How Labor is celebrating Labor Day
I decided to check in with the websites two of the largest labor groups the AFL-CIO and the SEIU to see how they were celebrating Labor Day.
The AFL-CIO is focusing on increasing access to health care for all Americans:
Americans are ready for real change, and union members will make the 2008 elections a mandate on health care. We will hold candidates for office at every level accountable to progressive reform and elect a president and a Congress pledged to get the job done. Our new health care campaign adds to union members’ ongoing efforts to make America work the way it should and to fight the erosion of middle-class living standards.
Sign a petition for quality, affordable health care…
The SEIU also stresses that organized labor is working hard to make things better for all Americans:
There’s a resurgence afoot in the American labor movement. If you saw this week’s Census Bureau report, you know why. Income is up, but wages are down. The former is “mainly a reflection of an increase in the number of family members entering the workplace or working longer hours. Average wages for men and women actually declined for the third consecutive year,†reports the New York Times. The number of uninsured Americans rose 2.2 million in one year. Not surprisingly, employer-sponsored health coverage is down.
(snip)
America is getting over the misperception that unions only exist to benefit their members. It’s no coincidence that at times when union density is the highest, society-wide standards of living also peak. A robust American labor movement benefits all working people.
Update from the comments: Don’t forget the Labor Day Parade, sponsored by the Rochester Labor Council, AFL-CIO at 11:00 AM on East Avenue near Alexander.
Don’t forget the Labor Day Parade, sponsored by the Rochester Labor Council, AFL-CIO at 11:00 AM on East Avenue near Alexander.
Thanks — I added that to the post.
Did anyone see the D&C Op-Ed piece on unions today? It’s a pretty good argument for unions.
Thanks!