man in those days. I knew of only one Republican on my block —he was our next door neighbor—-a newspaperman- who worked in the front office for the Brooklyn Eagle.
And another difference too was that most of these men and women were union members...like my own dad. The national statistics for those days indicate that about 1/3 of the work force were union members. Like my own father, they were almost all staunch Democrat too. The Democrat party was the party of the working man in those days. I knew of only one Republican on my block —he was our next door neighbor—-a newspaperman- who worked in the front office for the Brooklyn Eagle.
Today’s Labor Day in 2019 seems less a celebration of the great contributions of laboring men and women and more as an excuse for a long three day “last-of-summer-weekend” before the grind of —modern more uncertain and frenetic work week begins anew. Parents, both moms and dads—go back to work tomorrow and kids go off to school. There will be no lines of men trudging off to the train station here. Mom and dad both roll off to their jobs in their shiny leased automobiles, often before dawn. Many will not be home until well after late-summer sunset. Many must have more than one part-time job to “make ends meet”. Their labor is uncertain and until recently their wages were static for a decade or more.
Over the last decades our laboring middle class and heartland communities have suffered decline and decay. All through the nation’s belts of former prosperous manufacturing communities one can smell the scent of rotting wood, and see the weathered boards on store windows, empty parking lots and boarded up factories. Main streets are desolate thoroughfares. When factories close, and well-paying jobs are lost, communities that were supported by those industries die. The value of the laboring man and woman to his/her family and community evaporates. These folks lose respect for themselves. . Where men and women have no work economic and social decay seep in like a disease. In these communities fewer young people marry, few attempt to raise families and buy homes. Populations age and decline. Schools close. What flourishes is crime, drug addiction , obesity and depression.
Why? What happened? Decades ago the Democrat and Republican elites in Washington fell victim to the greed of the CEOs of or corporate giants and ignored the needs of the working man and focus on maximizing profits for big companies. The theorists decided that we didn’t need manufacturing jobs any longer women and permit( encourage) the good-paying blue collar jobs to be exported to China, South Korea, and Mexico. As a result of the outsourcing of work to Asia and Mexico up until very recently salaries have remained static for working class men and women over the last decades. Some maintain two jobs. Few or them are union members. Union membership has plummeted to barely one in ten workers. Society suffers when men (and women) have no work. Families break up. Fewer people marry and settle down to have a family buy a home and raise their children in one place. There are many single parent —-households. The cause?
Over the last decades our laboring middle class and heartland communities have suffered decline and decay. All through the nation’s belts of former prosperous manufacturing communities one can smell the scent of rotting wood, and see the weathered boards on store windows, empty parking lots and boarded up factories. Main streets are desolate thoroughfares. When factories close, and well-paying jobs are lost, communities that were supported by those industries die. The value of the laboring man and woman to his/her family and community evaporates. These folks lose respect for themselves. . Where men and women have no work economic and social decay seep in like a disease. In these communities fewer young people marry, few attempt to raise families and buy homes. Populations age and decline. Schools close. What flourishes is crime, drug addiction , obesity and depression.
Why? What happened? Decades ago the Democrat and Republican elites in Washington fell victim to the greed of the CEOs of or corporate giants and ignored the needs of the working man and focus on maximizing profits for big companies. The theorists decided that we didn’t need manufacturing jobs any longer women and permit( encourage) the good-paying blue collar jobs to be exported to China, South Korea, and Mexico. As a result of the outsourcing of work to Asia and Mexico up until very recently salaries have remained static for working class men and women over the last decades. Some maintain two jobs. Few or them are union members. Union membership has plummeted to barely one in ten workers. Society suffers when men (and women) have no work. Families break up. Fewer people marry and settle down to have a family buy a home and raise their children in one place. There are many single parent —-households. The cause?
Both parties, Republicans and Democrats, in Washington over the last four decades supported policies which devastated the stability of American communities and middle class life. Between 1980 and 2010 nearly 4 million good paying US manufacturing jobs were purposely sent off to China to satisfy the greed of big corporations and their executives. The situation was aggravated and sustained by US politicians who became too cozy and too dependent upon the financial “donations for reelection” of these businesses. Also during those decades and up to the present time...our leaders in DC expanded a policy of open borders with our southern neighbors permitting millions of illegal immigrants entry to take up other jobs and fill other positions formerly occupied by American workers. These circumstances resulted in the sell off and give away of huge industries and their technology to China for short-short term protfits and access to the 1.3 billion consumers in that populous nation.
So today our Labor Day is a solem affair. A day to remember the past and for sorrow at the plight of our middle class families who suffer in poverty, our children suffer, our communities which suffer, and our national economy suffers.
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