(The following opinion article, written by UTU Alternate National Legislative Director John Risch, was published Labor Day by the Bismarck Tribune. Risch formerly was UTU's North Dakota state legislative director.)
While relaxing this long holiday weekend, take a minute to think about the labor movement, the folks who brought you the weekend.
Not just this weekend, the one that is supposed to honor America's workers, but all 52 of the weekends of 2010. Before unions pushed for and got the 40-hour work week, there wasn't any such thing as a weekend. Workers were lucky to get Sunday off after working 10 and 12 hours a day the other six.
Through their unions, workers not only fought for the 40-hour work week, but led the effort to establish a minimum wage, job safety standards, pensions, health insurance, unemployment benefits, workers compensation and paid vacations. These workplace benefits that many of us now take for granted didn't exist just a few short years ago.
Each of these benefits has one thing in common.
They were demanded and won by organized labor over the objections of our nation's employers.
Contrary to popular belief, it wasn't the compassion or benevolence of America's employers that improved todays workplace. It was and continues to be America's unions.
Whether your workplace is organized or unorganized, unions have consistently set the pace for wages and fringe benefits, meaning we all benefit from labor's gains.
There are few monuments that honor American workers, and the struggles of the labor movement are largely left out of our children's history books.
But we still have this day called Labor Day, a day when the malls hold special sales and many businesses are closed.
So whether you spend the day shopping or relaxing with the family, pause a minute and think about the role unions have played in making America a better place for all of us to live and work.
