Labor day

Yesterday was labor day for Germany and several other countries. It's actually International Workers' Day. Since I know you hang on my every word, you'll remember that, even though the U.S. does not observe the Workers' Day holiday, it originated with the Haymarket Riots in Chicago in 1886. The riots occurred during a strike by workers who wanted to establish the eight hour work day. 

Today, German workers have a 38.5 hour work week, 5 weeks of paid vacation time, paid parental leave, paid sick time for up to 6 weeks, employer contributions to health insurance, as well as free coffee, someone to walk your dog, and foot rubs at the office. Ok, I made that last part up. But in general, German workers are treated pretty well (though the grumpy cashier lady at the grocery store might not agree).
One thing Germany does not have, however, is a minimum wage.

This has been a political issue for a while; liberals support a minimum wage of 8.50 euros per hour, and the conservatives oppose it. So you can get your 5 weeks' vacation and your foot rubs, but you can also earn next to nothing and it's perfectly legal.  My suspicion is that a lot of the people suffering most from this policy, or lack of a policy, are not Germans at all but the immigrants who do low-skilled jobs. Immigrants are usually my favorite people in Germany. We have all been confused, laughed at, and defeated by this country at some point. We forgive each others' accents and grammatical mistakes. We sympathize withe each other.

In Berlin, about 6,000 participated in a demonstration yesterday in favor of a minimum wage law. 6,000 showed up for one in Hamburg. Similar protests were held across Germany, led by the labor unions.

Did I protest? No. I went for a long bike with Brian and we saw a castle. Then we had kebabs for lunch and hung out at the Kleingarten with friends into the evening. It was a great day.  If anyone asked whether there should be a minimum wage in Germany, I would say "ja, naturlich." If we in the U.S. have had one since the 1930s, then certainly the land of sick time and 7.5 hour work days can do to the same.

Besides, the Turkish man at the kebab shop shook our hands when we arrived, asked how we were doing, and gave us free tea and dessert after lunch. I want him to earn at least as much as the grumpy German supermarket cashier.