Happy Labor Day! When you celebrate Labor Day, do you think about the critical role of the American labor movement in the history of our country? Or do you think about the end of the summer season, the start of the school year, a three-day holiday weekend or wearing white? If the latter, let me take a moment of your time.
I had the privilege of being taught labor law at Michigan Law School by Ted St. Antoine, who was a union lawyer before he became a professor. As a result, I have a deep respect for the role of organized labor in protecting the rights of workers. And because I am fundamentally a nerd, I've spent the morning doing a bit of research on the National Labor Relations Act, the history of collective bargaining in this country, and my former professor.
If we are going to address the growth of economic inequality in this country, we need to recognize the role organized labor may play in finding solutions. See, e.g., Dorothy Sue Cobble: "The newfound bargaining power of workers in the post-World War II decades was certainly among the factors contributing to the economic prosperity and the dramatic decline in economic stratification during the "long New Deal," from the 1940s to the 1970s." Labor unions have worked hard not only for fair pay but also for medical leave, paid vacation, equality and safety in the workplace, the end of child labor laws and many other safeguards and benefits we now take for granted but that collectivelyrepresent an improvement in working conditions for eveyone. There is much here to celebrate besides a long weekend.
Happy Labor Day, indeed!