On this day in 1886, the American Federation of Labor, the first long term successful national labor union, was founded by Samuel Gompers and others, with Gompers being its leader for nearly four decades.
The battle for labor rights was a tormenting, and often bloody, struggle, and despite many victories and contributions to the lives of working people in and out of labor unions, the struggle of workers for justice and human rights in America is a never ending battle, with major losses since the administration of Ronald Reagan, and facing new challenges from the “Bully” Republican Governors, many elected in 2010, who have declared war on workers and their basic rights to collective bargaining, and decent pay, benefits, and working conditions.
And we have seen the rise of new monopolies, best personified by Walmart as a symbol, who have reneged their responsibilities to their work force, and used their power and influence to leave it to taxpayers to support underpaid workers on food stamps and Medicaid.
And the Tea Party radicals, and their corporate backers, best personified by the Koch Brothers and other billionaires, have tried to gain control over Congress and the White House through their spending and lobbying, with success in Congress, but thankfully, failing to defeat President Barack Obama!
This is a day to celebrate about organized labor, but also a day to recommit ourselves to revive the labor movement which has made so many lives much better than they might have been, by leaving all power to corporate influences and the Republican Party, which has been anti labor for many decades!
Hello Professor,
Good Posting!!!
As I have said often, the “Working Middle Class†needs to turn off the rhetoric of Blow Hard Radio and Fox programming and wake up to the truthful facts of their stratification in society. The “Working Middle Classes†needs to understand the pitfall scenarios that they are subjected to when they vote to empower the alpha upper 1%.
Once the “Working Middle Class†understands, let’s say the example that after working for 30 plus years, it is legal for the company to dismiss, (fire you without any reason) two years before retirement making you ineligible to collect from the company retirement plan…..and it is now all legal due to the “Right To Work Laws†in many states.
These marketed “Anti-Union Laws†were really presented to legally take advantage and abuse good, hard working, “Middle Class People.â€
It is like you are playing in a rigged and fixed card game; they win or you loose…… and just like it was in 1886, that’s your two choices.