'Labor' Wins the Day

ESPs Should Pay Tribute to Labor Leaders Past and Present 

By Dave Arnold

On September 5, 1882, labor-leader Peter McGuire helped organize the first Labor Day parade. It took quite a bit of lobbying, cajoling and fast-talking from McGuire to convince people of the event's merit.

Despite threats of being fired by supervisors and factory owners, more than 10,000 (some accounts say 20,000) workers showed up in New York City to march down Broadway to Union Square.

They carried banners that read "Labor Creates All Wealth," and "Eight Hours for Work, Eight Hours for Rest, Eight Hours for Recreation." After the parade, picnics were held across the city. Fireworks capped the grand occassion.

This radical idea of honoring manual workers eventually caught on across the country. In 1894, Congress voted it a federal holiday

McGuire, who was general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a co-founder of the American Federation of Labor, wanted to pay tribute to workers as much as to create awareness about workplace conditions. Gaining this national holiday for labor was a huge public relations victory. 

Union Leadership

In 1884, Detroit city leaders organized their first Labor Day celebration. It caught on fast when over 50,000 Knights of Labor, and members of the Trade and Labor Assembly, helped to host the event.

The Detroit parade kept getting larger. In a newspaper story titled, "How Labor Won its Day," Patricia Zacharias of the Detroit News wrote:

"Today, most think of the holiday as a last summer fling. Many Americans have forgotten the holiday's roots in unionism. Relaxing at the beach or barbeque, it's easy to forget our grandparents who marched in the streets in huge parades celebrating the working man's efforts with a show of solidarity. Without union intervention, overtime pay and vacations and sick leave policies might not exist."

Paying Tribute 

The majority of Education Support Professionals (ESP) are familiar with the labor laws and worker benefits that were won by unions in the 1800s and 1900s. They haven't forgotten the holiday's roots.

While ESPs do take pride in their work, I think too many of us allow our local labor union history and personal accomplishments to pass without notice. We miss the chance to educate others about why we're worth getting paid a livable wage.

We are a humble lot who often squander opportunities to share with others what we do for public schools. You never hear ESPs brag about themselves. This is good. But I think there is a difference between bragging on yourself and paying tribute to yourself and your brothers and sisters in the Association.

This Labor Day, I urge ESP locals to celebrate the holiday together as an Association. I think we honor the pioneers of the labor movement by doing so. Like them, we also create awareness about our contributions.

Pride on Parade

I know of only a few locals that march in Labor Day parades. The members from one local told me they would never think of skipping a Labor Day parade. When they march they wear matching shirts displaying their local's name. They also carry banners and signs for each ESP classification.

This helps educate the crowd and the media about the difference between those who work in maintenance from those in food services. Some participants even walk among the crowd shaking hands, passing out pencils and giving candy to children.

Educating Potential Allies

We don't have a Labor Day celebration in Brownstown, Illinois where I live. However, a few days after school starts, our district holds an open house for the community. This allows parents to meet teachers and get familiar with the school grounds.

Though it wasn't required that ESPs participate, members of my local volunteered to serve refreshments. This allowed us a chance to interact with parents and let them know what we do for the district.

When it comes time for budget cuts, negotiations, decisions about whether to privatize transportation services, or arbitrations, it is imperative to have good relations with the school community.

My local's participation in Brownstown has been a tremendous public relations builder. Peter McGuire would be proud.

More Dave's columns.

(Dave Arnold, a member of the Illinois Education Association, is head custodian at Brownstown Elementary School in Southern Illinois. He can be contacted at dparnold@csuol.com.)

The views expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NEA or its affiliates.