On this Labor Day, we celebrate the men and women around the world who work every day to provide the goods and services we all need: food, clothing, shelter and much, much more. Farm workers tend to their crops and livestock so we can eat. Construction workers build our homes, apartments and all manner of dwellings so we have a place to live and sleep away from the cold and heat. Sewing operators make our clothes so we can be protected from the elements, dress in the latest fashion, or just dress to be comfortable. Lorry drivers, workers on freighters and train operators move our food to grocery stores and fuel to our homes. Clerks stock shelves in grocery stores, department stores and furniture marts for our shopping convenience. Assembly workers in electronics factories make the gadgets that allow us to communicate with each other around the planet and transmit data at the speed of light in a fashion undreamed of mere decades ago. Billions of people work every day in millions of businesses to support themselves and their fellow man. Let us celebrate the dignity of work. Having a job, expending physical and mental effort to accomplish a task or make a product, and using one’s skills and abilities is an honorable thing to do.
A young man named Alex, a friend of our oldest daughter, recently brought her home from school and apologized for being dirty and sweaty. He had been working at a construction site all day putting up walls. I told him: “Alex, don’t ever apologize for coming into this house sweaty and dirty. You’ve been working hard all day at a job outside in the heat. You’re building someone’s home. Being a carpenter is an honorable occupation for you to be proud of. My mother’s father was a carpenter and I was proud of him. He built hundreds of homes during his lifetime that were safe and enjoyable for all who lived in them. My great-grandfather started a farm from scratch and worked hard in the fields every day. Every night when he came into the ranch house, he had to take a shower and change his clothes before dinner because he was dirty and sweaty – and because his wife wouldn’t allow him at the dinner table unless he was clean. He grew wheat, oats and barley that other people ate. They also raised their own cattle, hogs and chickens to eat. His was an honorable profession. So, Alex, be proud of the fact that you have a job, that you work hard, and that you support yourself. Today, tens of thousands of people who don’t have a job would gladly trade places with you.” He smiled and said: “Thank you. I didn’t think of it that way.”
On this and every Labor Day in the future, let us celebrate every person with every job in every business in every occupation we see, whether they are a garbage man, surgeon, teacher, nurse, construction worker, farmer, clerk, cashier or taxi-driver. We all work to find satisfaction in our daily lives and to support ourselves.
At the same time, we are reminded that far too many workers around the world in far too many occupations are not paid the legal minimum wage, do not receive legally mandated benefits, and work under often dangerous or abusive conditions. Whether working on cruise ships, as maids in far-off lands or construction workers in the desert, we believe all workers deserve to be treated with dignity, honestly and with respect.
We are also grateful for the support from brands, retailers, sourcing groups, trade associations, governments, the ILO, and especially for the manufacturing facilities in over 70 countries that have participated in WRAP’s certification program over the past decade. We have grown to become the most trusted name for social and environmental compliance for the sewn products industry as we have expanded to all labor-intensive consumer products categories. Our mission – to certify lawful, ethical and humane manufacturing – remains as strong today as the day we started in January 2000. While we have made much progress, there is much yet to be done.
If you can, please join us in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on November 18-19, 2010 for our “best practices conference” to learn from some of the best employers we know. Chief Executives and senior managers will share with you their philosophies and business practices that have allowed them to grow and prosper in these challenging economic times. The cost to attend is modest. The information you will learn is priceless.
All the best to you and yours for a safe, relaxing and enjoyable Labor Day. For those of you who have to work on Labor Day, thank you for doing so.
Steve Jesseph
Posted on August 26th, 2010 by admin
Filed under: CSR Views, News | No Comments »