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Worker rights in spotlight today

by MADISON HARDY
Staff Writer | September 7, 2020 1:09 AM

For many, Labor Day weekend marks the end of summer holidays before school and the cold weather roll in, but that's not how it all started.

Labor Day, which officially became a federal holiday in 1894, commemorates American workers' lasting contributions and achievements during the late 19th century's labor movement.

"The labor movement is about looking out for workers, watching out for their best interests whether it is workplace safety, retirement, hours of employment or pension," Central Labor Council president Brad Cederbloom said.

Cederbloom, 59, has worked as a delegate for the Central Labor Council (CLC) since 1992 and served as acting president for the past two years.

The CLC is a branch of the historic labor union, the American Federation of Labor — its formation in the 1900s, the AFL-CIO has represented workers in industries like auto, rubber, steel, and other industrial positions regardless of skill, race, religion, nationality, or gender.

Since the Industrial Revolution in the 1800s, organized labor unions have worked to better wages, hours of employment, safe working conditions, child labor, and health benefits. Early union strikes and battles fought against sweatshops' unfair labor practices, penny wages, and 70-hour work weeks.

Labor workers today receive these benefits through contract negotiations. However, many Americans fought and died for these rights.

"I think there is a lot of history that has been lost. This generation and many people in my generation don't know that it is through unions that we have rights like the 40-hour work week or the eight-hour work day," Cederbloom said. "Labor Day is the commemoration of that, the camaraderie of the workers themselves."

Organized labor was and still is, a huge chunk of America's wage earners. While unions are not nearly as present as they once were, worker associations continue to negotiate good livable jobs nationwide.

"Unions are still important today because if you don't fight for them, you lose them," Cederblom said. "If you're standing still, you're going to be passed, or start going backward, and if people don't know their rights, they will get tread on every day."

Kimberly Ziegler, president of the Coeur d'Alene Education Association, says their group works to help maintain teacher operating conditions and create schools students deserve.

"We negotiate on behalf of every single staff member in the district, to maintain salaries and benefits," Ziegler said. "Some people don't realize how much the unions do in the background. We are constantly working to make sure things are improved for our employees."

Ziegler, 43, who has taught seventh grade English Language Arts at Woodland Middle School for eight years, says the union has monumentally helped teachers through the coronavirus crisis.

"It's had a large impact during this time of pandemic because we have worked directly with our district leaders to make sure our teachers still have jobs and that our students have schools to go back to," Ziegler said. "We work for a wonderful district, and they work very well with the CEA. I would say we work together hand in hand."

One of the largest groups today, the American Postal Workers Union and its subsegments like the National Association of Letters Carriers (NALC) have over 260,000 national members. Pam Shaughnessy, 58, has been with the postal service for 27 years and serves as the shop steward and current union president of the Coeur d'Alene branch of the NALC.

"We have our national officers and president who negotiate our wages, hours, working conditions, and benefits every three years or so," Shaughnessy said.

While only about 12% of workers in America belong to unions, Shaughnessy says they are crucial.

"If we didn't have the protections that we have, businesses could do anything that they wanted," Shaughnessy said. "It's amazing. It is honestly a great union, and we are all thankful for it. It's hard work, and I think without the union, we wouldn't have anything close to the pay and benefits we do now."

Modern versions of unions like city and industry associations act as cooperative bargaining outlets to professionally address their position with employers. Groups like the Coeur d'Alene Lake City Employee Association help their members maintain positive relationships.

Nick Goodwin, 34, has been president of the employee association since 2016. To Goodwin, the association merely works as a mediator to discuss benefits and needs with the city's administration.

"It's important to have representation," Goodwin said. "A lot of times, even if an employee is amazing at their job when it comes to negotiating the terms of their employment, it is usually better for the employee and the employer to have a professional means to communicate."

Through this professional communication, Goodwin says the association has created a strong relationship with the city of Coeur d'Alene. When he reflects on the meaning of Labor Day, Goodwin believes it's a conversation the public should be more aware of and educated about.

"We are fortunate that our country and our state have good labor laws, but those are only enforced because of the labor movement," Goodwin said. "I often remind myself and others that people fought and died for the 40-hour work week a long time ago, and without that, we wouldn't have a large number of our worker rights."