Barbara J. Hamby

Does Anyone Think About Labor on Labor Day

What I hear about most on Labor Day weekend are football debuts and last camping trips of the season, or spending the weekend at the coast. If any thought is given to labor, it is gratitude for the three days off from whatever toil one is engaged in. Probably those who are unemployed think about not having a job to go to and/or funds to enjoy a weekend away from home. The word “staycation” has been coined to cover recreation at home or a short distance away.

The cyclical and checkered history of the labor movement probably doesn’t come to mind for most of us. In my lifetime, I’ve seen many of its ups and downs. In my early years in the labor force, names like Jimmy Hoffa and Dave Beck became familiar to me. If there are such big names in labor now, I don’t hear about them.

When I worked in a cafeteria at age sixteen, for twenty-eight hours a week (after school and on Saturday), I couldn’t afford union dues. Helpful adult employees would warn me when a union representative was around checking for union buttons on our uniforms. I would hide in the rest room and another employee would cover my station until the union rep. left. I knew very little about the power of unions then, except that I didn’t want to get caught and have to join and pay a fine, as well. Finally, when I worked full time during the summer, I joined the union.

Later, when I was employed by a public agency, union power was more important to me. I participated in a strike at one time. I did very little picketing. Because of my clerical skills, I was recruited to type up the daily reports to the members on the progress of the negotiations.

It’s sad now for me to see how little power “organized” labor has. But the pendulum swings both ways and maybe I’ll live to see some of the next upswing.

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