A tribute to Rosie

All the day long, Whether rain or shine She’s part of the assembly line. She’s making history, Working for victory Rosie the Riveter During our union organizing campaign we used the classic poster of Rosie the Riveter, dressed as a nurse, to celebrate Nurses Week. I heard both directly and indirectly that some in management disapproved of that image. I even heard some of them felt she stands for the "uneducated and dirty"! First of all, we do not need nor do we seek management's approval! Second, Rosie is an American icon, representing all of the women who entered the workforce during WWII!! They, along with the men who could not serve overseas for one reason or another, rebuilt our army, navy, and air force and were critical in the war effort! They opened the door to the workplace for women, they improved racial harmony by working side by side with people of all colors, they furthered the women's movement by working with men as equals, and they often did so without equal pay. Were they uneducated? NO! Only the uneducated would say so. Did they get dirty? You bet they did, and sweaty too! But my God, it was honest sweat! There is nothing more honorable than working and contributing to society with one's own hands and muscle and brain! Rosie the Riveter represents that. There is nothing more dishonorable than getting rich off someone else's sweat and effort and heartache. Unions, and the middle class, are under attack in this country, blamed for all kinds of economic evils. But Wall street, not Main street, is at the heart of the problem. Greed is the vice. Becoming rich off another's hard work is the method. No society without a healthy middle class survives. We needed Rosie in the 1940s, without her we would have lost the war. We need her now also.