Solidarity Now is today’s Solidarity Forever

Monday is Labor Day, the holiday marking the end of summer. In the old days we would pause, barbecue and rejoice in the gains working people have made for us in the workplace and society, advances brought by generations of struggle against oppressive bosses and governments actively aligned against them.

Today the unions barely breathe. They are not even a shadow of their old selves. Their struggle is to survive in a world dominated by corporate wealth and the influence it purchases in the halls of government.

We still need solidarity in the workplace, even if there is no union to protect us.

This holiday celebrates the success of American labor, the victories of working people joined together as one, the solidarity forever that eventually, slowly, then in a rush in the 1930s and for three decades forced corporate overlords into concessions. As the bumper sticker proclaims, “Organized Labor: The Folks Who Brought You the Weekend.” And, thanks to unions, we have the eight hour work day. And that is why there is the 40 hour work week. All those benefits were gained by struggle and sacrifice, working together and, yes, because lives were lost.

La Conner’s school unions showed a wonderful, successful example of solidarity together and forever in their negotiating their contracts with the school district in 2018, staying close to each other and uniting with the larger community of parents and residents. They can be proud of the gains they won. We need to appreciate the example they set.

This weekend is a time to reflect on and celebrate not our individual labor but the power of our working collectively together and the accomplishments solidarity together brings. It is not what we labor on but what – and who – we labor for that is important.

More, we need to stand in solidarity, figuratively shoulder to shoulder and holding hands, in our community. We must be united, working as one, to suppress the novel coronavirus in our county, as well as country, and thus in our places of work, our homes and our collective lives.

In this time of pandemic, the weekend will provide another challenge and a different struggle: to gather only in small groups, to stay apart while together, to keep our masks on and control our alcohol consumption. Over drinking in groups, loud voices and spreading the coronavirus go together.

Today we have to labor for each other outside the workplace, beyond succeeding in work tasks, to now honor the worth of each other and our commitment to our collective brothers and sisters by wearing a mask when around those figurative brothers and sisters.

We help each other by having the discipline to say no to large gatherings whether it is church, a family reunion or – if they exist up here – a union barbecue.

For us to join in solidarity together next year, we have to survive the pandemic. Our solidarity now is for each other.