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A few thoughts for those...
....whose lives are easier now because of the labor movement:
Labor is the great producer of wealth: it moves all other causes. Congressman Daniel Webster, 4/2/1824 With all their faults, trade unions have done more for humanity than any other organization that ever existed. They have done more for decency, for honesty, for education, for the betterment of the race, for the developing of character in man, than the other association of men. Clarence Darrow, The Railroad Trainman, 1909 Without labor nothing prospers. Popular banner The history of America has been largely created by the deeds of its working people and their organizations. Nor has this contribution been confined to raising wages and bettering work conditions; it has been fundamental to almost every effort to extend and strengthen our democracy. William Cahn, labor authority and historian We insist that labor is entitled to as much respect as property. But our workers with hand and brain deserve more than respect for their labor. They deserve practical protection in the opportunity to use their labor at a return adequate to support them at a decent and constantly rising standard of living, and to accumulate a margin of security against the inevitable vicissitudes of life. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, fireside chat, 1936 If I were a worker in a factory, the first thing I would do would be to join a union. President Franklin D. Roosevelt The first thing a dictator does is abolish the free press. Next he abolishes the right of labor to go on strike. Strikes have been labor's weapon of progress in the century of our industrial civilization. Where the strike has been abolished ... labor is reduced to a state of medieval peonage, the standard of living lowered, the nation falls to subsistence level. George Seldes, Freedom of the Press, 1935 The right to join a union of one's choice is unquestioned today and is sanctioned and protected by law. President Harry S. Truman Only a fool would try to deprive working men and women of the right to join the union of their choice. President Dwight Eisenhower (1953-1961), general and Allied Supreme Commander in World War II There's s a direct relationship between the ballot box and the bread box, and what the union fights for and wins at the bargaining table can be taken away in the legislative halls. Walter Reuther In light of this fundamental structure of all work... in light of the fact that, labor and capital are indispensable in any social system ... it is clear that even if it is because of production in any social system ... it is clear that even if it is because of their work needs that people unite to secure their rights, their union remains a constructive factor of social order and solidarity, and it is impossible to ignore it. Pope John Paul II The history of the labor movements needs to be taught in every school in this land. America is a living testimonial to what free men and women, organized in free democratic trade unions can do to make a better life. .... We ought to be proud of it! Vice President Hubert Horatio Humphrey, Jr. (1865-1969), Lyndon Johnson Administration Our labor unions are not narrow, self-seeking groups. They have raised wages, shortened hours, and provided supplemental benefits. Through collective bargaining and grievance procedures, they have brought justice and democracy to the shop floor. President John F. Kennedy, 1962 The AFL-CIO has done more good for more people than any (other) group in America in its legislative efforts. It doesn't just try to do something about wages and hours for its own people. No group in the country works harder in the interests of everyone. President Lyndon Johnson, 1965 |
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