Forget Dickens. What workers need now is not the noblesse oblige of reformed employers like Scrooge. We need good contracts and active shop stewards, and an economy that benefits everyone, not just the one percent. And yet, there is something to be said for the Christmas spirit, broadly understood.
Most cultures celebrate the darkest time of the year with feasting and celebration. This fact has always seemed to me a tribute to human hope and solidarity. It is midwinter, it is as cold as hell, and we can’t be absolutely sure our food will last until the next harvest. So, what could make more hopeful sense than a big party and feast? No matter which of the many mid-winter feasts you celebrate, you are honoring an ancient tradition that bets in favor of solidarity, generosity, and hope. True, this can all drown in a treacly tide of sentiment, febrile consumerism and Hallmark movies. But despite all the ways the season can be corrupted, the fundamental values it embodies remain, and are worth honoring.
The values that undergird these festivals of light and hope are the same values that inspire the best in our practice in organized labour. “What we desire for ourselves, we desire for all” has long been one of our most cherished slogans, and unions have often fought to improve the lot of all workers, not just members of our local or of any union. We have won for ourselves and for others a five-day, forty-hour work week, weekends, statutory holidays, health and safety and minimum wage standards. Granted, many of these gains have been partial, and they are always under threat from ruling class push back. But no one could plausibly argue that these social reforms could have been achieved without the efforts of organized workers. We have walked picket lines, occupied factories, lobbied legislators and reached out to educate our neighbors, all in our efforts to advance social justice and human decency. It is important to recognize and celebrate our victories, and to rest up for the battles to come.
So, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Solstice, Diwali and Kwanza my friends. Let’s all feast and celebrate with the ones we love, and find ways to include our sisters, neighbors and brothers, known and unknown, here and around the world in our thoughts and our generosity. Walk a picket line, feed the hungry and clothe the naked. Visit the ones in prison and comfort the dying. Confront racism, sexism, homophobia, Islamophobia and anti-Semitism wherever they raise their ugly heads. Give to your local women’s shelter or hotline. Strengthen your union and support its work for a better society. Here’s to the return of light to the skies and to increasing the presence of light in our shared lives, at work and in society at large.
Tom Sandborn lives and writes on un-ceded Indigenous territory in Vancouver. He welcomes your feedback and story tips at [email protected]
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