By Rebecca Miller, a nurse for an organization that helps adults with disabilities, and a member of SEIU Healthcare Colorado
Many of us look forward to a three-day weekend. I wish I could sit back this Labor Day and simply honor the shared values—and the union siblings—who fought for the good things working people have today.
But this year, millions of lives are at stake. It’s hard to enjoy a holiday when we need to roll up our sleeves and fight for our neighbors, our families, and ourselves.
Last year, Congress passed H.R. 1, the ill-named “Big Beautiful Bill,” cutting Medicaid and food assistance while providing enormous tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans. These politicians chose to protect billionaires' wealth instead of protecting the people they were elected to serve.
Working people aren't asking for unimaginable wealth. We're asking for something much simpler: dignity, security, and respect.
As a nurse, I see what happens when the safety net frays. I serve people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and all of my patients rely on Medicaid, which provides medications, therapies, dental care, wheelchairs, and the support that allows people with disabilities to live in their homes and communities instead of institutions.
My day-to-day work is constant harm reduction and this fight is also deeply personal.
Before I became a nurse, my son Max and I relied on Medicaid and SNAP. Max has autism and was non-speaking. When we finally received services—including the Family Caregiver benefit—everything changed. He spoke his first words at six. He learned to read at ten. In 2025, he graduated from college and became a music teacher.
The safety net helped my child become the adult he is today.
My stepson Ian isn't as fortunate. He has significant disabilities and is now on the DD Waiver waitlist. He will never be able to live independently without a support system. My husband and I will be in our 80s by the time he receives the support he needs.
That's what we call the churn—families waiting years for services.
A country's strength isn't measured by how much wealth its billionaires accumulate.
It is measured by how we treat the people who need us most.
Working people are tired of being told that there isn't enough money for healthcare, food, housing, and disability services while the wealthiest Americans receive more and more.
We want to afford groceries without worrying about whether the food is safe. We want affordable healthcare and medications. We want to retire with dignity. That shouldn't be extreme.
Medicare and Medicaid have existed since 1965, but the idea behind our social safety net goes back even further. During the Great Depression, Dr. Francis Townsend witnessed older Americans searching through trash for food. His outrage helped spark a movement that ultimately contributed to Social Security's creation.
One person saw something wrong. He spoke up. People listened. And history changed.
We have the power in numbers to make it happen. Our collective outrage can create change. History validates this notion, but apathy lends to continued oppression. While current policies "don't affect me" provide comfort, that comfort is temporary and an illusion.
Anybody but the ultrarich is a medical bill away from financial disaster, and many families are on the edge of the cliff right now. Disability can happen at any time–one accident, one stroke, one medical mistake, and the social safety nets that were for "those people who don't deserve it" all of a sudden seem pretty necessary.
So what CAN we do?
Vote. Why do you think there is so much attention to restraining our right to vote? For example, Texas removing 92 ballot boxes, the push against mail-in ballots, the plan to use ICE at our polling stations– because voting is power.
We, the people, can determine who represents us. At the ballot box, united across backgrounds, languages, skin tones, and creeds, we can put the billionaire class and their sycophants in their place.
People have the power. As a union member, I know the power of solidarity when we work together.
Happy Labor Day.
