"Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital and deserves much the higher consideration."

n       Abraham Lincoln

 

Pennsylvania's history is the history of America's working people. The first permanent Union local was formed in Philadelphia way back in 1792 and the first National Trades Union started there in 1834 - in fact, most of America's Unions can trace their roots to the Keystone State.

 

Female textile workers in Pittsburgh risked their lives striking for a ten-hour day back in 1845, and we had the nation's first Child Labor Law back in 1848 (making 12 years old the minimum age for commercial occupations.) The Molly Maguires and hundreds of other brave miners stood up against overwhelming odds to fight for fair treatment for all, and, of course, the Homestead Lockout put the plight of steelworkers on the map for all to see.

 

If you enjoy an 8-hour day, a 40-hour workweek, paid time off, retirement benefits and health insurance, you owe a debt of gratitude to the brave men and women who put their livelihoods and their lives on the line to stand up for us.

 

As we pause to enjoy a long Labor Day weekend with family and friends, we urge you to take a moment to offer thanks to the men and women who made it possible for you to enjoy that day off - standing up for their fellow workers while they built the greatest nation on earth.

 

(If you want to do more than offer thanks, you can stand up for nurses and patients by supporting the House Democratic efforts to end Mandatory Overtime for health care workers by clicking here.)