On this Labor Day, are you enjoying a bonus day off from work, or are you getting paid to be somewhere you’d rather not be? If it’s the latter, you’re among the rising ranks of U.S. workers earning a paycheck on a holiday that we celebrate the social and economic achievements of the 156 million Americans in the labor force. Here’s a snapshot list of professions working today as if it’s just another Monday on their calendar: Casino personnel. Retail employees. Healthcare professionals. Railroad workers. Construction crews. Entertainers. Self-employed business owners. Jail and prison guards. College educators. Global-minded computer system specialists. The list goes on, including this newspaper journalist who’s writing a column for Tuesday, along with freelance writing work. However, because we’re celebrating our workforce, it’s the ideal time to shine a light on a few workers toiling for a paycheck today. Jim Wallace, of Valparaiso, is making a few extra bucks today at U.S. Steel in Gary, punching a 12-hour shift ending at 7 p.m. He’s been there nearly five years as a millwright in Iron Producing Maintenance, working alongside his turn partner Cameron Baumgarte. “I like working here, even if it is on the holidays,” he told me. Say what you will about mill workers and their sometimes tarnished reputations, but not once in my life have I wished I worked as one of them. Not even for their fat paychecks, worry-free healthcare benefits or promises of a pension. I know what it’s like to drive through a gated and guarded entrance into an industrial wasteland of blood, sweat and boredom. Every day, every week, every year, around the clock, sometimes while promising yourself to work only another few years. Until retirement. No, thank you. I give respectful credit to workers like Wallace, among an estimated 16 million U.S. workers represented by a union, including dues-paying members (14.5 million) and those who report no union affiliation but whose jobs are covered by a contract (1.5 million), according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Jerry Hootnik will be singing a different tune today while performing in his group, The Random Band, which plays an eclectic mix of classic rock, alternative, punk, oldies and new wave. Along with Andy Sutton (drums and vocals), Jon Piornack (guitar and vocals), Megan Rue (vocals), Hootnick (bass and vocals) will be playing the Labor Day Fest in Michigan City from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Too often we forget that performers and musicians also punch a clock, so to speak, on most holidays. “Here we are now, entertain us,” should be our national anthem. Larry Bean, of Winfield, also is working today at his job as a railroad track welder for Metra Railroad in Illinois. Making matters worse, his daily one-way commute time is about 50 minutes, about twice as long as the average commute time for U.S. workers. Melissa Negron-Schilling, of Merrillville, also travels a lot even though she is self-employed and will be working today for her business, Abundance Abounds Antiques. What started as a side business with her husband, Jim, dealing with antiques and collectibles online, has grown into restorations, upcycling and repurposing. The couple specialize in repurposing original Victorian furniture items by giving them a more modern look. They now do shows throughout the tri-state region while attending college, home-schooling two young kids and picking through old barns and estate sales. It sounds as American as the dream of being your own boss, calling your own shots and, ahem, working all hours around the clock. “Working for ourselves, there is no such thing as a true day off,” Melissa told me. Same goes with Jim Northey, senior partner and cofounder of the LaSalle Technology Group, LLC, formed eight years ago to provide software and systems to the financial markets around the world. “We do sales, support and consulting,” said Northey, who works alongside his son, Jacob Northey, a managing partner. “Our clients are made up of exchanges, brokerages and trading firms globally. With the exception of Christmas, we have to provide support for client meetings and project work on all holidays.” Has the ever-evolving globalization of the competitive workforce forced businesses such as his — and all of us to some degree — to work harder, longer and even on holidays? “There is a positive and negative to the information technology revolution and resulting globalization,” he replied. “The positive is that a small company based in the Chicago area can reach and support clients on a global scale. The negative is that we have to work when our customers are working.” This is further compounded by time-zone challenges, making it seem like their business is never truly closed for the day. “It is not uncommon to finish up working for a California-based customer late at night, only to have support start as early as 3 a.m. for our African and European customers,” he said. “We had one London-based client that we could count on to call us on all U.S. holidays at 3 a.m. just to see if we were there for support.” Is this a future byproduct of a global workforce? Is worldwide competition turning us into drones? Will more of us be working next year on this holiday? Ah, relax. On this Labor Day, between the barbecue cookouts, downing a few cold ones and end-of-summer parties, I’m just passing along a little food for thought. Keep this in mind: Our jobs provide us more than a daily headache, weekly paycheck and career of punch-clock deadlines. In many ways, it defines us, who we are, what we do, what we stand for. Today, of all days, let’s celebrate this working man’s reality.
Posted on: Mon, 01 Sep 2014 17:36:16 +0000
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