KANSAS CITY LABOR DAY PROTEST 2017!!! LOCAL FAIR WAGE FIGHTERS CONFRONT CONSUMER BACKLASH & AUTOMATION!!!
This morning Kansas City workers will rally and march for higher wages while continuing years-long advocacy that has yet to yield any real legislative change.
After a recent and overwhelming yes vote on a higher Kansas City minimum wage . . . The reality is that the battle over salary increases must be fought in Jeff City. And so a statewide Missouri petition for a $12-minumum wage has already garnered widespread support.
Still . . . Small biz and consumers in general have sought to downplay the demands of low wage workers - Whether it's simply a pecking order mentality or real life inflation fear - It's fair to say that there is very real opposition to a higher minimum wage that doesn't just fall along partisan lines. Like it or not, for many, keeping many entry level workers earning paltry hourly compensation seems like part of valuing allegedly "higher-skilled" workers. To that end, it's important to realize that THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS UNSKILLED LABOR - All work demands skill and people deserve to be respected and fairly compensated for their toil.
However, the challenges confronting "working people" become even more complicated when we consider the future of automation and how technology is replacing workers at a record pace. New tech is now targeting jobs in the higher income brackets. That's right, artificial intelligence threatens to replace attorneys too and doesn't even get mad about cruel lawyer jokes.
And so . . . On this Kansas City Labor Day 2017, locals are confronted by a political fight, public backlash against fast food advocacy and technological change that all makes it harder for people to simply earn a buck.
Here's the notice from today's protest . . . You decide:
We're taking back #LaborDay!
Labor Day didn’t start as a national holiday. It started in 1882 in the streets with workers fighting for higher pay and a union! Today, workers, black, white and brown, native and foreign-born, LGBTQ and straight, continue that tradition to fight together for what we all deserve! Join us for the Labor Day National Day of Action on Mon, Sept 4th at 33rd St. and Southwest Trfwy., KCMO. Rally at 8am. March at 9am.
#FightFor15 and a #UNION
#StandUpKC
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Further reading:
Detroit News: Organized labor faces multi-front battle
NY Daily News: Today's threat to worker dignity
Las Cruces: Many unprepared for the automated world to come
Chicago Tribune: This Labor Day put down your iPhone and celebrate the way its founders intended
CNN: The corporate war against unions
Time: AFL-CIO President: This Labor Day, Fight for Paid Leave
Huff Post: Unemployed on Labor Day
You decide . . .