commentary editorials
May Day is for Workers; but Not Bourgeois Labor Leaders
May Day, also known as International Workers’ Day, is a day dedicated to recognizing and celebrating the contributions and achievements of working-class people. Sadly, not all labor leaders have shown the same commitment to the well-being of working families, as evidenced during the COVID-19 pandemic. One such leader is Randi Weingarten, the American Federation of Teachers’ president, whose enthusiastic support for school closures had devastating consequences for children and their families.
School closures during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic had a profound and lasting impact on children and their families: a devastating reality that cast a dark shadow on the decisions made by labor leaders like Randi Weingarten. Ms. Weingarten wasn’t the only scandalous labor leader, but her misleadership caused a lot of pain.
School closures significantly impacted the mental health of children, with girls being especially hard hit. Recent stats have shown that a staggering 1/3 of girls have considered or attempted suicide during, and after, the pandemic. We are suffering this in my own close, attentive family. The isolation, uncertainty, and stress that accompanied school closures left many children overwhelmed, contributing to this frightening statistic.
With schools closed, educational instruction shifted to remote learning, and the results were abysmal. Many students struggled to adapt to virtual learning, and their testing scores plummeted as a result. Difficulties engaging with online classes and lack of direct teacher support widened the education gap, leaving many students falling far behind where they might have been otherwise.
During distance “learning,” I was very involved in the process with my four older grandchildren. My oldest grandson was in seventh grade, and his PE “class” was a series of ridiculous chair/floor exercises being done with a scantily clad female teacher. It almost seemed like he was on the OnlyFans pay-for-porn site and apparently, judging from the teacher’s remarks, none of her Chromebook class were exercising with her.
On the other hand, my youngest grandson earned all A’s during this time, but, while he had his Chromebook signed into his class, he’d be watching baseball on YouTube the entire time. He was able to perfect his Trea Turner slide, but, little else. While my other grandchildren were harmed by distance “learning,” my neurodivergent grandson suffered horrendous setbacks. Before Covid, I thought public education was in trouble, but could be fixed, now, I am sick to death of it. Most children are very intuitive and what they intuited over the past three-years was that education is not a high priority from the top-down. California is hovering around the number 50 in educational metrics while Newsolini is traveling the country whining that not every state is copying the shithole he had a big part in creating. And make no mistake, his children were fine.
The less knee-jerk governance country of Sweden never closed schools because they ALREADY knew that children rarely got Covid, nor passed it on. These were the true backstops for the virus (yes, I do believe there was some virus, but not the one that shitlibs believe so strongly in, they have formed a very stringent cult around it where no heresy is tolerated), not the “vaccine.” Where did Sweden get the stats that it appears Weingarten was not privy to? (Of course she was, but she chose to ignore them).
Children rely on socialization with peers and teachers to develop their social skills and build lasting friendships. School closures robbed them of the opportunity to interact and bond with their peers, causing their socialization to plummet. This sudden lack of connection can lead to feelings of isolation and depression in children, compounding the mental health crisis.
Forced masking when schools finally reopened also caused challenges for children. Students with learning disabilities struggled even more, as they often rely on visual cues and facial expressions for effective communication. For these children, masking hindered their ability to learn and communicate, exacerbating their already difficult situation.
INSTITUTIONAL CHILD ABUSE:
On May Day, we celebrate and honor the achievements of workers, but we must also hold labor leaders like Randi Weingarten accountable for their actions. In supporting school closures during the pandemic, they contributed to a multitude of devastating consequences for children and their families. As we continue to recover from the shandemic, we must demand more from labor leaders and ensure that they put the welfare of working families above all else.
I feel like labor leaders are too invested in the Demon-rat party, and with the big bosses to be effective at leading workers to a situation where families and communities feel supported. Covid didn’t cause these issues, but it really accelerated and heightened them.
As an activist who has worked with many socialist/communist, allegedly pro-labor organizations, I was appalled and dismayed when a large majority of them abandoned working families to cleave onto the establishment in support of its lockdowns, school and business closures, and the absolute anti-worker propaganda about “essential” and “non-essential” workers: every worker is essential to someone.
As the shamdemic didn’t cause any of our problems, it was certainly instrumental in exposing these labor frauds. Instead of breaking free from our chains, leaders like Weingarten helped bosses to forge more, and heavier restraints, and they are the reason that socialism is being blamed for the current crises.
Marx and Lenin are spinning in their graves!
Cindy Lee Sheehan is an American anti-war activist, whose son, U.S. Army Specialist Casey Sheehan, was killed by enemy action during the Iraq War. She attracted national and international media attention in August 2005 for her extended antiwar protest at a makeshift camp outside President George W. Bush’s Texas ranch—a stand that drew both passionate support and criticism. Sheehan ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2008. She was a vocal critic of President Barack Obama’s foreign policy. Her memoir, Peace Mom: A Mother’s Journey Through Heartache to Activism, was published in 2006. In an interview with The Daily Beast in 2017, Sheehan continued to hold her critical views towards George W. Bush, while also criticizing the militarism of Donald Trump.
Sheehan was the 2012 vice-presidential nominee of the Peace and Freedom Party,[4] and received 1.2% of the statewide vote in the 2014 California gubernatorial election.
The author has granted this website permission to reprint selected essays. All rights are reserved.
The views and/or opinions expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect those of APS Radio News or of its affiliate, APS Radio
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