A day to celebrate

Monday, Sept. 5, is the annual observance of Labor Day in the United States. The nation has several national holidays. We honor civil rights leaders, former presidents, fallen soldiers, founding fathers, and veterans. We even set aside a day to give thanks for all we have been blessed with.

But Labor Day is unique in that it celebrates the men and women who work every day to provide the goods and services that this country relies on.

Labor Day was born of the labor movement in the late 1800s. In its early days, the holiday was “marked in many cities with a street parade to exhibit to the public ‘the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations’ of the community, followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of the workers and their families.”

As the nation’s economy moved toward industrialization in the late 1800s, the labor movement worked hard to protect the workers from the many abuses that some companies engaged in, in order to maximize profits. Without the unions, there would be no 40- hour work week, no paid vacations, no mandated lunch and rest breaks and no insurance or retirement funds. There would also be no laws against child labor and no regulations protecting workers from unsafe conditions.

There are many who claim that labor unions have outlived their usefulness. It can be argued that some union leaders have too much power over the rank and file. However it cannot be denied that without these unions, the lives of millions of Americans - whether or not they are union members - would be drastically different.

The men and women who work in union jobs are those who build our highways and buildings, teach our children, provide care for the ill in hospitals and over the years have helped to make our nation strong. While Labor Day may not be marked with the parades and speeches of past years, it is still a day to be celebrated.

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