How much do labor unions matter to today's generation?

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Ask any elementary school child, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" and the likelihood that they will answer a firefighter, police officer, teacher or nurse is pretty strong. Such jobs have traditionally been unionized, but are union jobs still relevant in today's marketplace?

These are questions to consider as Labor Day 2009 approaches followed by the upcoming AFL/CIO convention in Pittsburgh. Labor Day is more than just an idyllic holiday to mark the end of summer with a picnic. It's also a day to recognize workers all around the United States.

At the upcoming convention, the AFL-CIO is making a strong statement in favor of a green economy by holding its meeting in the David Lawrence Convention Center, the nation’s first all-green center.

The AFL-CIO wants to ensure that the new wave of green jobs turns into good jobs will be on the agenda as well. As new green jobs emerge and bring the nation closer to economic recovery, Ohio is slated to receive $4.4 billion for green recovery investments, or nearly $400/per person.

This is good news for Ohio residents as the region has lost a significant percentage of the traditional manufacturing jobs.  With the green job initiative, the opportunity to maintain a decent standard of living for families is more promising than ever.

While China once had a manufacturing edge, that is slipping in recent times, according to a new study by Southfield (Mich.) firm AlixPartners, which researches and consults on outsourcing. By studying five categories of machined products that range from large engine parts to small plastic components, the cost shift has been dramatic. In 2005, AlixPartners found that by the time the items had arrived at a U.S. port, Chinese-made parts were 22% cheaper on average than those produced in the U.S. By the end of 2008, however, the average price gap had dropped to 5.5%, which often isn't large enough to merit the hassle of manufacturing halfway around the world.

Additionally, China's environmental record is not very good. The Washington Post has reported, tough economic times have brought even laxer environmental enforcement for factories in southern China. Peng Peng, research director of the Guangzhou Academy of Social Sciences, a government-affiliated think tank, told the Post: "With the poor economic situation, officials are thinking twice about whether to close polluting factories, whether the benefits to the environment really outweigh the dangers to social stability."

While China's national priorities have shifted, its politics haven't. When both economic and environmental priorities match up, transformation is possible. However, when interests compete, money tends to win over the environment.

Taking all this into account, the question "What do you want to be when you grow up?" could well lead to a environmentally and worker friendly green job. That is a great reason to celebrate Labor Day this coming weekend.

Fun ecards and buttons for kids