"We built this country...."

 In the late 19th Century it was common for a laborer to work 12-hour days, 7 days a week. Children, with their small hands and bodies could crawl into and under machinery and were a vital part of the Industrial Revolution workforce. The Methodist Church took the lead in the creation of Child Labor Laws and the formation of Unions. 

I am proud of both my heritage as a United Methodist and of being the daughter of a steelworker. My family maintains strong union roots.

 

As a kid, I remember my mother packing my dad's lunch bucket; she wrapped the sandwiches in wax paper, included a few homemade cookies, a piece of fruit and a thermos full of black coffee. When dad worked the midnight shift, we kids played even longer outside and when indoors kept the volume low.

Though now the center of "Meds and Eds," Pittsburgh to me will always be blue collar. I relate far better to the millworker, the construction worker, those who shower after work (not before).  

I am drawn to the person with grit; the one who doesn't whine; the one who works until the job is done.  Truly, the working class built this country.  Celebrate, respect and thank the laborers.