Labor of Love

Barbecues. Cookouts. Family picnics. Fun filled weekend. Long weekend. Sales on any and everything. Back to school shopping in some places. Last weekend of summer. Last day to wear white. These are some of the events and activities associated with Labor Day in the United States of America.

The holiday is celebrated on the first Monday of September every year. Labor Day is one of 11 federal holidays celebrated annually, and with its occurrence on a particular day and not date, is guaranteed to provide the long weekend at the end of every summer.  Annually it seems the importance of Labor Day is lost in the revelry and entertainment of the long weekend, the opportunities missed to educate and raise awareness about the labor movement in the United States, the contributions of laborers to the building of the country, and to continue to advocate for workers’ rights. Labor Day is more than picnics in the park and department store discounts.

Per the Smithsonian Institute: “Labor may be physical, use brain power, or be a labor of love—volunteer work. All these are honored this weekend, as we pause to reflect on the nation we have built together.” Labor here identifies the work people do for wages and volunteer. The labor movement dates to the late 19th century and the fight for workers’ rights, wages, unionization, and workplace safety. Child labor laws, the eight-hour work day, paid overtime, adequate compensation for work performed, and minimum wage laws are a few of the notable work place practices that were birthed from the labor movement.

The truth for our lives is that there are yet industries that require labor practices that reflect the achievements made over the years. Standards are not the same for all industries, nor is the same value placed on the labor that continues to contribute to the building of the nation. Instead, some work is seen as having greater value. Those have prestige, salaries, health benefits and pensions, while others struggle with inadequate wages, poor working conditions, and safety hazards in the workplace.

And then, there are farm workers, wait staff and other service industry workers in the United States whose employment continues to prove problematic for their health, well-being and quality of life. This Labor Day is a reminder that there is more to be accomplished in ensuring the rights of every worker are guaranteed. The US is falling drastically behind similar countries in mandating adequate wages, protections, and rights for millions of workers and their families. The wealthiest country in the world is near the bottom of every dimension of this index.

Compared with 37 countries with commitment to democracy, free market economies and relatively robust economies, the US ranks 35 out of 38 in an index of labor policies. Most European countries integrate agricultural workers into standard national labor codes. They receive mandatory overtime pay, robust health and safety inspections, and standard social security coverage regardless of migration status.  There is more work to be done in the US and a labor movement that needs to be recognized and continued ensuring the rights of the labor force regardless of industry and immigration status.

Farm workers in the United States are excluded from labor laws while supporting the $1.2 trillion plus farming industry. There are between 2 and 3 million farm workers in the US. They are not protected under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 or the National Labor Relations Act. This has increased the vulnerability of farm workers to poor safety practices with exposure to pesticides and other chemicals and has ignored the need for fair wages for those planting, harvesting and providing the nation’s food.

There are children working in the fields alongside their parents primarily due to poverty in violation of child labor laws. There are approximately 283,000 undocumented immigrants who work in the United States as agricultural workers. These individuals make up approximately 4 percent of the total undocumented workforce in United States. While this number is low, the presence of undocumented immigrants furthers their exposure to exploitation. Organizations like the National Farm Worker Ministry and the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC) continue to advocate and raise awareness about the challenges affecting farm workers across the United States with support from faith communities.

Labor in any industry should not be compensated or ignored compensation based on labor of love ideology. If work is understood to be done for compensation, then expectation of enjoyment and passion accompanying that work should not be exploited. Instead, all who labor to put food on their tables, to take care of themselves and their loved ones, to live in a safe environment, to access education and provide for their daily needs should be able to do so with adequate compensation and benefits. That is the Labor Day imperative.

On this 132nd Labor Day celebration as the festivities take place, the cookouts display food from farms and gardens across the land, and another summer comes to an end, those who labor in the fields continue to fight for justice. They too need support and advocacy if a just world for all is to be achieved. The labor of love should not be a requirement of workers, instead, it should be the motivation to, as Micah 6:8 says, “do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God.”

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