Daily Archives: August 31, 2014

The Pains & Passions of Labor

It is interesting – and disappointing – to see how organized labor is losing ground in the United States. I say this, not as a political statement but as an historic observation. Like so many advancements we take for granted, many of the labor laws that restrict abuses against workers and provide life-enhancing benefits for society were achieved through the efforts and sacrifices of union organizers and members.

Organized labor has lost support in recent years, in part due to its own management, political manipulation, and Capitalist efforts to maximize profits for investors and owners. Almost certainly, time’s effect on memory along with the encroaching distractions of everyday life has pushed understanding of the forces behind worklife to the background for most workers. To forget or to ignore is to lose ground that was hard fought and won over the decades, jeopardizing the relatively new labor advancements we take for granted; these include limited work hours, safety regulations, child labor laws, environmental protections, a minimum wage and negotiated benefits through collective bargaining.

The history of labor through the decades and centuries has been the basis of some excellent non-fiction literature and the inspiration for classic fiction.

Among non-fiction books of note are:

Triangle: The Fire That Changed America by David von Drehle
Growing Up in Coal Country by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Free the Children: A Young Man Fights Against Child Labor and Proves that Children Can Change the World by Craig Kielburger and Kevin Major
Nickel and Dimed by Meredith Melnick
The Labor Wars: From the Molly Maguires to the Sit-Downs by Sidney Lens
Death in the Haymarket: A Story of Chicago, the First Labor Movement, and the Bombing That Divided Gilded Age America by James Green

Classic fiction inspired by workers and labor unions include:

Ironweed by William Kennedy
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

On this Labor Day holiday, as you celebrate with family or friends in a leisurely way, you may want to check out one of many good books about workers and organized labor to read about how we arrived where we are. Let the books inspire you to work at making work better for everyone.

Quotable

I’ve always been amused by the contention that brain work is harder than manual labor. I’ve never known a man to leave a desk for a muck-stick if he could avoid it. – John Steinbeck

Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration. — Abraham Lincoln

Where free unions and collective bargaining are forbidden, freedom is lost. — Ronald Reagan

Recommended

If you’ll be within a couple of hours of Wilmington, North Carolina, September 18th or 19th, you’ll have a double chance to buy a collector’s quality limited edition of the book as part of a 2-day Centennial celebration of screen legend Tyrone Power. This updated and expanded English language version of Romina’s 1998 Italian best seller made its debut this year and is available only at Centennial events.

On September 18th, a March of Dimes fundraiser luncheon at the Country Club of Landfall will honor Tyrone Power who, among his many charitable activities, was a longtime supporter of March of Dimes. On September 19th, historic Thalian Hall (where Tyrone Power Sr. starred in Macbeth in 1888) will celebrate Tyrone Power with a special reception and screening of the great John Ford film, The Long Gray Line, showcasing Tyrone Power’s superb acting and enduring appeal.

You’ll have a chance to meet Romina (an international star in her own right), along with her acting siblings Taryn and Tyrone Jr. at both events where they will autograph books. If you can’t make it to Wilmington but would like information about other Centennial events, the collector’s first edition of Searching for My Father, Tyrone Power or the trade edition of the book that will be published later this year, contact tyronepwer.firstedition@gmail.com.