The first Monday of every September is Labor Day. Labor Day is not merely a holiday established to allow one last fling at summer. Labor Day is a holiday instituted by Congress in 1894 to honor the working men and womyn of this country. So it is fitting, that we as feminists take the time to acknowledge womyn in the work force.

Labor Day is a day off. A holiday from work in the nineteenth century was anathema to corporate America. People were compelled to work 60 hours a week. There was no minimum wage. There was no overtime pay. There was no health coverage. There was no pension. There was no social security. There was no Occupational Health and Safety Administration. Worker rights were minimal and for womyn, so were jobs in skilled occupations.

In the early part of the 20th Century, most of the unions in this country and elsewhere excluded womyn. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 made it illegal for employers and Labor Unions to discriminate based on sex or race. The prohibition against discrimination based on sex was merely added to the Civil Rights Bill as a southern strategy to prevent passage of the bill.

Nevertheless, the law was passed and subsequently, more and more womyn were enabled by federal law in their struggle for equity in employment. In 1978, the federal government by executive order would set numerical goals for participation of womyn in the labor market. The policy became known as affirmative action.

During the 80's the Bush and Reagan administrations did their best to cripple these employment programs. The common mantra of the 80's and 90's was reverse discrimination, reverse discrimination, reverse discrimination. Minorities and womyn were characterized as threats to full employment for white males.

Today 80% of clerical jobs and 66% of retail jobs are held by females. The average woman's median earning is a little more than 75% of a man's. If economic empowerment is commensurate with employment options and opportunities, feminists on Labor Day should pause to rededicate themselves to seeing womyn in non-traditional jobs of choice.

Hopefully, we will see more female truckers, steelworkers, electricians, plumbers, architects, merchant mariners and others in the new millenniums. How we vote in November, may serve to enhance our choices and the choices of young girls in this century.