"My friends, it is solidarity of labor we want. We do not want to find fault with each other, but to solidify our forces and say to each other: We must be together; our masters are joined together and we must do the same thing."

Mary Harris “Mother” Jones

Mother Jones reminds us why the Green Party is celebrating Labor Day - a holiday whose beginnings in the 1880s were established to honor the working class. She fought for the rights of workers until she tired out completely at the age of 100. She was an organizer for the United Mine Workers, helped found the Social Democratic Party in 1898, was a lecturer for the Socialist Party of America, and aided in the formation of the Industrial Workers of the World.

The first Labor Day parade occurred on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, when 20,000 workers marched up Broadway in New York with banners that demanded a shorter work day with time for family and rest. The parade was the reaction of disillusioned workers upset with the 12- to 14-hour workdays in dangerous factories and underground mines. The next year, on September 5, 1883, the Central Labor Union celebrated the second Labor Day holiday. After 30 states had recognized the day as a holiday, it became a federal holiday in 1894.

But our work expands far beyond honoring this day. Elected Greens and Party activists are working throughout this country (and the world) to create a successful economic system that will offer meaningful work with dignity, while paying a living wage.

Many local and state Green Parties have joined the Universal Living Wage Campaign, Fight for Fifteen, Coalition for Immokalee Workers, and other campaigns that promote wages that reflect local housing costs and don’t push working families into poverty and homelessness. Furthermore, many elected Greens have passed living wage ordinances in their communities.

The Green Party platform stands for economic democracy and public ownership of essential services. We believe that worker and community empowerment is the path to production that is based on humane practices for people and planet.

You can help us continue the fight for living wages and active unions with your donation of $18.82 in honor of the first Labor Day or $25, $50, or more today. We’ll put your money to good use by helping to elect candidates who support our platform.

We don’t take any corporate donations! The two major political parties continue to degrade the quality of life for working families as they rush to return favors to their corporate donors. As a result, Americans continue to see losses to health coverage, pension plans, jobs (to outsourcing) and a continuous attack on unions. Worker safety, food safety and environmental degradation continue to erode under the current political leadership.

Please support the Green Party’s efforts to build a strong, viable political party that will counter the degradation to our economic viability and sustainability. While most of the country’s energy is focused on mid-term elections, war, and terrorism, legislators quickly pass or eliminate legislation in constant pandering to corporate executives. How has this helped the 99%? Well it hasn’t helped the working class but it has helped the CEO’s and the 1% who are getting paid more and more.

Because we don’t accept corporate or PAC donations, we need your help. Your donation of any amount helps us to maintain our staff, organize activists and volunteers to fight for a living wage and unionization, and to promote candidates that believe in our platform.

Together, we can keep liberty alive. We can do this by keeping the dream of a Green world alive. We hope that you will support the Green Party in three ways.

Register Green… Vote Green … Give Green...

Wishing you a peaceful and honorable Labor Day,

David Doonan

Green Party Shop Steward

member, IWW Industrial Union #560

PS - Mother Jones sustained her activism for most of her 100-year life. You can help us do the same with your monthly donation. It’s easy to sign-up to give $10, $25 or even more every month.