I’ve often wondered what the real purpose behind Labor Day is. And so today in a sort of belaboring way (no pun intended, dear readers), I’ve sought out the help of the Internet, which so willingly and freely gives of its time. I found this definition by Wikipedia, which I’ve placed in italics and quotations.“Labor Day is a United States federal holiday that takes place on the first Monday of September. The origins of the American Labor Day can be traced back to the Knights of Labor in the United States and a parade organized by them on September 5, 1882 in New York City.”
“In 1884 another parade was held, and the Knights passed resolutions to make this an annual event. Other labor organizations (and there were many), but notably the affiliates of the International Workingmen's Association, many of whom were socialists or anarchists, favoured a May 1 holiday.”
“With the event of Chicago's Haymarket Riots in early May of 1886, president Grover Cleveland believed that a May 1 holiday could become an opportunity to commemorate the riots. Thus, fearing that it might strengthen the socialist movement, he quickly moved in 1887 to support the position of the Knights of Labor and their date for Labor Day.”
“Labor Day has been celebrated on the first Monday in September in the United States since the 1880s. The September date has remained unchanged, even though the government was encouraged to adopt May 1 as Labor Day, the date celebrated by the majority of the world. Moving the holiday, in addition to breaking with tradition, could have been viewed as aligning the U.S. labor movements with internationalist sympathies.”
“Labor Day is generally regarded simply as a day of rest, and political demonstrations are rare. Forms of celebration include picnics, fireworks displays, water activities, and public art events. Families with school-age children take it as the last chance to travel before the end of summer. Some teenagers and young adults view it as the last weekend for parties before returning to school.”
“An old custom prohibits the wearing of white after Labor Day. The explanations for this tradition range from the fact that white clothes are worse protection against cold weather in the winter to the fact that the rule was intended as a status symbol for new members of the middle class in the late 19th century and early 20th century.”
One would expect that some of the more traditional aspects of honoring laborers would survive, but oh no! Not in the world I have lived in for more than 43 years of my short life, I have watched with great alarm United States Presidents such as the late Ronald Reagan bust up the air traffic controllers union, thereby screwing up the entire system, among other things in his great presidency!
This was a president almost everyone was fooled by becase he was such a good actor. And this was only a small bit of the damage he wreaked upon the United States and abroad. I bet that most of you didn't know that Reagan wanted to reverse the law with regards to the presidency, in which a person currently only serves two terms.
Had Reagan reversed it, there would have been disasterous results for certain, as we've now only experienced through his funeral which appeared more like a Hollywood film production and like most Americans (myself excluded), even those who call themselves liberal, democratic or independent, ate it up and took it for face value, even if they criticized him in the past! That's pure hyprocrisy, but I'm straying just a touch.
Then of course we have both George Bush Sr. & Jr. who don’t seem to ever really want to help out the labor movement; they’re into union-busting and that’s just plain wrong. Think I'm kidding? Well, just go out and ask someone in a union, they'll tell it like it is!
Labor unions have kept America strong and responsible for its worth and value. But then again, people with money believe they do the talking anyway, right?
If President Bush or any other future president, U.S. congressman or senator really wants to help the labor movement, they really ought to raise the minimum wage from the current sad state of $5.15 an hour to a more liveable wage. Surviving on minimum wage an be lethal, if not also deadly.
And oh yes, I am sure that company bosses & owners are worried that higher wages means that they can’t afford anything, including health insurance. Well, that might be true, but I think it’s a line of lunacy unfurled by greediness when you think about the hundreds, thousands and in some cases, millions & billions of profits they’ve reaped from paying their workers so low a wage.
Some companies and their collective personnel won’t even give raises to their employees even after years of good service, claiming that it will break their bank, meanwhile spending money on themselves and their expensive cars, homes and golf clubs or spending it on frivolous items like lounge chairs or dictionaries to give to their employees near the end of each holiday season.
Happy Labor Day, dear readers!!!
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