Labor day was established as a tribute to the contribution of American workers. It was one of the outcomes of the labor movement in the late 19th century and it became a federal holiday in 1894 to be celebrated on the first Monday of September. In thinking about American workers we must recognize the work of incarcerated workers which is made up of at least 1 million workers. Knowing this wouldn’t Labor day include the imprisoned workers whose labor contributes to the incredibly large profit margins of dozens of companies. Knowing this I ask the question, What to the Slave is Labor Day? A question inspired by a piece that Frederick Douglass wrote, “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” which critiques a holiday that didn’t apply to a large segment of the working population. In the same way I’d like to critique Labor Day as a holiday that fails to apply to incarcerated persons working in the modern slave era.
Labor Day is set aside as a time to appreciate the work of those who are often left out of the conversation surrounding most valued work in our society. We give praise and accolades to teachers, doctors, lawyers and other more popular professions on a regular basis. However Labor Day was carved out for laborers in the working class familes who we hear little about: the maintenance workers, janitorial workers, administrative workers and the many of the people we glaze over on a day-to-day but whose work is absolutely essential to the functioning of our society. Like these working class professions, our incarcerated workers contribute extraordinarily to the economic stability of our nation in a substantial way. America’s status as a world power is dependent on slave labor. Without the very cheap, practically free, labor source that prisoners provide there is no way that companies like Starbucks and McDonalds would have been able to make billions. Companies at this stage in their business development have already exploited prison labor for years and now that they’ve reached billion dollar revenues and attained franchise locations on every corner, some claim to have or to have considered pulling out of the practice of using slave labor. At this point in their business no company can compete with a franchise that operated with the work of a practically unpaid employment base, even if it was only for a few years.
Knowing this unequal and often undervalued advantage that the prisoner work force provides, what group is more earning of the accolades on Labor Day then those exploited workers of the prisoner class? Incarcerated slaves in our community have been doing the work that is critical to the economic development of our society for centuries. Slaves were the ones who did the work from erecting the White House to building our railroads and maintaining our highways slaves. Without the vital role that the prisoner class plays in our society there is no way that the United States would be able to call itself a world power. Our country’s world power status is dependent on a free labor source which today can be found in the prisons.
Labor Day is like many American holidays (arguably every Western holiday) supposedly used to unify while the unity is usually symbolic while the holiday itself functions to overshadow those who should most rightfully be participating. For example, Thanksgiving is seen symbolically as a holiday of unity derived from the unity pilgrims and Native Americans shared. In contrast however, the ‘holiday’ is a false tale that works to overshadow the violent genocide of the Native American people at the hands of pilgrims seeking to steal their land. In this same way while Labor Day symbolically highlights the labor of undervalued workers it actually overshadows the vital role that our prisoners play as slaves to the state, a practically free labor source provided at the expense of the communities that they’ve been stolen from. Knowing that had the jobs they’re forced to work in prison been brought to the impoverished communities that they’re from they most likely would have never ended up incarcerated. Labor Day is usually spent amongst family and friends rather than in the workplace. Employees are given an extra day to refresh and recoup in their weekend. However those on the inside are never given a break from the oppressive and violent environments that they’re forced to live and work in. They never get a day to spend with their families. They never get a day of leisure refreshment or relaxation. Instead they wait an extra day to receive their mail or access to resources as corrections staff enjoy Labor day. Prisoners are one of the most valuable groups in our society as they are essential for it’s function, without their contribution our country would not have the economic status that has today. Without slaves’ contributions to our country the US would not have the strong military power that it has. Slave contributions make America what it is, so instead of pushing these groups to the margins in our rhetoric and our celebrations it’s time to bring them into the fold.
