Labor Day 2014 Op-Ed by Mike Williams President Florida AFL-CIO

Labor Day 2014 Op-Ed

Mike Williams, President, Florida AFL-CIO

Labor Day is the day when we take a moment to celebrate the achievements of America’s workers. There is much to celebrate. We worked hard and pulled together to increase productivity and profits. We built a wave of economic prosperity that, by the numbers, shows us propelling out of the Great Recession. Unfortunately, this rising tide did not float all boats. Workers across Florida continue to struggle to support their families. Wages have not kept pace with the cost of living, all while big corporations, CEO’s and their shareholders enjoy record profits. The harsh reality remains that hardworking Floridians continue to struggle to put food on the table and gas in the tank. Despite our hard work, our sacrifice and our innovation, too many of us are not reaping the fruits of our labor.

Increased productivity has not led to higher relative compensation. Prices for food, gas, utilities, housing, and other consumer goods have continued to rise. Wages have either gone down and stayed down or remained stagnant. Workers have fewer and yet more expensive benefits. This is no accident. It’s the result of corporate policies designed to increase profits by limiting the costs of labor. It comes in many forms including outsourcing, sending jobs and profits overseas, increasing the ratio of part-time to full-time employees, shifting healthcare costs to employees, ending defined benefit pension plans, reducing employer contributions to defined contribution plans, classifying employees as independent contractors and a slew of other special interest policies all leading to the continued economic marginalization of working families.

Consider the fact that over the past thirty years the average earnings of Florida’s wealthiest 1 percent rose by 116 percent, while the wages for the rest of Florida’s 99 percent of workers dropped by 8. The extremely rich continue to get richer, while the rest of us continue to struggle. The rise in political and corporate attacks on working people has meant that for decades wages have declined or remained flat. The drop in labor union participation over the years has contributed to falling labor standards in Florida and across the country. Good jobs with good benefits have become harder to come by.  

It’s not too late to counteract widening income inequality, reverse diminishing economic opportunity and make Florida’s economy work for all of us, not just the wealthy. We need to insist that politicians stop creating policies that benefit their corporate cronies, and instead enact policies to ease the burden on working families. We need policies that make sure people are paid enough to support their families. We need leaders who support increasing investments in research, education and infrastructure that create good jobs, funded by closing tax loopholes for big corporations.

Working people can no longer afford to be victimized by out of touch politicians. We need an economy that works for everyone, not just the wealthy and big businesses. Workers need a strong voice in their work place and even stronger voices in the halls of the Capitol. This Labor Day let’s celebrate worker achievements, reflect on the struggles ahead and demand change at the ballot box this November.  

Disclaimer:The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Minority Outreach Solutions.