Tracy Hardin
Executive Board Member at Large
In my opinion, the corner of 2nd. and Main St. in Henryetta, Ok. is the best place to watch the annual Labor Day Parade. This location is at the bottom of the hill and the end of the parade route. For the past five years I have taken up this spot to celebrate and work on behalf of Local 514. By the time the parade procession reaches the end the bands has gotten in step, the Shriners are getting a little loose on the scooters, and any candy that is left is dumped to open hands.
This year the same unions from around the state were there with a few exceptions, but the message had a different tone. While the floats were passing by, the celebration was more of an education.
It seems as if America and our own members have forgotten the roots of the Labor movement. So let me remind you and don’t take things for granted.
The First State Minimum Wage Law was adopted in 1912 in Massachusetts.
In 1938 the Fair Labor Standards Act establishes the 40-hour workweek.
The Equal Pay Act of 1963 prohibited discrimination in wages on the basis of sex.
These are just a few laws that were established due to the actions of labor unions at that time. The private sector worker enjoys the same protections, as union workers but have no idea how things got this way.
So as we continue to celebrate our past, we should work even harder for our future.
“We have to do with the past only as we can make it useful to the present and the future” Fredrick Douglas.
I hope you had a Happy Labor Day!
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