August 30, 2025
Labor Day 2025- The Lesson of The Bees
On September 1 we will once again celebrate Labor Day. This is the annual day for workers to celebrate their contributions to building this great country. It is the blood, sweat and tears of the working class that has turned the wheels, built the cities and established this country as the major force on the face of the Earth.
On this Labor Day workers find themselves in a situation where the wealthy and powerful have the greatest grip on the country in our history. The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 has become the workers’ 2025 nightmare. The Department of Labor and the National Labor Relations Board have been stacked with anti-worker members. OSHA is under attack, collective bargaining for government employees is under attack. The minimum wage for federal contractors has been slashed. National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Member Gwynne Wilcox was fired for “unduly disfavoring the interest of employers.” 
We have seen legislation pass that cut taxes on the wealthy while increasing taxes on the working class. The social safety net that protects our most vulnerable has been decimated all for the benefit of the rich and powerful. These are indeed perilous times for the working class. It would be easy to lose hope on this Labor Day, but we can’t lose hope. The working class has faced wars waged by the wealthy before. It is always our solidarity that sees us through.
I was recently reading something about the life of bees, and I was reminded how our society is much like bees in a hive. There are three kinds of bees in a hive. First there is the queen whose job it is to lay the eggs. Then there are drones who mate with the queen. Finally, there are the worker bees. Worker bees make up the vast majority of the bees in a hive.
A worker bee has a life span of five to seven weeks. During that time, they build the hive, protect the hive and make honey. A worker bee will forage within a five-mile radius to collect nectar to make honey. This requires a lot of work, flapping their wings 11,000 times a minute. As the bee pollinates from flower to flower, they crosspollinate the flowers, allowing them to grow. The average bee will make 1/12 of a teaspoon in their lifetime.
Without bees’ humans couldn’t survive. The cross pollination they perform allows fruits and vegetables to reproduce and feed the planet.
There are reasons worker bees are named as they are. It is workers who provide for life on this planet. From those working in factories, to those working in offices, to teachers, law enforcement, nurses, doctors and the list goes on and on. The wealthy do nothing but accumulate wealth, created off our labor. Like the worker bees, the working class makes this nation go. We build the farm equipment, we plant the seeds, we pick the food, we prepare the food and serve the food. Our members build the trucks that transport the food. We build the cities where the food is available. It is workers you drive the economy NOT those sitting in high rise offices counting their money.
That worker bee spends their life producing that 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey. While to us it seems insignificant, to that bee it is everything. Your labor is important, and it makes a difference. Our labor provides for our family just as that bee’s honey provides for the hive. It is our collective efforts that provide, and we deserve a fair wage for a fair day of work. This is what Labor Day is about- recognizing the sacrifice and the dedication of America’s workers.
This Labor Day, celebrate your contributions, celebrate your family, your union. We will never stop fighting for the rights of the working class. Those who have waged war against us will soon find out that we have not given up, we are not beaten, and we are not going away. There will be a day when we will persevere, and we will overcome the attacks of the powerful. On that day, our victory will be as sweet as that honey the bees create. Happy Labor Day to all my UAW family!
Who Are We- UAW!
UAW Region 8 Director Tim Smith
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