Labor Day Still Carries Relevance for Workers; Battles Still to Be Fought
By NEAL TEPEL
In a show of strength, 50,000 men, women and children as well as over 400 unions participated in this year's New York City Labor Day Parade on Sept. 6. The event clearly demonstrated the influence of labor in the city. The parade was led by wounded veterans. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton was just behind them marching alongside Governor Paterson, Mayor Bloomberg and many labor leaders.

Neal Tepel is president of the Civil Service Merit Council.

Conditions Deplorable

A continual stream of immigrants settled in New York City in the 19th century finding limited job opportunities and a day-to-day existence. With employment scarce and pay insufficient to provide for loved ones, several families often shared an apartment. Thousands of children entered the workforce to help support their families. Working conditions were deplorable and unsafe. Immigrant men, women and children were employed in factories for 10 to 12 hours a day, stopping only for a short time to eat. They came to work even if they were tired or sick. If they didn't, they might be fired. Thousands of people were waiting to take their places.

The first Labor Day was held on a Tuesday, Sept. 5, 1882, in New York City. This memorable event was initiated by Peter J. McGuire, a carpenter and labor union leader who a year earlier co-founded the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions, a precursor of the American Federation of Labor. Peter also founded the United Brotherhood of Carpenters in 1881. The day was celebrated with a parade, picnic, and demonstrations. Ten thousand workers marched from City Hall to Union Square. Following the parade, the workers and their families gathered in Reservoir Park for refreshments and speeches.

Soon after that first celebration, the holiday was moved to the first Monday in September, the day we still honor. Congress passed legislation making Labor Day a national holiday in 1894. Through the years, Labor Day has been an opportunity to talk about concerns of workers and ways to improve working conditions and salaries. Those first parades were really rallies for the adoption of the 8-hour day. Participants had to give up a day's pay in order to march. In New York City several years ago, the Central Labor Council changed the day of the parade from Labor Day to the Saturday after the holiday. This decision increased participation, since many union members were reluctant to take part in a parade the last day of summer vacation.

Most Americans take for granted the gains of the labor movement. There was no 8-hour work day in 1882. Most jobs required a 12-hour shift. Health benefits, pensions, vacation days, sick leave were all non-existent. For most Americans, Labor Day is merely a holiday at the end of the summer. Teenagers view it as the last weekend for parties before returning to school.

A Day to Mobilize

However, it's a day to not only remember the hardships workers endured yesterday, but to prepare for the battles we may be facing tomorrow. During the last eight years under a Republican presidential administration, workers have lost ground in every sector. While wages remain flat, the costs of basic necessities are increasing. The price tag of college tuition has grown 35 percent over the past five years. Health-care costs have risen four times faster than wages over the past six years. And the personal savings rate is now the lowest it's been since the Great Depression. Stuart Appelbaum, the parade's chairman and president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, said, "For us, this year, this election is important as the election of President Franklin Roosevelt in 1932."