08/29/2025
A Labor Day message from Linda L. Hinton, Vice President
CWA District 4
Dear Union Family,
Happy Labor Day to you, your Local members, and your families. I hope this weekend finds you healthy and safe.
The first Labor Day parade took place on September 5, 1882, organized by the Central Labor Union and the Knights of Labor in New York City to honor workers and showcase labor's strength. Congress declared it a national holiday in 1894. We have certainly come a long way from the original fight being for the eight hour work day. We then took on child labor laws, workplace safety, anti-discriminatory work practices, FMLA, holidays, weekends, sick days, benefits, the list goes on and on. So, while you are enjoying your Labor Day holiday, take a moment to thank those who came before us who paved the way for a better way of life on and off the job.
While we are reminded of what the labor movement has done to afford us a better work life, let's keep in mind what is now at stake and what has been on the chopping block during the last eight months. As reported by the Economic Policy Institute, here are just a few of the attacks that workers in the United States are facing:
*Terminated the collective bargaining agreement of more than 45,000 workers at the Transportation Security Administration.
*Rescinded the "Good Jobs" executive order, which aimed to improve job quality for the millions of jobs projected to be created by recent federal investments.
*Reduced the function of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS), which provides mediation, training, and facilitation to resolve disagreements between unions and employers.
*Terminated DOL grants that fight forced and child labor and promote workers' rights.
*Rescinded an executive order that gave 390,000 low-wage federal contractors a living wage.
*Gutted worker safety agency NIOSH (National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health).
*Stripped the collective bargaining and union rights of more than one million federal workers.
*Fired National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Member Gwynne Wilcox for "unduly disfavoring the interests of employers." This is a clear indication that the Administration's expectation is that NLRB members side with employers if they don't want to lose their jobs.
High rates of unionization are associated with higher wages and better working conditions. This holds true for union workers and also benefits non-union workers. Key tools for workers to improve wages and working conditions are at risk of disappearing as workers' organizing and bargaining rights are weakened and taken away.
Now is not the time to sit on the sidelines and watch our union rights dissolve. Generations before us have sacrificed their blood, sweat, and tears to get us to a place where our work is valued and respected. We must rise up on this Labor Day, and all days afterward, to make our voices heard . . . to stand for our families . . . to protect the dignity of work.
We are CWA STRONG! WHEN WE FIGHT, WE WIN! Happy Labor Day! Enjoy your holiday and be ready to protect it and what it stands for.
In Solidarity "Together We Rise,"
Linda L. Hinton
Vice President
CWA District 4
