Sharon Block is a Professor of Practice and the Executive Director of the Center for Labor and a Just Economy at Harvard Law School.
As a Labor Day gift for OnLabor readers, we’ve compiled Labor Day editorials and op-eds from around the country. While this list below isn’t exhaustive, it is representative of the Labor Day topics that our nation’s newspapers and media outlets are covering this year. A few observations:It is hard to be optimistic this Labor Day. The overwhelming majority of opinion writers warn that American workers are still struggling this far into the recovery from the Great Recession.
- President Trump comes under a great deal of criticism on today’s opinion pages for not living up to his campaign promises to American workers and for adopting policy that hurt middle and lower income workers.
- A couple of high profile writers – Rich Trumka and Sheryl Sandberg – focused on the need for paid leave.
- Many fast food workers have op-eds across the country amplifying the Fight for $15 message.
- Many writers issued calls for new thinking about labor law reform. (We’ll have more on this theme in an upcoming OnLabor post.)
- Most creative – a call by David Weil to rename Labor Day as Inequality Day.
Editorials:
- Washington Post, Labor Day Is Not Just a Day To Hang Around the Grill; https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/labor-day-is-not-just-a-day-to-hang-around-the-grill/2017/09/03/6538db6a-8f1c-11e7-91d5-ab4e4bb76a3a_story.html?utm_term=.95bd2a323287
- Chicago Sun-Times, A Way To Protect Against Employers Low-Balling Your Pay; http://chicago.suntimes.com/opinion/editorial-a-way-to-protect-against-employers-low-balling-your-pay/
- Atlanta Journal Constitution, Rest, Reflection Are Good Choices this Weekend; http://www.myajc.com/news/opinion/opinion-rest-reflection-are-good-choices-this-weekend/s8Z8OMyufgEFKDbtUteFXP/
- Miami Herald, Salute the People Working on Our Behalf; http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/article170996027.html
- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Dignity of Labor: The Original Idea of Labor Day Resonates in 2017; http://www.postgazette.com/opinion/editorials/2017/09/04/The-dignity-of-labor-The-original-idea-of-Labor-Day-resonates-in-2017/stories/201709040013
- Tampa Bay Times, Workers Facing Familiar Challenges this Labor Day, http://web.tampabay.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-workers-facing-familiar-challenges-this-labor-day/2335989
- Las Vegas Journal Review, Labor Day, 2017; https://www.reviewjournal.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-labor-day-2017/
- Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, This Labor Day, Reflect on Those Who Are Unemployed, http://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/opinion/editorials/2017/09/02/editorial-labor-day-reflect-those-who-unemployed/624528001/
- Lexington Herald Leader, Happy Labor Day? Workers Have Little To Celebrate, http://www.kentucky.com/opinion/editorials/article170864322.html
- Dallas Morning News, Want To Help American Workers? NAFTA, not protectionism, Is the Way To Go: https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/2017/08/31/want-help-american-workers-nafta-protectionism-way-go
- Lansing State Journal, Stop the Unnecessary Attack on State Worker Unions: http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/opinion/editorials/2017/09/01/editorial-stop-unnecessary-attack-state-worker-unions/613546001
- Bangor Daily News, Labor Day 2017: Higher Wages and Hot Dogs on the Menu, https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.bangordailynews.com/2017/09/03/opinion/editorials/labor-day-2017-higher-wages-and-hot-dogs-on-the-menu/
- Asbury Park Press, Rejuvenating Labor Is Hard Work; http://www.app.com/story/opinion/editorials/2017/09/03/labor-day-right-work-big-business/105263298/
Op-Eds:
- Sharon Block, Newsweek, We Need Stronger Labor Unions To Protect the Middle Class; http://www.newsweek.com/we-need-stronger-labor-unions-protect-middle-class-658614
- William E. Forbath & Brishen Rogers, New York Times, A New Type of Labor Law for a New Type of Worker; https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/04/opinion/labor-laws-workers.html?ref=opinion
- Stephen Greenhouse, New York Times, Is Trump Really Pro-Worker;, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/02/opinion/sunday/is-trump-really-pro-worker.html?ref=opinion
- Robert Reich, San Francisco Chronicle, Trump No Champion of Average Worker; http://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/reich/article/Trump-no-champion-of-average-worker-12168145.php
- Ronald Klain, Washington Post, Here’s the Most Important Thing Democrats Could Do To Help Working Families Now, https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/heres-the-most-significant-thing-democrats-could-do-to-help-working-families-now/2017/09/01/455e8222-8e63-11e7-91d5-ab4e4bb76a3a_story.html?utm_term=.ea7d12e37c80
- E.J. Dionne, Washington Post, American Workers Will Catch on to Trump’s Con; https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/american-workers-will-catch-on-to-trumps-con/2017/09/03/21d68348-90e0-11e7-8754-d478688d23b4_story.html?utm_term=.72173a34a29d
- Rich Trumka, Time, This Labor Day, Fight for Paid Leave, http://amp.timeinc.net/time/4923703/labor-day-paid-leave/?source=dam
- Larry Summers, Financial Times, America Needs Its Unions More than Ever; https://amp.ft.com/content/180127da-8e59-11e7-9580-c651950d3672
- Thomas A. Kochan & Lee Dyer, Boston Review, A New Social Contract for Work, https://bostonreview.net/class-inequality/thomas-kochan-lee-dyer-new-social-contract-work
- Moshe Z. Marvit, The American Prospect, The Way Forward for Labor Is Through the States, http://prospect.org/article/way-forward-labor-through-states
- Michael A. Cohen, Boston Globe, The Sorry State of American Labor, https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2017/09/01/the-sorry-state-american-labor/Zo1OTtJtWGw8aYkSvYwGrM/story.html?s_campaign=bdc:globewell:opinion
- Dorian Warren, Chicago Sun-Times, What Labor Day Means to My South Side and Black Union Family, http://chicago.suntimes.com/opinion/what-labor-day-means-to-my-south-side-and-black-union-family/
- Jonathan Tasini, CNN, Labor Day is a Good Time for the Truth on Unions, http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/02/opinions/the-truth-about-unions-tasini-opinion/index.html
- Andy Stettner & Michael McCormack, Companies Forgot to Bring the Pay Raises to the Labor Day Party, The Century Foundation: https://tcf.org/content/commentary/companies-forgot-bring-pay-raises-labor-day-party/
- Shaun Richman, The Right to Organize at Work Deserves Constitutional Protection: https://www.vox.com/the-big-idea/2017/9/1/16240036/labor-day-constitution-free-speech-unionization
- David Weil, Labor Day Should Really Be Called ‘Inequality Day; http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/inequality-day_us_59a959fce4b0bef3378cd7af
- Art Pulaski, Sacramento Bee, This Labor Day, Let’s Remember the Value of Work, http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/california-forum/article169486122.html
- Neal Bisno, HuffPost, Working People Stopped Health Care Repeal. Now, We’re Fighting for Union Rights, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/working-people-stopped-health-care-repeal-now-were-fighting-for-union-rights_us_59a974abe4b0354e4409d4af?123123123
- Sheryl Sandberg & Rachel Thomas, Washington Post, Celebrate Labor Day by Supporting National Paid Family Leave, https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/celebrate-labor-day-by-supporting-national-paid-family-leave/2017/09/01/9d2a8c42-8f50-11e7-8df5-c2e5cf46c1e2_story.html?utm_term=.3e257c62b086
- Dewey McClain, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Points To Hopefully Agree on this Labor Day; http://www.myajc.com/news/opinion/opinion-points-hopefully-agree-this-labor-day/t3ij0oTrvSTwbD8qAIDn7H/
- Valarie Long, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Unions Made All the Difference in my Life; http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2017/09/unions_made_all_the_difference_1.html
- Ontario Pope, Riverfront Times, Politicians Just Cut My Pay and That’s Why Missouri Needs Union Protections; https://www.riverfronttimes.com/newsblog/2017/09/01/politicians-just-cut-my-pay-and-thats-why-missouri-needs-union-protection
- William Barber II, Newsweek, Why All Americans Need Strong Labor Unions, http://www.newsweek.com/why-all-americans-need-strong-labor-unions-656415
- Tom Balanoff & Greg Kelley, Chicago Sun-Times, When Labor Was Strong, America Was Strong, http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/when-labor-was-strong-america-was-strong/
- Bill Thompson, Kansas City Star, I Am the Real Face of the Minimum Wage, http://www.kansascity.com/opinion/readers-opinion/guest-commentary/article169474487.html
- Wanda Coker, Durham County Herald Sun, I Grew Up in a Union Household. Why I’m Fighting for My Grandkids To Say the Same, http://www.heraldsun.com/news/local/counties/durham-county/article170595997.html
- Michael Sylvester, Minnesota Post, Does Anyone Truly Remember or Know What Labor Day is About?, https://www.minnpost.com/community-voices/2017/08/does-anyone-truly-remember-or-know-what-labor-day-about
- Chris Owns, Fortune, These Labor Laws Are Suppressing Black Workers; http://fortune.com/2017/09/04/
labor-day-2017-right-to-work- unions/
Daily News & Commentary
Start your day with our roundup of the latest labor developments. See all
November 22
In today’s news and commentary, nurses in Michigan vote to unionize and a hotel workers strike continues in Las Vegas. Nurses at Corewell Health in Michigan voted to unionize after a year-long campaign. This election resulted in one of the largest union election victories in nearly 20 years, according to the NLRB, with this election […]
November 21
Workers at electric vehicle battery production complex in Kentucky launch campaign to join the UAW; Amazon workers at company’s largest air facility on the West Coast start union drive to join the Teamsters; and medical residents and fellows affiliated with Brown University organize to join CIR/SEIU Healthcare.
November 20
Philadelphia unions plan a joint strike, Greece faces a 24-hour general strike, and University of California unions set strikes for today and tomorrow.
November 19
Fifth Circuit hears challenges to NLRB; Democratic NLRB majority may be ending soon; building trades unions criticize Democratic party
November 18
In today’s News & Commentary, the Democratic Party Union blasts staff layoffs and Philadelphia city workers threaten mass strike. The Democratic National Committee Staff Union has criticized party leadership following several days of layoffs in the wake of the 2024 election loss. The union claims these cuts go beyond typical post-election turnover and have impacted […]
November 17
DOL overtime rule struck down; Cornell Graduate Student Union speaks on campus repression.