Commentary: This Labor Day, we find ourselves caring, fighting and showing up: caring for those who are suffering the consequences of the pandemic, hurricanes, flash floods and wildfires; fighting for our members, students, patients and communities to have the freedom to thrive; and showing up by crisscrossing the country supporting our members who are working to open schools safely.
That’s what caring, fighting and showing up is about. That’s what our union—indeed, what the labor movement as a whole—is about: fighting for a better life for all and demonstrating that together we have the power and solidarity to accomplish what is impossible to do alone. And the American people understand the importance of unions; this Labor Day, union approval is up to 68 percent, the highest since 1965.I know for many of us this is a time of mixed emotions: gratitude for the vaccines that have enabled us to reconnect with family and friends and return to some semblance of normalcy; relief that we now have a president and Congress putting the health, safety and needs of the American people first; and joy that we’re headed back to a new school year in person. I’ve heard this range of feelings firsthand from so many of you as I’ve traveled the country on the AFT’s Back to School for All tour to support your efforts to ensure a safe and welcoming return to in-person learning. But while there is joy and excitement about being back in person with students, there’s anxiety too. Still, despite the complexities of the moment, I have tremendous hope for our country this Labor Day.
Yes, the delta variant has thrown us a curveball and is requiring us, once again, to do all we can to keep ourselves and our communities safe. This means not just adopting the safety protocols we know work, but also pushing back against the rampant misinformation about and politicization of vaccines and masking, and standing up to the growing spate of public officials fanning the flames of those divides for their own political purposes.
The delta variant hasn’t changed our resolve to keep our schools open and ensure they are safe, healthy and welcoming for all. It has, however, made it even more critical for us to use the tools we know will keep our school communities safe: vaccinations, masks, ventilation, hand-washing, distancing, testing, and clear protocols if an outbreak occurs.
The places having the most successful school reopenings are places where educators, the union, the superintendent and school board, and city and town officials are working together with transparency and creating trust with each other, with parents and with our larger communities.
That starts with working people having a voice, and it’s the labor movement that gives them that voice and agency, that fights for them, that empowers them and that lifts up their communities. Even in the midst of a pandemic, AFT members have stepped up in extraordinary ways to fight for a better life for themselves and those they serve—by using the power of collective bargaining to secure the necessary resources, safety protocols, salaries and conditions; solve problems; and help communities thrive.
With support from a new president who took the pandemic seriously and made sure schools and communities had the resources and vaccines they needed, our members have done their part. They have met students’ needs despite facing every uncertainty. They have been at the bedside, meeting patients’ needs through wave after wave of COVID-19. And today, 90 percent of the AFT’s members are vaccinated, and our members are working to safely reopen schools across the United States.
We are also providing assistance to our members devastated by Hurricane Ida. In Detroit, Philadelphia and Providence, members have secured new contracts that will greatly improve the lives of both educators and students. A supermajority of nurses at the University of New Mexico Sandoval Regional Medical Center recently voted to join the AFT to secure a stronger voice for their patients. And nurses and health professionals at St. Charles Medical Center and Willamette Valley Medical Center in Oregon won first contracts that will transform their lives and improve the care they are able to provide.
This year, through the AFT’s Back to School for All campaign, our members are engaged in a get-out-the-vote–style campaign in support of in-person learning. AFT members have talked to thousands of parents about the importance of in-person learning, conducted hundreds of safety walk-throughs of school buildings, set up vaccination clinics, and given away books and school supplies. Our union has invested $5 million to award upward of 75 grants covering more than 1,800 AFT affiliates and engaging communities with 20 million students. And I’m personally visiting more than 20 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico to support these efforts. This is the kind of solution-driven unionism our members practice every single day. Take the Back to School for All fair sponsored by our local union in Lynn, Mass., that I visited this week: Attended by hundreds of parents, students and educators, the fair offered a vaccination clinic, free books, backpacks, school supplies, music and entertainment, and a chance to talk to one another about the new school year. That’s caring, fighting and showing up in action.
Another reason I have hope for working people on this Labor Day is that President Joe Biden and his administration truly understand the power of unions; they know how important it is to give working people more power in our economy so they can improve their lives. This is the most pro-worker administration since Franklin D. Roosevelt—perhaps ever—and it is working to rewrite the rules of our economy so everyone has the freedom to thrive, not just those at the top.
“Building back better” started on day one with a commitment to fighting COVID-19 based on science; listening to what nurses, educators and public employees need and getting the resources to schools, hospitals and towns to keep people safe and reopen our economy; and getting shots in the arms of millions. We’ve seen unprecedented resources for our public schools, direct cash to working people, relief for struggling Americans, a new child tax credit to help parents, a bipartisan infrastructure bill that will create good jobs and renew our communities, support for worker organizing efforts and efforts to make it easier to join unions through the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, a push for voting rights and justice for all, and so much more. This administration is putting America back to work, fighting for the health and safety of our communities, and making people’s lives better.
I know the past 18 months have been really, really hard. But at every step of the way, your union had your back, even when our own government didn’t. And we will continue to have your back to keep everyone safe and able to provide for themselves and their families.
I have hope this Labor Day because every day I get to witness the extraordinary efforts of our 1.7 million members in classrooms, in schools and colleges, at the bedside, and in our cities and towns. I have hope because I believe there is still more that unites us than divides us in America. And I have hope that together we can ensure everyone in our country has the freedom to thrive.
Thank you for all you do. Please be safe. And have a wonderful Labor Day.
In Unity,
Randi Weingarten, AFT President
P.S. The AFT just launched a podcast called “Union Talk.” In this Labor Day episode, I interview a very special guest, U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh. He talks about unions, what Labor Day means, and how working people can build power in our economy and our democracy. It’s definitely worth a listen. We also have an episode on this year’s back-to-school season. And don’t forget to subscribe for future episodes!