Labor Day was won by working people fighting for a better life

By Montana AFL-CIO Executive Secretary Jason Small

For generations, Montana’s workers have celebrated Labor Day with a picnic.

These events are the perfect place for workers and families to come together and enjoy good food, spend time with their community, and relax.

They are also opportunities to reflect on the power and promise labor unions hold to improve the lives of working people across our state, and to re-commit to upholding those ideals so that more people can enjoy the better pay, benefits, and working conditions that come with being a union member.

Those benefits have been hard-earned over decades of organizing and solidarity. Similarly, Labor Day wasn’t born in a vacuum — it was won by working people fighting for a better life in often dangerous conditions with few rights. It is a day that marks what we’ve accomplished together, and a day that reminds us of the work still to do.

Above all, Labor Day is about celebrating the dignity, creativity, and power of workers in all of our communities. And year after year, that power shows up in a number of ways that help build Montana.

At the heart of the labor movement is organizing. For decades workers across the state have joined together to advocate for strong local economies and a meaningful voice on the job that protects our rights at work and our freedom to bargain for a fair deal. And that story continues today as workers across Montana use their voice to improve their jobs and their lives.

In Billings, employees of the Boise Cascade lumber company went on strike to fight for increased wages and health care benefits. In Whitefish, members of the Whitefish Professional Ski Patrol Union are negotiating with Whitefish Mountain Resort for higher wages and better educational and training opportunities. Last week nurses at Bozeman’s Big Sky Medical Center organized and won their union with the Montana Nurses Association. And in June, grocery store workers with UFCW 1889 used their collective bargaining power to win better wages and working conditions at Albertsons.

These are real, meaningful actions workers are taking to improve their lives and their workplaces.

But the challenges working people face are significant. Attacks on collective bargaining rights at the VA will make it harder for workers who serve our veterans to advocate for better care and timely service.

On the state level, we continue to see attacks that undermine accountability, fairness, and our freedom to negotiate a fair deal. During this year’s legislative session, workers faced attacks on unions and our right to organize and collectively bargain for better wages and working conditions.

But while Montana’s legislative session was often heated and filled with theater, real work was accomplished because workers stepped up and made their voices heard. Throughout the legislative session, workers made it clear they want legislators to prioritize our communities over party. By joining together, we defended our hard won rights in the workplace and good-paying jobs in our communities.

Giving meaningful voice to the voters and working families means being transparent, and taking accountability so we can break down barriers preventing people from getting good-paying jobs, improve funding for our schools and public services, and protect Montana’s workforce.

We are thankful for leaders at the local, state, and federal level who put their partisan blinders aside and stood with us, the working men and women of Montana, by putting real priorities over politics.

Want to be part of our movement? We invite you to join us at Labor Day picnics in towns across Montana. There you’ll find good food, music, games, and guest speakers, as well as opportunities to learn more about the labor movement and to get involved, whether you work for a union or not.

Together, we will continue to build Montana and fight for a fair and prosperous future for us all.