Inquirer Editorial: Would rather be working

What does it mean to have a job this Labor Day?

Just ask one of the millions of Americans whose search for work extends back many months prior to last year's celebration of working people.

With unemployment seemingly stuck at 9.1 percent, the jobless - from college grads, to displaced factory workers, to retail staffers waiting for consumer confidence to rebound - are unlikely to let today go by without reflecting on the worth of having a job.

On this day of rest above all, the nation's jobless certainly would love to be hard at work. They shouldn't have to face the prospect of yet another Labor Day on the unemployment lines.

But the sense of unease isn't felt only by the unemployed. Not with what one union official described as "this relentless recession" dogging the United States. Indeed, the potential for a double-dip sows uncertainty among the ranks of the nation's 153.6 million working people, as well.

With the political debate in Washington bogged down by an increasingly vast ideological divide over whether to prime the economy, or apply a tourniquet in the form of government cutbacks, working Americans may have less and less confidence that Washington will help out.

That situation may change this week, providing President Obama makes a compelling case for congressional action on employment. He has pledged to offer initiatives that "put more money in the paychecks of working and middle class families," aid small businesses seeking to expand, and boost infrastructure investments both necessary to secure the nation's future and employ more construction workers. That all sounds promising enough.

Beyond adding new jobs, it's also important this Labor Day to support policies that prevent workers from losing too much ground. That's no more apparent on the labor front than in the public sector, where more than half of union-represented jobs reside.

Government workers in the crosshairs due to state and local budget crises know that it's not in their interest to have public coffers run dry. But it's wrong for lawmakers to revoke bargaining rights unilaterally, as did Wisconsin, while there's still a chance for a negotiated agreement. In that vein, there's no need for Harrisburg proposals to ban teacher strikes when those job actions are rare and already limited by law.

In New Jersey, Gov Christie and legislative leaders grappling with crushing pension and health-care costs for teachers and other public employees took a somewhat more restrained approach, even though those cost-containment policies are being challenged.

The coming year no doubt will bring greater challenges for America's workforce. Unions will continue to play an important role in shaping the conversation, with even a growing awareness of their role due to new federal rules that private employers display posters telling workers of their right to form unions.

Everyone must hope that the jobs picture is better when this holiday returns next year.