One year ago today, I reflected on how the Labor Day holiday looked a lot different from what we were used to. Instead of attending our annual Georgia AFL-CIO picnic catching up with union members and their families, I spent time indoors and on a Zoom call with loved ones.
I also promised that come 2021, our picnic would be extra-special to make up for the lost year. Unfortunately, we once again had to cancel the event. With COVID-19 cases soaring — Georgia currently has the nation’s fourth-highest number of children hospitalized for coronavirus — we were left with no choice.
It’s hard to hold back on my emotions this time around. Labor Day serves as a day for rest and relaxation, yes, but it also serves as a day to reflect and honor America’s working people.
Credit: HANDOUT
Credit: HANDOUT
We would not have this holiday without the tireless advocacy, sacrifice and determination of our labor movement. Despite relentless attacks from corporate business groups, unions are fighting harder than ever. It’s because we know Americans are with us — more than 65% would join a union right now if they could. If there is one thing I know, it is that all American workers deserve the power to come together to negotiate for higher wages. Nothing proves this more than the pain, suffering and turmoil our workers had to go through during the COVID-19 pandemic.
And right now, there is no better way to honor and give back to working people than to get the COVID-19 vaccine. We should be out celebrating this holiday together, in person. But as more people continue to go unvaccinated, the more opportunities the virus has to mutate and the riskier “back to normal” activities become.
Ever since the onset of the pandemic, Georgia’s essential workers have gone above and beyond to both take care of the sick and keep our economy afloat. For nearly a year, even as our unions stepped up to offer PPE and fought for workplace protections, I lost sleep knowing there were still workers succumbing to the virus through no fault of their own — the only choice was either risk losing a paycheck, or risk getting sick.
Now, we have hope. We have a solution. We have a major key in putting an end to this pandemic, so we may never have to lose another worker to this virus. The COVID-19 vaccine offers a layer of safety protections in the workplace, where workers breathe in the same air for long periods of time and do not know if others are infected with coronavirus.
Please, this Labor Day, if you have not received the COVID-19 vaccine, please get one. They are free, safe, and effective. And if you are vaccinated, I encourage you to both reach out to any non-vaccinated friends or family members as well as reflect on how much Georgia’s workers have done for us over the last year and the sacrifices they have made.
We owe them everything — and I know I owe them one hell of a fantastic picnic next year.
Charlie Flemming is president of the Georgia AFL-CIO.
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