It's Time for New Labor Rights

Benjamin Hernandez
Sep 3, 2018 · 3 min read

America is great. We celebrate everything. Today, on Labor Day, it's the turn of the American worker.

The path to American economic might went through coal mines, mills, and factory floors employing young children. In fact, in 1900 nearly one out of every five children under the age of 16 was part of the American workforce. At some point along the way, however, we evolved and realized that children should be in school and that people working in dangerous places needed basic safety protections.

Lewis Hine / Library of Congress

Unions sprang up to fight for worker rights including better pay, reasonable hours, and basic safety conditions. Workers won and their lives were better off thanks to the work of reformers and unions.

Today, we’re a long way from workers winning. Sure, workers still enjoy some of the basic protections earned in the last century, but still many American workers don’t have a livable wage, parental leave, or even paid time off. In the United States, California, New Jersey, and Rhode Island lead the way in legislation that offers some of these basic rights, but we need a nationwide solution.

Not to mention that in 2018 the gender pay gap is still a thing, or that wage theft still occurs, and that we have the widest wealth inequality since the great depression. It's true that the stock market has had record gains, but unless you are part of the most wealthy in this country, your share and my share of the wealth in this country is decreasing.

The reality is that on Labor Day 2018, other than the most basic protections, most of the American workforce still has to fend for itself. Worker rights vary widely from state to state and unlike the last century there has been no movement on federal legislation to standardize worker rights. I’m grateful for the work of unions and reformers in the past century, but it’s time for legislators to get on board too.

Workers need an hourly wage beyond $7.25, whether that's $15 or somewhere close, let's debate it. But the point is that workers need a livable wage. Parental leave and paid time off needs to be part of the minimum worker contract. Whether you are sick or just had a child, your job should be there for you. We need fair chance hiring, giving workers a shot at a job before being disqualified by their past. Finally, we need to make clear that sexual orientation discrimination is just as illegal as discrimination based on sex, race, color, national origin and religion.

America, we’ve come a long way but we still have a long way to go. We need to do better for our workers.

Benjamin Hernandez in a congressional candidate for the Texas 9th Congressional District. His campaign is powered by hard work, person-to-person contact, social media and a potent demand for change.

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Benjamin Hernandez
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