The fleeting American dream
Disillusioned workers deserve hope as nation marks Labor Day
On Labor Day 2023, pause to consider the state of labor — the men and women whose work underlies what we take for granted as life in America. The times may be changing yet again.
Sure, Labor Day has evolved since the first Monday in September was declared a federal holiday in 1894. To us, it’s the end of summer vacation season, a time for cookouts, family travel and one more beach or pool party.
Late in the 19th century, Labor Day was more serious. The Civil War led to social and economic changes on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line. Reconstruction was followed by strategies to make sure former slaves weren’t truly equal and were still available as cheap labor.
The industrial revolution gave rise to factories, steam engines, textile mills and the like in the North, which also depended on people who would work hard for little reward. Before long, these enterprises spread to other parts of the country.
President Grover Cleveland officially made Labor Day a national holiday at least in part to placate disgruntled workers who were increasingly joining unions, staging strikes and fighting for better working conditions and livable wages.
The U.S. Department of Labor (established 19 years after Labor Day) now describes the holiday as “an annual celebration of the social and economic achievements of American workers.”
American workers have achieved a lot over the years, in jobs and in their personal lives. Organized labor was the driving force, and the benefits were not restricted to union members.
In 1954, nearly 35% of America’s workers
were in unions. After World War II, the American dream was strong. People believed that if you worked hard, you could own a home and a car, educate your children and enjoy retirement. Of course, that dream was less real for some — Blacks and other minorities, women — than others.
Union membership and influence began to wane. By 2020, about 10% of workers were in unions, the lowest on record.
Now America’s workers, especially younger people, are finding that the dream has dimmed. Those “social and economic
achievements of American workers” we celebrate on Labor Day are fading. Younger people today are finding it tougher to buy a house — or afford rent — than it was during the Depression.
Consumer prices, especially food, have soared as wages remain flat. Gone are the days when workers could assume that a full-time job would include good health benefits.
COVID made things worse. Employees, especially those in lower-playing, frontline jobs, questioned whether their work was worth the effort. Many who quit their jobs have not returned. Some sought more education or training.
That’s why we’re seeing reduced hours in restaurants, construction projects taking longer, shortages of truckers and transportation workers, staffing problems at hotels and theme parks, and not enough healthcare and child-care workers.
Other employees are “quiet quitting” — doing no more than the bare minimum required. They’ve stopped trying to impress in hopes of getting ahead.
Big changes may be in the works for the American workforce. Projections are that the worker shortages will worsen as the population ages and more jobs require specialized skills. Job-seekers are likely to be in a stronger position.
Unions have new life. The fastest growing union In North America is the Service Employees International Union — healthcare and child-care workers, government employees including law enforcement, school teachers and bus drivers, janitors and security guards.
Predictions are that prospective employees, whether unionized or not, will be looking for specific things. On the list are flexibility in work schedules, new combinations of benefits packages — with health care high on the list — and salary, help with child care, remote work, better training and cooperative managers.
This Labor Day, consider that the reason good employees seem to be scarce may be that the balance that afforded America’s workers the chance for “social and economic achievements” needs readjustment to today’s realities. Americans once again need to know that if they work hard, that dream of a good life is possible.