Labor Day

[Sherman]

This from an email that was sent out by a Johnson County Iowa official
named Rod Sullivan:

Happy Labor Day!

I have had several requests to reprint the following piece, which
first appeared in Salvos in 2007. As a side note, Marian Sullivan
passed away last Christmas. Once again, I dedicate this piece in her
memory.

Monday marks Labor Day. Every year, I write the same piece, noting the
good that organized labor has done for this country.

This year, I have decided to go a different route. I would like to
explain what organized labor has done for me personally. I give you ­
my family story. This is the story of Tom and Marian (Pint) Sullivan.
It is also the story of the American Dream.

Tom Sullivan grew up near the small Iowa town of Elma, one of 13
children, not counting the half-dozen children his mother lost. They
were very poor. Tom was forced to go to work very young, and quit
school around the 4th grade. He had tremendous familial
responsibilities for a ten year old. Like most Americans of the day,
he worked on the farm. But the times were very challenging. As he
aged, Tom had any number of odd jobs in order to supplement his
income; hired man, ditch digger, bouncer, bartender ­ just about any
work would do. A huge man for his day, Tom even entered tough man
competitions, wrestling or fighting a passing barnstormer in the hopes
of making a buck.

Marian Pint had a big family, too. They might have been even poorer
than the Sullivans. Marian always got something for Christmas, but to
say the gifts were modest is an understatement. One year she received
a doll handmade from cornhusks; another year it was a piece of citrus
fruit. After high school, Marian went to work. Marian made a
ridiculously low wage; I seem to recall her mentioning making less
than a dollar a day. She was working in a general store when she met
Tom, who had a second job cutting and delivering ice.

Tom and Marian were married, and tried to begin a life on the farm.
Farming during the Depression was simply not working out; Tom and
Marian could not afford to buy any land, so rents ate up all their
income. When their first child (my father) was born, they had neither
electricity nor running water. Life was hard for the Sullivans, but
not any more difficult than it was for tens of millions of Americans
of the day.

Finally, they had had enough. A couple hours to the south, Cedar
Rapids offered a new beginning. World War II had just begun, and
industry was taking off in Cedar Rapids. Anybody who was willing to
work, regardless of race or gender, could join a labor union. Tom
joined Carpenter's Local 308; Marian united with many other women in
the workforce and joined the United Food and Commercial Worker's Local
at Wilson's Meatpacking.

The Carpenter's Union struggled during the Depression. Even afterward,
some carpenters felt they had a better chance of getting work being
non-union. But Tom knew it was more important to join his peers, and
compete on a level playing field. Alone, carpenters could be gouged or
cheated. Together, they
would be treated fairly.

Soon the War ended, and prosperity arrived. Hard work was paying off.
The Sullivans were able to buy a house, a car, and put their kids
through Catholic school. They didn't get a television right away, but
because Tom was willing to put an antenna on the roof next door, he
got to go to the neighbors to watch pro wrestling.

By the 70s, they had even saved enough to make a once-in-a-lifetime
trip to Hawaii. While the trip was nice, it was bittersweet. Tom had
saved for years so he could visit the gravesite of his younger brother
(and Best Man) George. George Sullivan, US Navy, perished aboard the
USS Arizona on December 7, 1941.

Despite decades of newfound wealth, not everything was perfect. Years
of hard work caused Tom's body to break down. His last years were
spent using a wheelchair. Marian still suffers from repetitive motion
injuries. The UFCW union was busted at Wilson's, and Marian's pension
and health insurance never quite lived up to their promises.

So, what is their legacy? Tom and Marian pulled their family from
poverty to the middle class. They lived the American Dream. Every one
of their grandkids had healthcare coverage. Every one of their
grandkids had the opportunity to get a college education. Every one of
their grandkids had the kinds of opportunities many Americans have
come to expect, but much of the world can only dream about.

So how did Tom & Marian Sullivan pull this off? Yes, they worked hard.
But so did most Americans. Tom and Marian made this all happen because
they joined the organized labor movement.

They never did anything alone; they did it through solidarity. They
were special people, but not unique. There are millions of stories
just like theirs, and none of the characters are unique. You did not
need to be the best or the brightest; you simply needed to join up and
work hard. If you did, the rewards were there.

There have always been the rich and the poor. But a large middle class
is a relatively new phenomenon. Organized labor created the middle
class, not just in Iowa, but all across this nation. Organized labor
gave me the life I enjoy today. That is why my Grandparents were
union. That is why my Dad was union. That is why I am union.

Nobody ever does it alone. We all do it together. United we stand,
divided we fall. Today, and on Labor Day, I honor my Grandma and
Grandpa Sullivan. And I honor their brothers and sisters in the labor
movement.

Thank you Grandma & Grandpa. And thank you all. Happy Labor Day!