This week, as scripted by federal law, most of us enjoyed a national holiday lobbied for by the labor movement in the late 19th century. The intention of labor leaders was to create a commemorative day where the average American worker was recognized for their contributions to the nation and its people. After all, it was typical for the average American worker at that time to work 12-hour days, oftentimes seven days per week, during the burgeoning industrial revolution.

Due to the efforts of organized labor, laws were written with broad support to end the abuse of the American worker, including children, which supported the growing profits of the industrial-based businesses/corporations. Those who are the human capital in our nation’s schools do exceptional work on behalf of our community and its children. Unfortunately, not many students in our schools understand the significance of the holiday in our history.

Too many Labor Day celebrations on Monday were without the flourish and pomp paid to labor that I grew up with many decades ago.

During the last quarter of a century, the admiration for labor that was so evident in my family has unfortunately taken a serious turn for the worse. In 1955, 35 percent of American workers in private sector jobs were in labor unions. In 2006, that number had shrunk to less than 8 percent. Today, 37 percent of government workers are unionized, which accounts for over 50 percent of all union members.

I can make a great case that the true wealth creators in America are those who work in our nation’s schools and classrooms, from teachers and instructional aides ,to clerical staff and cafeteria workers, to psychologists and counselors. Each time these school workers nurture and expand the intellectual, artistic, athletic, social and creative skills of America’s students, they are adding to the economic and competitive success of our nation.

Many of these school workers in the public sector are members of unions like California Teachers Association (CTA), California Federation of Teachers (CFT), California School Employees Association (CSEA) and Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Since workers in public sector unions are still substantial in number, they are the ones that get criticized the most. This concerns me very much.

On March 1, I wrote a column about why unions should not be demonized. I wrote, “We need strong public employee unions now more than ever … Unions play a very vital role in representing the middle class workers in America.” However, in that column I urged union and school district leaders to begin a discussion on how to alter outdated and publicly scrutinized practices that lead to ridicule.

In order for the pubic to support the work of pubic sector union members in schools, we must begin a new conversation about augmenting some antiquated union protection as in seniority employment rights and tenure protection for teachers. We also must begin to employ pay-for-performance models negotiated at the collective bargaining table, rather than the outmoded model used currently, which is based upon years of experience and college credits beyond a bachelor’s degree.

Robert Reich, a professor of public policy at UC Berkeley, says that public employee unions did not cause the “Great Recession.” Instead, Reich argues that illegal gambits by Wall Street traders and hedge-fund managers are to blame. Reich also noted in an article earlier this year that the top 13 hedge fund managers in the US earned an average of $1 billion each last year, while the average U.S. teacher is compensated at $55,350 annually.

So, as we reflect on labor, I urge school employee unions, especially CTA and CFT, to begin to win back public sentiment for the good work your members do in our schools and with our children. It will take a Herculean effort by the Legislature, school boards, superintendents and union leaders and their members to win back the good will of the public. I think it is critical for us to do so now, before it is too late.