Labor Day traditionally marks the unofficial end to summer.
But true meaning behind the holiday is to honor the contributions of American workers to society.
Growing out of the labor movement of the 1880s, the first Labor Day parade was held in New York City in 1882. Labor Day became a federal holiday in 1894.
Leading the labor movement in Indiana was Terre Haute’s Eugene V. Debs. As Grand Secretary of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen, he led a 10-month strike in 1888 against CB&Q Railroad.
He was also instrumental in the founding of the American Railway Union, one of the nation's first industrial unions, and went on to serve in the Indiana House of Representatives. Debs also ran for president five times as a socialist, the last time in 1920 from jail.
One of the first major pro-labor laws came in 1914. The Clayton Act said "the labor of a human being is not a commodity or article of commerce." It legalized strikes and boycotts. Workers earned the right to unionize in via the Wagner Act in 1935.
Union membership peaked in 1954 with 35 percent of the workforce represented by a union.
But union membership began to decline and by 1983, union membership was down to 21 percent nationwide. Indiana was above the national average then with 25 percent. But by 2004, that number was down to 12 percent and last year dipped below 10 percent.
Contributing to the decline was Indiana’s Right to Work legislation, which was signed into law in 2012. It prohibits unions from requiring union membership as a condition of employment.
But union membership is making a comeback, with companies such as Starbucks and Amazon seeing organized labor movements. And at Indiana University, the Indiana Graduate Workers Coalition has been seeking formal recognition from IU for its more than 1,700 members.
On this week’s Noon Edition, we’ll discuss the history behind the labor movement in the U.S., Indiana’s role in unions, where unions stand today and why it’s important to recognize laborers.
Join us on the air by calling 812-855-0811 or toll-free at 1-877-285-9348. You can also send questions for the show to news@indianapublicmedia.org.
Guests
Derek Cronin, president of UAW Local 440
Allison Duerk, Director of the Eugene Debs Museum
Jerry Torr, former Indiana state representative from Carmel, co-author Indiana’s Right to Work law
Joseph Varga, professor in the Labor Studies Department at Indiana University
