As we celebrate Labor Day, let us reflect on our UU values of respect, fairness and the democratic process, and on the lives of people who have promoted the dignity of labor in our society.
Our congregation’s namesake, Thomas Paine, as a young man worked as a revenue collector for the English King. When he attempted to organize his fellow revenue collectors to be treated fairly, he was fired. Paine made his way to America where his writings helped foment a Revolution against the British monarchy and advocate for fair political and economic systems.
In 1852, a 14-year old factory worker, George McNeil, an ancestor of a member of our congregation, was working 14-hour days at a woolen mill in Amesbury Massachusetts. He participated in an unsuccessful strike, lost his job, and went on to help found several labor unions, manage a successful mutual accident insurance company, and represent the American Federation of Labor at international labor congresses. George worked tirelessly to promote an 8-hour work day.
Let us celebrate the common good which our UU values and values of the labor movement have brought to all our lives.
Topics: Justice, UU Principles