A few weeks ago, we celebrated labor, as we do every year.
But the activities are less demonstrative than in earlier years. Few parades, few gatherings, even fewer speeches. It seems hard to remember that labor once had an infrastructure. For example, WCFL radio, owned by the Chicago Federation of Labor, was a powerful national voice for working people. Today, few speak for them.
It’s been a tough history. Labor has its roots in slavery. Empires and kingdoms – Egyptian, Greek, Roman, and as recent as the British – captured and conquered other peoples and forced them to do their nations’ most difficult, dirty, and dangerous tasks. Aristotle went so far as to say that the freedom of Athenian society depended on slavery, so that the propertied upper class would have the leisure to discuss noble thoughts and enjoy the status of free citizens in a very undemocratic republic.
It wasn’t until 1776 that the idea of democratic freedom came along with science during the Enlightenment. Not only did a cluster of colonies announce to the world that it is “self-evident” that “all men are created equal” and all had a right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” not subject to the control of an aristocracy. That same year, Adam Smith, the father of modern capitalism, wrote “The Wealth of Nations,” making the case for a nation with universal financial freedom.
Never mind that the southern states needed a brutal slave system to maintain their economy and their life style.
And never mind that booming industrialization created in most American colonies still needed human “beasts of burden” to tackle the dirty and distasteful tasks manufacturing brought with it. Adam Smith acknowledged, even with mechanization, much of work was distasteful, mind-numbing, and spirit-crushing. And for most, satisfaction in life didn’t come from workplace.
It wasn’t until after waves of immigrants came to our shores in search of freedom, after the Great Depression, and after the movement north of free slaves, labor mobilized to provide the necessary muscle to fight World War II. Many workers remained “wage slaves,” but the union movement was forged.
It was the golden age for organized labor, who formed unions, which in turn pushed for better wages for most workers to create a working middle class. Forward looking corporations acknowledged, even embraced the incorporation of acceptance of labor as a legitimate corporate stakeholder.
But the halcyon days were short-lived. The forces of a world economy, the ascendance of financial capitalism, and the rapid development of labor-saving technology, triggered a flurry of union-busting actions, kicking off a massive firing of air traffic controllers in 1981.
>While other socio-economic groups have fared well, generalized laborers have had their wages stagnate. During the last big recession, they were deeply wounded financially, losing homes and retirement accounts, while those who caused the problems were bailed out by the federal government and went unpunished. Many became embittered.
So what does the future hold for those who do the sweating and straining for us? Analysts tell us that as much as 50% of those jobs will be eliminated through globalization and technology. A large number of them express frustration by turning to elected officials and candidates who promise to make things better.
But action in Washington tends not to support the common laborer long term. There is little inclination to share wealth.
What’s to become of the laborers whose blood and tears secure the quality of all our lives? Maybe we need a new Adam Smith who redefines incentives and posits an economic model that civilizes the way we assure the quality of life for all our citizens, that creates a new middle class, and that creates family security necessary for all our citizens to pursue happiness.