By Dennis R. Pierce
BLET National President
CLEVELAND, August 31 — If ever there was a holiday built for our slogan “Proud to be American, Proud to be Union,” then Labor Day is that holiday.
Labor Day should be a time to reflect on what we have accomplished, and an opportunity to educate the public about who we are, what we do, and what American workers have done to make our nation the greatest in the world.
I’m a proud card-carrying union member. Our organization — the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen — is one of the few labor organizations to pre-date the creation of Labor Day. We were founded on May 8, 1863, and the first recorded Labor Day was in New York City in 1882.
You may be familiar with the bumper sticker that reads, “Labor Unions: The Folks Who Brought You the Weekend.” It’s a simple slogan created for today’s sound-bite society. But there’s so much more to Labor Unions.
We brought America the 40-hour week. The five-day workweek and weekends. Vacations. Paid holidays. Sick leave. Health care. Work place safety. The ability to retire with dignity.
Our predecessors fought for these benefits, in many cases giving their lives so their children and grandchildren could enjoy these benefits. They’re not something employers have simply given to their workers.
These days, our rights and benefits are under relentless attack from extremist politicians and corporate greed. Of the major industrialized nations throughout the world, the United States has the most anti-labor history and the most deeply embedded anti-labor culture. Even today, we have by far the smallest percentage of the working population represented by unions of all advanced nations.
Over the past two years, the “War on Workers” has been fought from corporate board rooms to state capitals. The current front in this War is being waged at the ballot box for control of the White House and the Congress. The Republican nominee for President, Mitt Romney, has pledged to attack unions and slash Amtrak’s funding. His running mate, Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan, has proposed a budget plan that would destroy Railroad Retirement Tier 1 benefits.
If you have read my columns published in the Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen News, you no doubt are familiar with my message that middle class Americans, especially those in labor unions, need to be wary of politicians who claim to side with you on a social issue, all the while supporting an anti-labor and anti-union agenda. And I have been saying to all who will listen that we must support politicians who support the hard-working middle class of this country.
On this Labor Day, reflect upon all that you have and what your union has helped build for you over the years. And remember in November which politicians want to take it all away from you.