Union-bashing has become much more rampant in the past few years. Legislation with innocuous names such as "Right to Work" has been passed to actually undermine the rights of the workers. Even today, a national holiday that is supposed to show the importance of the working class in America, finds many of the workers its supposed to be celebrating still hard at work with little cause for celebration.
Somehow, corporate politicians have led people to believe that safer working conditions, a living wage, and decent work schedules are un-American. People have voted away their rights to fair pay, affordable education, and healthcare due to fear-mongering and downright misinformation. Instead, they keep voting for tax-cuts to corporations and the highest paid citizens, the ability for jobs to be more easily moved overseas, and the legalization of environmentally damaging practices. Ironically, they do so, usually believing that they are voting in their own best interests, even though the only real benefactors have been the richest 1% (not even 10%) of Americans.
I have stated before that there needs to be a Worker's Bill of Rights. Without this sort of protection, corporations can buy legislation that tears away the rights of most Americans. Perhaps this Labor Day, people will remember that simple standards such as the 40 hour work week and breaks in shifts longer than four hours were hard fought rights, but they were not meant to be the end (let alone be whittled away). Maybe we can even remind those naysayers that America's economy improved under these changes to become the dominant economy in the world.
Somehow, corporate politicians have led people to believe that safer working conditions, a living wage, and decent work schedules are un-American. People have voted away their rights to fair pay, affordable education, and healthcare due to fear-mongering and downright misinformation. Instead, they keep voting for tax-cuts to corporations and the highest paid citizens, the ability for jobs to be more easily moved overseas, and the legalization of environmentally damaging practices. Ironically, they do so, usually believing that they are voting in their own best interests, even though the only real benefactors have been the richest 1% (not even 10%) of Americans.
I have stated before that there needs to be a Worker's Bill of Rights. Without this sort of protection, corporations can buy legislation that tears away the rights of most Americans. Perhaps this Labor Day, people will remember that simple standards such as the 40 hour work week and breaks in shifts longer than four hours were hard fought rights, but they were not meant to be the end (let alone be whittled away). Maybe we can even remind those naysayers that America's economy improved under these changes to become the dominant economy in the world.
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