It’s Labor Day weekend. How many people still connect this with a labor movement, unions, workers rights? Any reference to the real history of the holiday would sound like “socialism” in the lean right populist echo chamber. So how do we approach it? “The official end of summer.” The President’s weekly is about “Honoring the American Worker.” “Worker” sounds very suspicious. But Labor Day’s roots are in the labor movement. Find out more at the Department of Labor link. Their description scratches the surface.
Labor Day’s been around since 1882 during the Gilded Age when wealthy industrialists spent their 8 month summers in their cottages (read mansions) in Newport and other resort communities to forget the strife and struggles of business, the coal workers, railroad workers, and demands for reasonable working hours, wages, and the end of child labor and exploitation. The cottage was a place not to just get away, but to build a world anew; a utopia populated by those that only you invite to inhabit the space for as long or as little as you wish. Find an Edith Wharton novel for that side of the story.
Here is a photo from my August visit to the The Elms in Newport, owned by coal baron Edward Julius Berwind. Berwind was one of the largest singular owner of coal mines and the last to negotiate with workers who wanted to organize. In 1922 workers went on strike against the Berwind-White Mining company demanding better wages and living conditions for workers and their families in the mining towns.
According to the 1922 New York City report on conditions of the Berwind-White mines in western Pennsylvania:
At all the mines which the Committee visited, it found most of the women and children barefooted and scantily clad. The feet and limbs of most of these unfortunates, particularly those of the children, were scarred and bleeding from walking on hard ice, through underbrush and over stone. The picture was most depressing.
The influences of all the years of meagre living and struggle for mere existence among these barren hills, had left an imprint on these miners and their families, that amounted almost to despair. Their women folks become old and hollow-eyed before their time. The children were found undersized, and with supplicating eyes begging for help.
Most of the miners in Somerset County are Poles, Russians, Slovaks, Hungarians, with a few Welsh and very few Irish. Many of them have been there for many years. In some instances, two generations have been working in these mines and the second generation is just as poor as was the first.
The Elms is a wonderful example of Gilded Age architecture and refinery including one of the earliest examples of home electricity and other domestic technologies. The Elms removes one from considering the stark and harsh realities on which it stands. As domesticity has become fashionable, we can now hear the stories of the backstairs staff, the cooks, butlers, maids and pantry patter. At what point will the tour guides tell the rest of the story of how all this beauty was financed? When will labor of any kind be part of the story of the ascent to wealth? Will our tour guide, who described one of the Brown family’s source of wealth as “international enterprises,” reduce tourism prospects if she drops the euphemism and just call it by its proper name – “slave trade.” I’m just asking for the record.
Today the President brings the Labor story to date by focusing on the middle class; the workers who reap the rewards of their labor. The working poor are unfortunately the reality in many labor scenarios if they have work at all. We’re often told a job is not entitled; yet work and/or an occupation is essential to survival. Some politicians would prefer to live in their gilded cages, untouched by workers issues or only dealing with the union front office. Big business is only concerned with profits and losses for better and worse. But even those who now represent the spirit that brought about the reason for Labor Day, have in some sense lost their way under the elms.
President’s weekly message can be heard here.
Ni mwisho wa wiki wa Siku ya Wafanyakazi. Ni watu wangapi bado wanaunganisha hili na harakati za wafanyakazi, vyama vya wafanyakazi, haki za wafanyakazi? Marejeo yoyote kwa historia halisi ya likizo ingekuwa sauti kama <unk>socialism<unk> katika lean haki populist echo chumba. Kwa hiyo tunamkaribiaje? "Mwisho rasmi wa majira ya joto. " "Mwandishi wa kila wiki wa Rais ni kuhusu "Heshima ya Mfanyakazi wa Marekani". "Mfanyakazi" inaonekana kuwa ya kutiliwa shaka sana. Lakini mizizi ya Siku ya Wafanyakazi iko katika harakati za wafanyakazi. Pata habari zaidi kwenye kiungo cha Idara ya Kazi. Maelezo yao yanaonyesha mambo machache tu. Siku ya Wafanyakazi ilianzishwa mwaka 1882 wakati wa enzi ya dhahabu, wakati wafanya kazi tajiri walipokuwa wakitumia majira yao ya kiangazi ya miezi minane katika nyumba zao za kifahari huko Newport na jamii nyingine za mapumziko ili kusahau mapigano na mapambano ya wafanyikazi wa makaa ya mawe, wafanyikazi wa reli, na madai ya masaa ya kazi ya busara, mshahara, na mwisho wa kazi ya watoto na unyonyaji. Nyumba hiyo ilikuwa mahali pa kuhamia, lakini kujenga ulimwengu mpya; utopia iliyojaa wale tu ambao unawaalika kuishi nafasi hiyo kwa muda mrefu au kidogo kama unavyotaka. Tafuta riwaya ya Edith Wharton kwa upande huo wa hadithi. Picha hii ni ya ziara yangu ya Agosti katika The Elms huko Newport, inayomilikiwa na bwana wa makaa ya mawe Edward Julius Berwind. Berwind alikuwa mmoja wa wamiliki wakubwa wa migodi ya makaa ya mawe na wa mwisho kujadiliana na wafanyakazi waliotaka kuandaa. Mwaka 1922 wafanyakazi wa kampuni ya madini ya Berwind-White walianza mgomo wa kuwakandamiza wafanyakazi wa makazi ya chini ya kiwango cha chini. "Katika ripoti ya 1922 ya New York City juu ya hali ya migodi ya Berwyn-White katika magharibi mwa Pennsylvania, ""Katika migodi yote ambayo Kamati ilitembelea, ilipata wanawake na watoto wengi wakiwa wametembea bila miguu na wamevaa mavazi machache.""" Miguu na viungo vya wengi wa watu hao wasio na furaha, hasa wale wa watoto, vilikuwa na makovu na vilikuwa vikimwagika damu kwa sababu ya kutembea juu ya barafu ngumu, kupitia vichaka na juu ya mawe. Picha hiyo ilikuwa yenye kuhuzunisha sana. Uvutano wa miaka yote ya maisha duni na mapambano ya kuishi tu kati ya vilima hivi visivyo na matunda, ulikuwa umeweka alama juu ya wachimbaji hawa na familia zao, ambayo ilifikia karibu kukata tamaa. Wanawake wao huwa wazee na wenye macho matupu kabla ya wakati wao. Watoto hao walipatikana wakiwa wadogo sana, na wakiwa na macho yenye kuomba msaada. Wamiliki wa migodi ya Somerset County ni Wapolandi, Warusi, Waslovakia, Hungari, na Wawelsh wachache na Wairelandi wachache sana. Wengi wao wamekuwa huko kwa miaka mingi. Katika baadhi ya matukio, vizazi viwili vimekuwa vikifanya kazi katika migodi hii na kizazi cha pili ni maskini kama kilivyokuwa cha kwanza. Elms ni mfano mzuri wa usanifu wa Gilded Age na kiwanda cha kusafisha ikiwa ni pamoja na moja ya mifano ya mapema ya umeme wa nyumbani na teknolojia nyingine za nyumbani. Elms huondoa mtu kutoka kwa kuzingatia hali halisi kali na kali ambayo inasimama. Kama vile utunzaji wa nyumbani umekuwa wa mtindo, sasa tunaweza kusikia hadithi za wafanyakazi wa nyuma, wapishi, wajumbe, watumishi wa nyumbani na mazungumzo ya pantry. Ni wakati gani viongozi wa ziara wataelezea hadithi iliyobaki ya jinsi uzuri huu wote ulivyofadhiliwa? Ni lini kazi ya aina yoyote itakuwa sehemu ya hadithi ya kupanda kwa utajiri? "Mwongozo wetu wa ziara, ambaye alielezea moja ya familia ya Brown chanzo cha utajiri kama ""biashara ya kimataifa,"" kupunguza matarajio ya utalii kama yeye drops euphemism na tu wito kwa jina lake sahihi ""biashara ya watumwa.""" """Leo Rais anatoa hadithi ya kazi kwa kuzingatia darasa la kati, wafanyakazi ambao wanapata thawabu ya kazi yao." Kwa bahati mbaya, watu maskini wanaofanya kazi ni hali halisi katika hali nyingi za kazi ikiwa wana kazi kabisa. Mara nyingi tunaambiwa kwamba kazi haina haki; lakini kazi na/au kazi ni muhimu kwa kuishi. Baadhi ya wanasiasa wangependa kuishi katika vibanda vyao vya dhahabu, bila kuguswa na masuala ya wafanyakazi au kushughulika tu na ofisi ya mbele ya chama. Biashara kubwa inahusika tu na faida na hasara kwa mema na mabaya. Lakini hata wale ambao sasa wanawakilisha roho ambayo ilileta sababu ya Siku ya Wafanyakazi, kwa maana fulani wamepoteza njia yao chini ya mimea. Ujumbe wa kila wiki wa Rais unaweza kusikilizwa hapa.