Labor Day Thoughts, 2015

Another Labor Day has passed, and it seems that each year the voice of workers in this country gets weaker. Corporations continue to look for ways to increase the workload, while cutting workers at every turn, despite record profits, despite increasing corporate officer salaries to dizzying levels. These faceless multinational monolithic corporations continue to ship American jobs overseas to countries where they can pay workers pennies a day. They look to cut hard-won benefits to the workers that they retain at every turn. The modern day robber barons like the Koch brothers have the ear of sympathetic politicians and work to get bills through congress that would enable corporations to give off time, instead of overtime pay. They work to eliminate FMLA and anything that would benefit the workers.
Make no mistake about it, where for a brief and shining moment, America was the beacon for the world on how workers had succeeded in making it possible to live a comfortable life, there are now families that struggle to make ends meet. We have fallen from being an example of how things should be, to how the ruthless can manipulate things to their advantage. From the governors of certain states who refuse to honor labor contracts and thumb their noses at unions, to the CEO's who make their reputation on how they can mistreat their workers and make millions doing it. General Electric, Verizon, AT&T are just a few. This disease which is killing off the American Working Class is widespread. The only hope is that, like all things, the pendulum will swing the other way. When Romney told American Unions that their services were no longer necessary, it showed exactly what the corporate elites wish them to be. Well, Mr. Romney, you are exactly wrong. Someone has to step forward to champion the American worker again.
These are my thoughts on the status of the American Working Families today. I have been with the American Worker my whole life, and I will be with them to my end. I wish you all love, peace, and prosperity.
John Zaffino, Kent Lakes New York
September 7, 2015 Labor Day