Day 979: Politics of Labor

Perhaps I was a little naive, and perhaps I'm a little biased, but I was disappointed with what I saw at the Labor Day parade this morning.  No, it wasn't the Baldwin band, they were solid as always, but I was disappointed at the purely political nature of the parade itself.  Obviously, most unions, especially those that consider themselves "Labor Unions" are going to lean Left, and obviously we have a big election coming up, but I was disappointed to see just how many unions chose to represent themselves not as tradesmen, or entrepreneurs, but as Democrats.  So many of the demonstrations and decorations were not about celebrating the work these men and women do, but about making a political.  I don't know, maybe I was naive to think I could go to a parade to see the band and not have politics shoved in my face.  Regardless, there it was.

I suppose, ultimately, that's what's always bugged me about unions in general.  They definitely have some value, and help people both historically and currently, but they really add a whole new layer of politics to daily events.  Rather than the administration/management working together with the employees, it becomes a battle anytime one side wants to ask more of the other.  Doing favors for each other is frowned upon, even if its for the greater good of the stakeholders, because of all the political ramifications.  It's not unmanageable...but its a shame to see the politics of labor, especially at a parade that should be a celebration of the hard work people engage in all year.