How Sarah Bagley Changed the Labor Movement
Photo Credit: Rio Lecatompessy (Unsplash)
Almost 50 years before Labor Day became an official federal holiday in the U.S., women in Massachusetts were advocating for fair and safe working conditions. Sarah Bagley was at the center of that historic movement. In 1844, while serving as the president of the Lowell Female Labor Reform Association, she organized textile workers and trained them how to testify before lawmakers. Sarah's petitions led to a legislative hearing about heinous factory conditions. What is the state of labor movements around the world today?
U.S. unions are on the rise.
In 2018, Vox wrote that "labor unions in America today are in crisis." Roughly one third of Americans belonged to a labor union in the 1950s, but by 2018 that number had dropped to 11 percent. Two years after that analysis, the pandemic reignited labor movements. Essential workers have been organizing, influencing policy changes, and using social media to share concerns. There are examples across professions. Grocery store workers, like at Whole Foods and Giant, have publicly demanded hazard pay. Flight attendants led conversations about mask policies and their union ensured that aviation employees were included in the stimulus bill. Nurses hosted demonstrations to request personal protective equipment and they anonymously shared their dire working conditions in an online document.
Killer hours: overwork is unhealthy.
Back in the early 1800s, Sarah Bagley tried to pressure lawmakers to amend the 12 to 14 hour factory workday to a maximum of 10 hours. This past May, the World Health Organization (WHO) published findings proving that overworking kills hundreds of thousands of people every year. According to WHO, people who work 55 or more hours per week are at a higher risk of heart disease and strokes compared to people who work 35 to 40 hours per week. Could a shorter work week improve health outcomes? In July, the Washington Post reviewed the four-day work week trials in Iceland, which were initiated by Iceland's government at the request of unions. Iceland's trials provided “groundbreaking evidence for the efficacy of working time reduction."
Global changes are happening.
Europe is often the focus of positive labor movements, but changes are happening elsewhere, too. In 2017, Korean President Moon Jae-in fought for South Korea's "right to rest" after long hours were linked to decreased birth rates and productivity. The country's "brutal work culture" had once been considered the source of their economic growth so, in some cases, drastic measures had to be taken to reinforce positive changes. For example, in 2018, on Fridays, Seoul City Hall would turn off the electricity by 7pm to make certain that staff went home and did not work through the night. Last week, China's high court decided that it is illegal for workers to toil for 12 hours a day in a six day work week. The court acknowledged that global competition drives long hours, but that companies must prioritize the mental and physical health of their employees. As South Africa's public sector has grown, labor unions have become more influential in wage negotiations. In 2016, because of that bargaining power, they were called a "new labor elite."
Follow The Nanny
I learned about labor unions’ strikes and boycotts from watching The Nanny when I was a kid. The fabulous and funny “Fran Fine” had lots of good advice on the show, but what always stuck with me was: “Never, ever, ever cross a picket line.”
Even if you are not in a position to join a union, you can amplify their advocacy efforts when they are voicing concerns about venues you patronize. In 2020, TeenVogue published an article on strikes to explain common terminology and provide examples. Kim Kelly wrote that strikes and boycotts are "inspiring acts of mass solidarity." To show support, follow Fran Drescher's example in The Nanny and do not cross the picket line. This means, especially for other unionized workers, that you do your absolute best to not patronize the establishment or purchase those goods or services while the workers are on strike to negotiate for better working conditions. Remember, the resurgence of labor movements around the world has been fueled by public support and solidarity.