Written and Posted by Michael Sauers

September 2, 2024

Let me begin by stating that I come from labor. As far back as I can determine my ancestors labored under the tyranny that is capitalism. My grandparents and great grandparents labored in and around the anthracite coal fields in NEPA. They were miners, blacksmiths and entrepreneurs at various endeavors. My Dad was a brilliant community organizer and politician who aspired to own a small business.

I grew up, as did my brother and sister, learning about family history and watching my parents struggle within a system of limited opportunities. My work life began at the age of 9-10 and continues to this day. There were many small jobs, college, teaching, business and community organizing. I am a member of the PSEA/NEA union.

There is nothing wrong with being successful as long as that success does not come with the brutal exploitation of others. Fortunes made on the backs of poor men and women (of all colors/nationalities) and children are anger inducing. Denying workers basic human rights in order to enhance profits is anger inducing. Denying workers the right to organize is, well, anger inducing and necessitates justice. All of this has always steered me towards being a labor advocate.

One of my distant cousins , Hugh McGeehan, was a Mollie Maguire. He was hung in Pottsville on June 21, 1877 (the day of the rope). As a teacher I joined my local HAEA and became a leader. Some of my favorite movies are; The Grapes of Wrath, The Mollie Maguires and On the Waterfront. Not that long ago and to some degree today, many union members were/are uneducated and ripe for exploitation. You can thank the century long underfunding of public education for that as well as the thuggish nature of humans. Many unions were exploited for their pension funds by criminals both inside and outside the unions. That and an almost blind eye to environmental issues has given unions two black eyes.

Today, as in the past, we are witnessing corporate profits at record levels with no recognizable benefits for labor/consumers/taxpayers. Capital controls government at all levels. They have their hands deep in taxpayers pockets (corporate welfare, no/low tax rates, disproportionate access to government decision makers, etc.). They throw some crumbs but they are perfectly happy to watch 99%+ of the people struggle. They are chomping at the bit (sorry horses) to master a bitcoin economy controlled by AI. Picture “Brave New World”, “Handmaids Tale” and “1984” rolled into one nightmare for 99% of humanity. Picture robotics, advanced computerization and guaranteed income as the norm (there is still a need for consumers). This is far more than two black eyes. It is an attempt at decapitation.

So, as is evident, for every sin that unions have committed, capital has/is committing 1000’s. Yes, labor has a few warts but I will stand with labor any day.

So, today I salute labor (union or not) that is working in a partnership with democratic capitalism. I support a living wage, pension plans, health care for all, adequacy funding for public schools, clean/safe working conditions, the right to collective bargaining and a reasonable profit that does not gouge consumers. I support a robust/aggressive fight to assure that productive, viable, appreciated and fairly compensated human labor is guaranteed for the future success of humanity.

So, nothing is perfect. There is a huge abundance of labor/capitalism history. Do some research. Enjoy!