Sunday, September 6, 2009

Laboring for workers

It's almost Labor Day, signaling the end of the summer, and a day of rest, presumably, for workers in the US.  But most working people are NOT resting, this Labor Day.  Although many people are without jobs, those who have jobs are in many instances going to be working, on Labor Day.  The AFL-CIO says nearly one in three young workers, will be AT work, this "holiday." 

Will they be paying off huge student loans?  Will they be provided safe working conditions and compassionate, quality health care if they're injured or become ill?  What about the longevity of their employment.  Are they working toward a career path, or just "doing a job," as one of my former bosses distinguished work situations?

My own parents frequently took generous vacations, though their parents had not.  They retired and took it easy, thanks to civil service and military pension plans that were secure.  But that's not the case for me and the rest of my generation, quite a few of whom will continue working beyond "retirement age."  And it won't be the case for most young people (Gen X and Gen Y) today.  How does that affect our society? 

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