It’s a tale of two movements, embodied in the stark differences between the annual celebrations of their respective causes.
Earth Day, celebrating 45 years today, has grown into a global phenomenon marked by thousands of events that combine festivities with advocacy. A stunning 1 billion people participate each year, including millions of Americans, making it the largest civic observance in the world, according to its organizers.
Labor Day, on the other hand, is more holiday than hell raiser. Yes, there are rallies and marches, but for most Americans the first Monday in September is about barbecue and beer and not the dignity of working people. In an age where levels of economic inequality in the U.S. rival those during the Great Depression, this is a real shame.
So how can the labor movement replicate the successes of the green movement?
The labor movement needs to model itself on the brilliant way in which the environmental movement has bridged the gap between consumerism and activism. Consumerism is part of the DNA of American society, for better or worse. Civic participation, however, is not. Witness the crowds at Black Friday versus the abysmal turnout for most elections.
Armed with an understanding of how difficult it can be to ignite the activist spark in this country, environmental leaders have seized upon the quintessentially consumer-oriented nature of American culture to build a powerful “buy green” movement. As green products have become ubiquitous in the marketplace, the movement has profoundly changed both industry and consumer behavior. A 2012 study found that more than 70 percent of Americans buy green products, and that more than 80 percent are knowledgeable about which brands have a track record of sustainability. Equally important, the buy green phenomenon has made environmental consciousness a part of Americans’ daily routine as consumers, thereby forging a powerful link to a fundamental part of our identity.
There is no equivalent when it comes to consumers and economic inequality — but there could be. Americans could be galvanized to use their enormous purchasing power to support businesses that provide good jobs. This would be transformative, even if only a relatively small percentage of shoppers shifted their buying habits to patronize high-road employers over bottom feeders like Walmart.
The timing couldn’t be better to launch such a strategy. Efforts to raise the minimum wage are proliferating across the country as the issue of income inequality has become front-page news. Last week, low-wage workers in more than 200 cities took to the streets to push for $15 an hour, including here in Los Angeles. Public support for raising wages has been overwhelming in both blue states and red states, reflecting a broad consensus that the country is on the wrong track when it comes to economic fairness.
Labor activists need to harness the growing demand to address economic inequality and direct some of it toward building a consumer movement for good jobs. If consumer behavior starts to tilt in favor of businesses that provide middle-class wages and benefits, the marketplace will respond, just as it has to public demand for green products. This will in turn permanently alter corporate attitudes toward labor conditions, as businesses start competing to distinguish themselves as “good jobs” employers. Instead of a race to the bottom we would have a race to the middle, which would be nothing less than a paradigm shift in the American economy.
As we approach Earth Day, the wage activists would do well to study how environmentalists have turned consumers into advocates — and then seek to replicate this inspiring success.
Cherri Senders is founder and publisher of Labor 411 (www.labor411.org), a consumer guide to goods and services whose employers treat their workers fairly with good wages, benefits and working conditions.