Labor Day Bust

Today is Labor Day, the day America modeled after the Canadian holiday to honor workers. Always the first Monday in September, it gives many of us a three-day weekend.

Many of my Florida counterparts, particularly in Jacksonville, have lived with the recesson for the past 18 to 24 months. In the week before Labor Day, the recession slapped my hometown of Bismarck N.D. in the face. It also hit my family personally.

My 26-year-old, college educated daughter learned one week ago today that she will be laid off in two months. After she graduated, she moved to Duluth, Minnesota-Superior, Wisconsin, about eight hours northeast of Bismarck.

Like Tallahassee where I live now, Bismarck is North Dakota’s capital so government is a major employer there. Health care is, too. The Bobcat manufacturing plant is another; or make that, was another.

The company announced last Wednesday it is closing its Bismarck plant, shutting down 475 jobs at the same time. We all know Bobcat—the yellow equipment used for digging at construction sites! (That’s lay-woman’s speak since I have zero experience with equipment like that.)

Until now, North Dakota was outside looking in at everyone else suffering through this recession. Unemployment hovers around 3 percent, the housing market remained fairly stable and the 2009 North Dakota legislature had a surplus to deal with! Remember surplus, Florida?

It seemed inevitable that the trickle-down effect would make its way there. Bobcat’s customers, for example, are not in North Dakota only. As construction ground to a halt two years ago, it seems that demand for construction equipment would end, too. It’s taken a while, but apparently it has. And the trickle-down will spread to other Bismarck businesses that serve Bobcat, and those that Bobcat employees frequent.

One of the saddest quotes, to me, from one of Bobcat’s displaced workers was, "We're all in our 50s and we're not hirable."

There is no reason in our society where taglines like, “50 is the new 30,” abound, a 50-year-old should be considered non-hirable. In the current economy his particular skills may not be in great demand, but he and future employers should recognize that his experience and skills set are applicable in other ways. Age by itself is no indicator of an employee’s value; not to mention, age discrimination is illegal.

For my daughter, at her young age I hope she’ll recognize that what looks and, in the immediate moment feels, like a disaster, can be an opportunity. Turns out because she works in Minnesota and will file for unemployment compensation there, as a displaced worker she can return to college for free for two years.

Thankfully she has a bachelor’s degree, which is something nobody can ever take from her, but she isn’t working in that field. Now she’s considering vet tech school and given her passion for animals, it makes sense to me. But hey, what does Mom ever know?

It’s frightening and I worry for her and for my dear North Dakota. Like its people, the state is hardy and will pull through. My daughter will as well. I know it is true that she can learn and grow from this difficulty. The lessons will serve her well at some point that we may not see now, but I sure wish she didn’t have to experience this.

I believe Florida and the rest of the nation will survive this, too. Not because of any of our political leaders because I think they have already proven they are clueless, but because we are people strong in spirit who don’t stay down too long. We are not inclined to enduring ‘pity parties’ nor are we inclined to sit back too long waiting for someone else to take care of us.

We are smart, we are creative, we are pioneers. Working together, supporting our government rather than relying on it, we will pull through and be all the better on the other side. And today, Labor Day 2009, let’s all remember the critical importance of American workers and work quickly find ways to keep them all on the job.

Original article can be found at: http://www.jacksonville.com/interact/blog/linda_mcdonald/2009-09-07/labor_day_bust