In 1913, the federal government instituted the 16th Amendment to the Constitution, which gave Congress the power to institute an income tax and established the always debated tax structure we have today.
As we welcome in the sunnier but still chilly month of April, we welcome in our civic duty to pay our taxes to keep our country running and give the politicians something to fight about. Nonetheless, there are other federal laws that are being exercised this April. In addition to paying off Uncle Sam, our region’s unions are mobilizing almost every week.
On April Fools’ Day, all the unions on Long Island, along with – believe it or not – the Tea Party, are holding a rally in protest of rookie Congressman Lee Zeldin’s stance on fast-tracking a trade deal that would send good jobs to the Pacific Rim, a part of the world with little to no labor safety standards.
This action is a concerted activity protected by the First Amendment, which says Congress shall pass no law limiting peaceful assembly and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
In 1775, the Second Continental Congress issued a decree that established the creation of the national Postal Service. Formally established by Congress in 1792, a post office with defined routes was created. On April 12, 2015, the union leadership of our postal service will be rallying to protect against the privatization of our publically owned postal service.
In Melville, hundreds are expected to turn out to expose a move by Staples office supply stores to take vital work away from the only government agency that doesn’t drain our federal budget. It is no surprise to unionists everywhere that this move is being orchestrated by a company once owned by Mitt Romney’s Bain Capital.
This of course leads us to the biggest day of the month: Tax Day. To avoid penalties, your income tax return must be stamped by the men and women who are actually rallying in Melville on the 12th. Also happening on this day are national low-wage worker actions. Organizers are short on the details, but you can bet that fast-food joints and non-union employers can expect to witness some activity protected by the First Amendment.
All of these April actions have in common a federal law that will be celebrating its 80th birthday this April. The National Labor Relations Act, which was passed in 1935, protects workers’ right to organize.
This column originally appeared in the Long Island Business News. For more on these events check out http://ucommblog.com/