PENN YAN—Today, Democratic Congressional Nominee Tracy Mitrano (NY-23) issued the following statement to mark the annual celebration of Labor Day.
“Labor Day was declared a national holiday in 1894 to celebrate the working people in this country” Mitrano said. “On this day, we honor the builders of our infrastructure and the manufacturers of our products. They are the people who serve us in cafeterias, care for us in hospitals, and act as the backbone of our municipalities. We celebrate the people who make this country run.
“Labor Day also recognizes the groups—the unions—who have fought for generations on behalf of our working people. In the nineteenth century, there were very few U.S. laws regulating the number of hours that could be worked, or the wages that must be paid, or even the safety of the workplace. By banding together, labor unions were able to effect changes in the lives of the everyday people, instituting protections of the kind we have in place today.
“But our work is not done. Today, labor unions are under threat from a political agenda that seeks to prevent workers from engaging in that most American of activities: joining together and bargaining for the common good. So on this holiday, we must do more than celebrate. We must remember the debt that America owes to its working people, and we must redouble our efforts to protect and expand laws that lay down just and fair labor practices. Labor unions are the foundation of this country’s middle class.