It's appropriate that Labor Day 2013 comes on the heals of the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. King was a vocal advocate for working people and often equated the fight for civil rights with the fight for labor rights. King understood that a strong working class meant a strong America:
"History is a great teacher. Now everyone knows that the labor movement did not diminish the strength of the nation but enlarged it. By raising the living standards of millions, labor miraculously created a market for industry and lifted the whole nation to undreamed of levels of production. Those who attack labor forget these simple truths, but history remembers them."
NYSUT, one of the nation's largest labor organizations, encourages all New Yorkers - and especially its 600,000 members - to celebrate this Labor Day by honoring the holiday's origins and by educating others about the important role unionized workers have in our society.
The following resources, provided by NYSUT's national affiliates, can be helpful in that effort:
AFT
NEA
AFL-CIO