Happy Labor Day

Labor Day was created in the late 1800s to honor the contribution the American worker made to the strength and prosperity of this country.  Its intention was to gain favorable attention for the Labor Movement’s goals of fair wages and safe working conditions. 

Although there are examples of colonial workers striking as early as 1636, it wasn’t until 1842, 206 years later, that Chief Justice Lemuel Shaw ruled labor unions were legal (Commonwealth v. Hunt). For a nation built on the premise of democracy, labor collectives were suspiciously unwelcome in the burgeoning capitalist territory.  Prior to Hunt, combinations of workingmen to raise wages or shorten hours were considered conspiracy and therefore illegal, overwhelmingly resulting in convictions.

In 1886, the American Federation of Labor (AFL) was formed as a conglomeration of trade unions, limiting its membership to wage earners.  It’s interesting to note that African Americans and women were excluded from the AFL.

From its inception, Labor Day featured parades, festivals, and beer, so it’s pretty clear as to how it evolved into the current iteration of, well, parties with beer.  Parades are expensive and take a lot of time away from celebrating and beer drinking, thus they were logically subtracted from the festivities.

It’s also become the recognized end of summer, in conjunction with cooler weather, shorter days, and kids going back to school.

Finally, since Labor Day falls on the first Monday of September, it was identified by retailers as a convenient opportunity to boost traditionally slow summer sales. With boldly signed end-of-season clearance merchandise and heavily advertising discounts, consumers are enticed to flock to the mall and enjoy their last weekend of summer by contributing generously to the economy. 

So obviously, not everyone has the luxury of a long weekend.  At malls, grocery stores, restaurants, hospitals, police and fire departments, just to name a few, millions of people will be working hard to earn a living on Labor Day.  When you encounter them, be extra nice; they deserve it.

As for me, there’s absolutely no way my job could be considered “labor.”  Still, I’m incredibly lucky to be working for a company that’s giving me a long weekend.  I’ll hang out with my family, grill some hot dogs, maybe even go shopping, and definitely be grateful for an extra day to call my own.

Have a great Labor Day!