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Workers, by the sweat of their brow, deserve both respect and protection. South Asian poetry is replete with odes to the "mazdoor," or laborer. I thought about the mazdoor class yesterday, when I had the honor of visiting the KML Local 197 training facility in Upper Marlboro, MD. 
It serves over 1500 members in Virginia, training carpenters and advocating for greater worker protections. (The KML Brotherhood Regional Council serves over 43,000 members throughout the Mid-Atlantic.)
These are the people who build the physical structures in which we live, drive, raise our families, and conduct our business. A small example: welders. They make sure the metal skeletons of buildings and bridges are strong, so it doesn't collapse one day when you drive over it.
When I hear about workers cheated of their wages by unscrupulous labor brokers, or stiffed with a hefty tax bill because they were fraudulently classified as independent contractors, or ICE called on a job to scare undocumented workers off without paying them, my heart breaks.
The worker has a moral right to be compensated, and to be protected. It's that simple.
Virginia's history of worker empowerment leaves much to be desired. Money talks, and to see the glaring loopholes that allow oppression of the mazdoor while other laws crush the people it's meant to protect, is an intolerable blemish on equality. We have to do better.
I learned about subspecialty training programs like roof rubberization, and spent some time in what looked like my high school shop class, where we had a spirited discussion on undocumented worker protections.
When a welding trainee attempts to get certified, he's asked to weld two pieces of metal together. This machine then bends it. If it cracks even a little, or a bubble is visible, it's an automatic fail.
The machine is not so affectionately known as "The Heartbreaker."
The machine is not so affectionately known as "The Heartbreaker."
This was the coolest thing I got to do: a virtual reality welding machine that helps train people without going through materials. Very immersive, with hi res graphics, flying sparks, and a welding wand that physically shortens as you weld. I was told I was a natural!
Thank you, Keystone, for taking me around and showing me the facility. It made it very personal to me and I appreciate the insight and lessons, something I'm not going to forget.
انہی حیرت زدہ آنکھوں سے دیکھے ہیں وہ آنسو بھی
جو اکثر دھوپ میں محنت کی پیشانی سے ڈھلتے ہیں
इन्ही हैरतजदा आंखों से देखे हैं वह आंसू भी
जो अक्सर धूप में मेहनत की पेशानी से ढलते हैं
I have also seen tears with these awestruck eyes
That fall from the forehead of the worker in the sun
جو اکثر دھوپ میں محنت کی پیشانی سے ڈھلتے ہیں
इन्ही हैरतजदा आंखों से देखे हैं वह आंसू भी
जो अक्सर धूप में मेहनत की पेशानी से ढलते हैं
I have also seen tears with these awestruck eyes
That fall from the forehead of the worker in the sun
