Labor Day, the first Monday in September, was initially set aside to honor unions and their workers.
"All other holidays are in a more or less degree connected with conflicts and battles of man's prowess over man, of strife and discard for greed and power, of glories achieved by one nation over another. Labor Day... Is devoted to no man, living or dead, to no sect, race, or nation." ~ Samuel Gompers President of the American Federation of Labor
The principles of organized labor — decent pay, affordable health benefits, a fair shake — seem more needed now than ever as employers execute massive layoffs, cut hours, reduce pay, freeze pensions, eliminate 401(k) matches and pass dramatically more of their staggering health care costs onto their workers.
Labor Day has become a BBQ or picnic type day of relaxation from the daily work routine. The holiday is now a symbolic reminder of the resourcefulness and energy of all American workers not just those in a union or professional organization. And that's a good thing. There is honor in work.
United States of America 3 cent Postage Stamp
Commemorating Labor Day ~ Issued 1956
Stamp design © 1956, United States Postal Service
Commemorating Labor Day ~ Issued 1956
Stamp design © 1956, United States Postal Service
The stamp is a small portion of a much larger mosaic, "Labor is Life" (below) by the American artist Lumen Martin Winter. This mosaic was unveiled in 1956 by President Eisenhower at the the AFL/CIO Headquarters in Washington DC.
What a difference 50 years makes. This stamp portrays a 1950's view of the family, the status of women, the industrial base of American labor combined with the influence of depression-era socialist realist art.
But it is Labor Day, so I suggest you all get off the computer and start up the grill.
That's what I'm going to have my kids do.
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Comments: 18
I said, "What are you doing here on a holiday?"
She said, "I have to work every holiday...the employees get the day off."
I said, "Well, at least you are not in labor!"
She laughed...but I don't think she thought it was funny.
The federal government should be ashamed of the policies of the USPS. They penalize private companies and force all sorts of regulations and taxes on them, but they are not obeying their own laws.
Every instance of privatization of such services has resulted in chaos, mismanagement and degraded service.
I believe the USPS was turning a profit until three years ago. Some of the problems are people paying bills online, sending emails rather than first class mail and the economic slump that has reduced advertising and catalog mailing and package delivery.
I believe in government oversight and enforcing standards, but I do not want the federal government administering my health care.
Are you nuts? The USPS is not a privatized entity. You are wrong on your attitude about nationalizing all the things you said. First off we are a free nation. The most important aspect of being American is the freedom of the individual. It is this very freedom that led to the explosion of innovation and prosperity that no other country has ever match in such a short span of time.
Power generation was a private enterprise, telecommunications was a private enterprise...
We are Americans, we are capitalists, we prosper and live off the fruit of our own labor. Profits is not a dirty word.
I am ever amazed at those who pontificate their disgust for companies making a profit. The same companies I invest in, in hopes of sharing in that profit, the same companies that provide millions of jobs and benefits. The same companies that compete with each other and succeed or fail on their merits. It is a loser mentality to bemoan the success of a company and decide they "have made too much", it is not anyone's call unless something illegal is going on.
God Bless America and American Capitalism
Remember many of those working those long toiling hours six-seven days a week , 10-12 hours a day are the owners of small businesses across this nation.