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September Commentary from George Spiro Dibie Random Thoughts about Labor Day I had another idea for an editorial in mind until I read a newspaper article that made my blood boil. Would you believe that United Airlines docked the pay of one of the pilots who was killed in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001? His family was penalized because he didn't complete the flight. The airline also automatically suspended his widow's rights to free travel and discounts beginning the moment her husband was murdered. This is the symptom of the corporate mentality that permeates our society. That made me think of the scandals that have been rocking our country. The politicians and press are treating the corporate managers of Enron, Adelphia and other conglomerates as the bad apples in a barrel. I wish that were the truth, but I believe it is the basic mentality of the management class that is at fault. We know it is inherently wrong for corporate executives to be guaranteed salaries 500 times the average in their companies when long-time and loyal employees are being laid off without warning and with their health care and benefits suspended. We know it is inherently wrong for corporate managers to dump their stock at artificially inflated prices while leaving their employees and shareholders to suffer the consequences when their life savings disappear. We know it is inherently wrong for corporations to avoid taxes by hiding losses and expenses in the books of dummy corporations they have established in foreign countries for the sole purpose of cheating the public. We know it is inherently wrong for accounting firms with fiduciary responsibilities to shareholders to take kick-backs from the people they are supposed to be watching. I could go on, but I am sure you get the idea. Somehow I think that the distinction between winning fairly and winning by cheating or bending the rules has eluded the top managers of many of our largest companies. It's not just a few bad apples in a barrel. The barrel itself is tainted, and so are many of the politicians, who are supposed to protect the interests of the public. They are like the proverbial foxes in the hen house. We celebrated Labor Day this month. For most of us, it was a long weekend. We have forgotten or never learned the meaning of Labor Day. It all began with Peter McGuire, a carpenter who was the son of a poor Irish immigrant. McGuire was only 11 years old in 1863 when he began selling newspapers on the streets of New York City to help support his family. When he was 20, McGuire inspired a spontaneous strike and march by 100,000 workers demonstrating for shorter hours and more humane working conditions. In 1882, he helped organize the first Labor Day Parade in New York City on the first Monday in September. The marchers carried banners saying "Labor Creates All Wealth" and other signs calling for an eight-hour working day. Politicians responded in 1884, when Congress declared Labor Day a national holiday. Most of us don't consider
Labor Day our holiday. We aren't blue-collar workers. We are artists with
college degrees. But, whether you like it or not, we are labor to the
handful of corporate conglomerate managers who control the studios. We
are as disposable to them as the family of the United Airlines pilot who
was murdered on September 11, 2001. That brings me back to Labor Day and
the politicians who used that holiday as an opportunity to deliver speeches
about the nobility of the American worker. We need to let them know that
"talk is cheap." Let your elected representatives know that
we are part of labor and we have a long memory. Let them know that our
industry is a vital part of our national culture and economy and they
have been much too lax in reacting to the challenges of run-away production.
You are not alone. Remember the spirit of Peter McGuire who taught us
that if we stick together, we can make a difference in our world. As always, I look forward to your comments and suggestions. Please e-mail them to me. George Spiro Dibie, ASC |