Members of the Women’s Auxiliary Typographical Union march in the 1909 Labor Day parade in New York City. (U.S. Department of Labor)

The labor movement, which rose in the late nineteenth century as workers in various industries organized throughout this country, will be celebrated again on the first Monday in September. It’s the last hurrah of summer, a day for family gatherings, picnics, concerts, anticipating a new school year, or just enjoying a day off from work and a long weekend. This year it seems particularly appropriate to reflect on the original spirit of the holiday, especially in Southern California as we witness recent and ongoing strikes of writers, actors, hotel workers, teachers, healthcare workers, grocery clerks, fast-food servers, drivers, and others who are fighting to juggle the costs of living in our inflationary and housing-poor environment.

Workers in all these industries struggle daily to pay the increasing costs of food, mortgages, rent, healthcare, and fuel. Many are facing technological and other threats to their very means of living. With rare exceptions, corporate America, beholden to its shareholders, simply does not see the welfare of employees and contract workers as part of its mission (although recent worker shortages have helped somewhat). Efforts to legislate such a corporate conscience are regarded by much of the electorate as a drift toward socialism—to be avoided at any cost.

As the recent pandemic has revealed, we count on many underpaid yet essential workers to make our lives possible. We take them for granted—increasingly so since the pandemic has abated.

The U.S. Department of Labor, which has dedicated a web page to the history of Labor Day, offers this summary of its significance:

American labor has raised the nation’s standard of living and contributed to the greatest production the world has ever known and the labor movement has brought us closer to the realization of our traditional ideals of economic and political democracy. It is appropriate, therefore, that the nation pays tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation’s strength, freedom, and leadership – the American worker.

This Labor Day may be a moment to reflect on the plight of the many residents of our region, and our nation, who live increasingly close to the edge of poverty as they fight daily to make ends meet. And, when we go to the polls, to think about what sort of society we want to be.

—Chris Moose, Editor, the Voter