Labor Has a Day, So Why Not Corporations? Retired Employment Lawyer Touts Idea in Op-Ed
Labor unions have had their own holiday for 130 years, but corporations have been overlooked and underappreciated.
It’s time to change that, according to retired employment and labor lawyer Gerald Skoning. Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Skoning backs a new federal holiday: Corporation Day. He notes the election-year focus on “jobs, jobs, jobs” and difficult times for business people.
“We’ve kicked our corporations around long enough.” Skoning writes. “Like returning Vietnam veterans, corporations have been tormented and harassed. They are routinely referred to as callous, uncaring, heartless profit-mongers. They are regular targets of protests, boycotts and media exposés.
“Some are wrongfully accused of polluting, discriminating and illegal profiteering. They are taxed, surcharged, regulated, audited and generally hounded by all levels of government. Isn’t it about time to pay our respects to the corporations that have made our country great?”
Corporation Day, Skoning says “would be a joyous celebration of capitalism” commemorating “the tireless efforts of corporate executives to provide handsome returns on their shareholders’ investments.”
Corrected at 9:05 a.m. to change “days” to “years.”
