Labor Day
Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.
Labor Day
Labor Day…..always the first Monday in September, a National Holiday, for most people that means no work for three days. For others who have to work it typically means getting paid time in a half. For some, not all, it means to return to school. The biggest thing it represents is the end of summer.
But what is Labor Day all about?
Labor Day how it came about
I really had no clue how it came about. In order for me to find about how Labor Day came about. I went to the website of the United States Department of Labor.
Check it out here. http://www.dol.gov/opa/aboutdol/laborday.htm.
It was created in honor of the labor movement and dedicated to the social and economic achievements of the American worker. It was a reward in a roundabout way to the strength, prosperity and well-being of our country that the worker produced.
There are some questions of who really founded Labor Day. Some have said that Peter J McGuire who was the general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners, and cofounder of American Federation of Labor was the one who made the suggestion of a day to honor the work force.
There are others that say Matthew Maguire, a machinist founded the holiday. The latest research now believes that Matthew is the rightful founder and proposed the holiday in 1882.
Labor Day the First Holiday
Labor Day the first holiday was first celebrated on Tuesday September 5, 1882 in New York City. It was in 1884 that the first Monday in September was selected as the holiday. Then it wasn’t until 1894 that Congress actually passed the act making the first Monday in September of each year the national holiday in the District of Columbia and the remaining territories.
Labor Day means street parades and festivities for the workers and their families. Speeches came later, and by a resolution of the American Federation of Labor convention of 1909, the Sunday proceeding Labor Day was adopted as Labor Sunday and dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.
Here is a funny take on Labor Day with Al Bundy of Married with Children.
So now you know about and where Labor Day came from. Interesting that it was founded in the 1800’s when there were more factories around at that time. In today’s world those factories have diminished to almost nothing. Most of our work force is no longer owned by the American people, but by foreigners that have chosen to that those factories overseas for their cost savings.
Labor Day for me use to be a three day weekend, until three years ago. When I lost my full time job I was unable to work a full time job because I had to go on kidney dialysis three days a week. So I took a part time job in retail. Of course that means all non major holidays I will have to work, like Labor Day, of if I have the holiday off I always have to work the weekends.
Because I like the time off and spending time with my family I had an opportunity to start my own business. Check it out here. I am working toward the American dream. With that dream I will be able to not only help my family but my church.
Blessings,
Carla
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