When people talk about the accomplishments of the labor movement, the thing that most often springs to mind are things accomplished by union negotiation: individual contracts with employers that often set the benchmark for an entire industry.
Conversation
Replying to
But a lot of the other victories for the labor movement came by electing pro-worker politicians to office in the 1930s: the minimum wage, overtime pay, the 40-hour work week, the elimination of child labor.
1
2
13
Today, with increasing income inequality, there’s a push toward unionization, and a corresponding trend toward union busting—evidenced by so-called “right to work” laws like the one Republicans in Tennessee are trying to add to our constitution in November.
1
2
11
With so much else on the ballot in Tennessee in November (democracy, education, women’s rights, slavery) its easy to overlook Amendment 1, which would codify the anti-union laws already on the books into something much harder to change.
1
3
13
Labor Day is a prime opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of the labor movement. But it’s also a great time to recommit to supporting workers.
1
2
13
