I grew up and tried to emulate my
parents. They had six children and struggled to make things the best
they could. My mom stayed at home and my dad was a Chicago Policeman who
had a second job on the University of Chicago Police Department. He
took on a third job at times as well. His patrolman salary was sub-par
at the time for raising a large family.
At
some point the unions that had been created to protect workers fell on
hard times. My grandfather who had started out with a horse and buggy
delivery service had become an official in a union. He was an honest man
who did not drink or swear. After he died, the union for which he
worked became corrupt. I have a relative that tells me his retirement
funds were stolen by a corrupt union.
The
auto makers unions fought for high salaries and good benefits. But
they seemed to have lost the support of the common man who made so much
less. Eventually, unions seemed to survive in certain industries and
die out in others. In some cases businesses moved their operations out
of the country and blamed it on the unions. Recently, such a case was
made for a large baking operation here. Many have gone before it. If
you are a big company and want to create cheaper goods out of the
country, maybe you can do it by having a union disagreement.
From
bikes to boots and from many luxury cars to lamps, much of our
manufacturing has left. Red-white-and-blue heroes in retailing passed
away and their business went to second generation leaders who had no
interest in anything other than the bottom line. The Greatest Generation
was replaced by something else. Many people believe they sold out to
cheap labor. Foreign car makers nominally assemble cars in American
with thousands of foreign made parts. And consumers have lost interest
in buying American or anything close to the notion. Unless or until
Americans decide to put a premium on American made goods, the economy
will erode. Like the dust bowl in the 1930s, the American economy will
have few roots to sinks it's teeth into that will hold on when the
winds blow and the weather turns hot and dry.
Sadly,
many American young families are not having families at all. Some have a
dog and spend a small fortune on pet supplies. Do they believe
everything they hear about "affording a family" and decide they just
can't do it? Or do they have one child and call it good? Are today's
young people facing a quandary or are they just too selfish? What
example did they get from us? Or is it a case of convincing messages
coming from other sources?
Silly
Americans think that the labor force is being filled at the lowest
level by foreign workers, but they are not looking very hard. From
roofers to truck drivers, from painters to doctors, from scientists to
newsmen and woman, the face of America is changing. Very soon, no one
will be immune. No job will be safe. Don't be surprised to hear from
some authoritative source that American lawyers and accountants are lazy
and there are new ways to get better cheaper representation. Will the
lawyers who bought foreign cars or the accountants who did nothing when
their clients lost their business to outsourcers get a better hearing
from other Americans? Or will people continue to look at their stock
portfolios and call it good?
The
world is getting smaller and people need a break who come from overseas
when jobs are scarce and resources small. But I find it hard to
believe impoverishing more Americans to secure the high profits of the
few is the way to go. And the need for labor organizations that can
stand at an equal level with corporate interests has never been greater.
Some of course don't believe there is a need and don't care about
American workers regardless. What does Labor Day mean to these people?
What
do we hear about labor today? In some ways, I have to wonder about who
minds the store in terms of our information. It occurs to me that a few
generations ago, anything we got for advertising messages that came
from the big companies of the time like General Motors were pretty
clear--"see the USA in your Chevrolet." But now, I think our biggest
companies are running the information highway. They control most
everything we see. Go to an entertainment event, just drive home in
your car, or search for a historical fact and it is likely you will be
face-to-face with information someone paid to get you. Want a greater
audience at your web site, pay the advertisement fees set up. So much
information comes to us paid. So little otherwise.
On
this labor day, I have to wonder about the value of American sweat and
toil. Have you tried to fill out an employment application lately? At
many offices you can't even get in the building. The want ads that you
see for jobs come to you paid by some source that has something to sell
and it's not jobs. Is it any wonder that so many job seekers are
frustrated when they literally can't get "in the front door?"
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Lawrence Norris is the author of the Brown and White, a fictionalized memoir that takes a funny look at Catholic High School and the author's family and friends in the late 60s.
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Lawrence Norris is the author of the Brown and White, a fictionalized memoir that takes a funny look at Catholic High School and the author's family and friends in the late 60s.
