A Labor Day message from Ohio AFL-CIO President Tim Burga:
This time each year, we come together to remind this country: Labor Day is our day. It belongs to all working people.
And this Labor Day, here in Ohio and around the country, we’re going to make sure all of America knows what we stand for: freedom, fairness, and security for working people.
Every day, more and more people understand how we fight for justice. Every day, more and more workers are turning to the labor movement to be a part of that fight—including workers who feel abandoned by the political system. Workers who are scratching their heads and saying, “I’m not better off today than I was last year—not by a long shot.”
And 75% of those workers say they believe in unions. They believe that joining a union is their best shot to build a better life, a more secure life, and a brighter future for themselves and their families.
That’s the power of solidarity.
The collective strength that unions provide—to take on power and to create and build power of our own—is what unions do. It’s in our blood. It’s how we won the weekend. It’s how we won paid vacation, the eight-hour workday, and Social Security. And it’s why, in states with the most unionized workers, workers make more money, more people have health care, and there are greater investments in our schools.
It’s why workers all over this country know this: It’s better in a union. Every single thing working people have won for ourselves in this country’s history wasn’t won because we simply asked those in power. It wasn’t handed to us. We fought for it.
We fought relentlessly—by organizing, by mobilizing, and by using our collective power. So, if you believe in common sense, no matter what political party you belong to; if you’re ready to stand up to the politicians that are stripping us of our rights, if you’re ready to stand up to the CEOs and billionaires who are trying to take over our country while driving up costs on everything; if you’re ready to fight for those standing beside you; if you’re ready to build the kind of country that workers deserve—then let us be united in this cause.
As long as I have the honor to represent trade unionists, I will remain optimistic that a united labor movement will not only survive, but thrive. So let us join hands with every positive aspect of our lives—in solidarity, grounded in strength and energized for the future.
Thank you for your hard work. Thank you for your belief that we are stronger together. And thank you for supporting one another. Let’s keep organizing. Let’s keep fighting. And let’s keep leading.
Together, we will win a better day for America. Happy Labor Day—and solidarity forever!