Child labor laws
40-hour work week
Overtime
Workmen's Compensation
Non-discriminatory hiring practices
Workplace safety laws
Unemployment compensation
Paid vacations
Retirement pensions
This is just a partial list of gains for workers granted voluntarily through the generosity of businesses concerned for their employees. Oh, wait, no, these things that we now define as givens for a good job came as the result of decades of struggle by organized groups of workers known as unions.
Are unions perfect? Of course not. But we owe them a debt that we need to try to pay forward if we are to preserve the standard of living we want for our children.
The rise of the middle class in America parallels the rise of union jobs and union membership. The shrinking of the middle class in America is directly correlated to the decline in unions and the number of union jobs. The parallel is clear and ongoing. Ignore it at your peril.
So thanks to those brave men and women who fought for upward mobility for those who came before and who continue to fight bravely to preserve the American way of life.
