Labor Day: Will American Workers Be Stronger Because of the Pandemic?
2021-09-06
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1Monday, September 6, is Labor Day this year in the United States.
2The day to celebrate working people became a federal holiday in 1894.
3U.S. President Grover Cleveland signed the law making the first Monday in September a holiday.
4Because Labor Day started so many years ago, many Americans do not think about the meaning of the holiday.
5Instead, it is a day to enjoy free time with friends and family.
6It is also considered the unofficial end of summer.
7Many children go back to school after Labor Day, and many traditional summertime businesses, like amusement parks and ice cream shops, reduce their hours after Labor Day.
8In 2021, however, people around the U.S. thought a lot about the way they make a living.
9That is because the COVID-19 health crisis changed many things in the U.S.
10Many businesses shut down or had employees work from home starting in March 2020.
11Many office workers feel as if they are better off working at home because they do not have to spend time getting to their work place each day.
12They now have more time to spend with family and do fun activities.
13But people who own manufacturing and food businesses are in trouble.
14There are shortages of some products because factories were shut down.
15Drinking places and restaurants are having trouble finding workers.
16Now, some restaurants are paying workers more money and offering extra pay to people who start jobs.
17In Washington, D.C., the owner of Busboys and Poets, a popular restaurant and bookstore, recently announced every employee would earn at least $15 an hour.
18Andy Shallal is the owner. He told a local television station that he will also help his employees go to college and get better medical care.
19During the health crisis, workers are thinking of finding new jobs or going back to school.
20A study by the Washington Post and George Mason University in Virginia found that about 30 percent of workers under 40 are planning to change jobs soon.
21Other workers tried to organize in 2021.
22For example, people who work for online seller Amazon in the southern state of Alabama tried to form a labor union earlier this year.
23Unions are organizations of workers who negotiate as a group to ask their employers for more money, better conditions or more time off.
24Ruth Milkman is a professor at the City University of New York.
25She studies labor.
26Milkman said more people are interested in being in unions today than before.
27"You know, among young people, and especially college-educated young people, unions are cool again.You know, there's a real interest, that we haven't seen for quite some time, in organizing."
28One reason for that is the difference in income between the highest paid workers in the U.S. and the average worker.
29Liz Shuler is president of the AFL-CIO, a big organization made up of 56 labor unions.
30During a recent event organized by the Christian Science Monitor newspaper and shown by the television network C-SPAN, she spoke about income inequality.
31She said it takes Jeff Bezos, the former head of Amazon, seven seconds to earn the amount of money that the average Amazon worker makes in one year.
32"That's not right. There should be a way for workers to come together and actually get their fair share of the wealth that they're creating for companies like Amazon."
33Workers protested for fair pay and other protections in the early days of the labor movement in the U.S.
34The Fair Labor Standards Act in 1938 established a minimum wage.
35The last time the federal minimum wage was raised was in 2009.
36Some local governments in the U.S. want to make $15 the minimum wage.
37However, the AFL-CIO believes the minimum wage should be closer to $24.
38The Congressional Budget Office does research for Congress.
39It reported in February that if the U.S. were to raise the minimum wage to $15 by 2025 it would result in the loss of about 1.4 million jobs.
40But the office said about 900,000 people would no longer be considered poor.
41President Joe Biden spoke about raising the minimum wage during his presidential campaign.
42But an increase was dropped from the recent $1.2 trillion spending deal passed by Congress.
43Some labor advocates say the best way for workers to earn more money is to unionize.
44However, they say laws in the U.S. make it easy for businesses to interfere with employees who want to form unions.
45Labor unions want politicians to vote for a bill called the Protecting the Right to Organize Act.
46Jonas Loeb is the Director of Communications for IATSE, a union that represents people who work for theater, movie and television productions.
47He said although people seem to support unions, it is often hard for employees to come together and join one.
48"Just because people want to join and form unions, doesn't mean that they will be able to, right? And this is why I think what happens next hinges so much on what happens in Washington."
49Milkman believes that the average person has a good opinion of unions, and has sympathy for low-paid workers and their problems.
50But, she warned, gains made by workers during the coronavirus crisis may not last long.
51"Once the labor market is no longer one of a shortage of low-wage workers, I think you can assume that employers will cut wages."
52I'm Dan Friedell.
1Monday, September 6, is Labor Day this year in the United States. The day to celebrate working people became a federal holiday in 1894. U.S. President Grover Cleveland signed the law making the first Monday in September a holiday. 2Because Labor Day started so many years ago, many Americans do not think about the meaning of the holiday. Instead, it is a day to enjoy free time with friends and family. It is also considered the unofficial end of summer. 3Many children go back to school after Labor Day, and many traditional summertime businesses, like amusement parks and ice cream shops, reduce their hours after Labor Day. 4In 2021, however, people around the U.S. thought a lot about the way they make a living. That is because the COVID-19 health crisis changed many things in the U.S. Many businesses shut down or had employees work from home starting in March 2020. 5Many office workers feel as if they are better off working at home because they do not have to spend time getting to their work place each day. They now have more time to spend with family and do fun activities. 6But people who own manufacturing and food businesses are in trouble. There are shortages of some products because factories were shut down. Drinking places and restaurants are having trouble finding workers. Now, some restaurants are paying workers more money and offering extra pay to people who start jobs. 7In Washington, D.C., the owner of Busboys and Poets, a popular restaurant and bookstore, recently announced every employee would earn at least $15 an hour. Andy Shallal is the owner. He told a local television station that he will also help his employees go to college and get better medical care. 8During the health crisis, workers are thinking of finding new jobs or going back to school. A study by the Washington Post and George Mason University in Virginia found that about 30 percent of workers under 40 are planning to change jobs soon. 9Other workers tried to organize in 2021. For example, people who work for online seller Amazon in the southern state of Alabama tried to form a labor union earlier this year. Unions are organizations of workers who negotiate as a group to ask their employers for more money, better conditions or more time off. 10Ruth Milkman is a professor at the City University of New York. She studies labor. Milkman said more people are interested in being in unions today than before. 11"You know, among young people, and especially college-educated young people, unions are cool again. You know, there's a real interest, that we haven't seen for quite some time, in organizing." 12One reason for that is the difference in income between the highest paid workers in the U.S. and the average worker. 13Liz Shuler is president of the AFL-CIO, a big organization made up of 56 labor unions. During a recent event organized by the Christian Science Monitor newspaper and shown by the television network C-SPAN, she spoke about income inequality. She said it takes Jeff Bezos, the former head of Amazon, seven seconds to earn the amount of money that the average Amazon worker makes in one year. 14"That's not right. There should be a way for workers to come together and actually get their fair share of the wealth that they're creating for companies like Amazon." 15Workers protested for fair pay and other protections in the early days of the labor movement in the U.S. The Fair Labor Standards Act in 1938 established a minimum wage. The last time the federal minimum wage was raised was in 2009. Some local governments in the U.S. want to make $15 the minimum wage. However, the AFL-CIO believes the minimum wage should be closer to $24. 16The Congressional Budget Office does research for Congress. It reported in February that if the U.S. were to raise the minimum wage to $15 by 2025 it would result in the loss of about 1.4 million jobs. But the office said about 900,000 people would no longer be considered poor. 17President Joe Biden spoke about raising the minimum wage during his presidential campaign. But an increase was dropped from the recent $1.2 trillion spending deal passed by Congress. 18Some labor advocates say the best way for workers to earn more money is to unionize. However, they say laws in the U.S. make it easy for businesses to interfere with employees who want to form unions. Labor unions want politicians to vote for a bill called the Protecting the Right to Organize Act. 19Jonas Loeb is the Director of Communications for IATSE, a union that represents people who work for theater, movie and television productions. He said although people seem to support unions, it is often hard for employees to come together and join one. 20"Just because people want to join and form unions, doesn't mean that they will be able to, right? And this is why I think what happens next hinges so much on what happens in Washington." 21Milkman believes that the average person has a good opinion of unions, and has sympathy for low-paid workers and their problems. 22But, she warned, gains made by workers during the coronavirus crisis may not last long. 23"Once the labor market is no longer one of a shortage of low-wage workers, I think you can assume that employers will cut wages." 24I'm Dan Friedell. 25Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 26How should Americans think about work this Labor Day? Tell us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook page. 27_____________________________________________________ 28Words in This Story 29amusement park -n. a place with games and rides such as roller coasters 30union -n. an organization of workers formed to protect the rights and interests of its members 31minimum wage -n. an amount of money that is the least amount of hourly pay permitted by the law 32advocate -n. a person who argues for or supports a cause or policy 33hinge -v. to depend on; to be decided by something 34assume -v. to think something is true without knowing that it is true