LABOR DAY
Labor Day is a glorious holiday because your child
will be going back to school the next day. It would have been called
Independence Day, but that name was already taken.—Bill
Dodds
Labor Day differs in every essential from other holidays of the year in any country. All other holidays are in a more or less degree connected with conflict and battles of man's prowess over man, of strife and discord 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
If all the cars in the United States were placed end to end, it would probably be Labor Day Weekend.—Douglas Larson
No festival of martial glory or warrior's renown is this; no pageant pomp of war-like conquest, no glory of fratricidal strife attend this day. It is dedicated to peace, civilization and the triumphs of industry. It is a demonstration of fraternity and the harbinger of a better age--a more chivalrous time, when labor shall be best honored and well rewarded..-- Peter J. McGuire, the reported "father" of Labor Day
Labor Day differs in every essential from other holidays of the year in any country. All other holidays are in a more or less degree connected with conflict and battles of man's prowess over man, of strife and discord 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
If all the cars in the United States were placed end to end, it would probably be Labor Day Weekend.—Douglas Larson
No festival of martial glory or warrior's renown is this; no pageant pomp of war-like conquest, no glory of fratricidal strife attend this day. It is dedicated to peace, civilization and the triumphs of industry. It is a demonstration of fraternity and the harbinger of a better age--a more chivalrous time, when labor shall be best honored and well rewarded..-- Peter J. McGuire, the reported "father" of Labor Day
...
No matter how old or young you are, the calendar sometimes seems like nothing more than a way of marking time’s hastiness. The year begins, you hit the snooze alarm a few times, and the next thing you know, it’s Labor Day.--New York Times editorial, September 6, 2009
Together, the labor movement and our faith partners are the most powerful forces for progress in the United States—not just for union members—for everyone. Industry by industry, sector by sector, in factories, mines and mills, we challenged the inhumane pace of production. We created safety standards. We transformed grim, dangerous work into good, sustainable union jobs. The pay, benefits and security of a good, union job are life-changing. And the best way to close wage gaps and fight discrimination at work is with a union card. That’s what we celebrate on Labor Day: The contributions of working people to American prosperity. And the innovations from the labor movement—like the 8-hour workday and the weekend and Labor Day itself—that raise the standards for everyone. Because this isn’t just about unions. It’s about fairness, it’s about the fundamental economic power of working people in the United States. It’s about the fundamental human right that all people are treated with dignity and respect in the workplace. It’s about progress like raising the federal minimum wage from the pathetic, current $7.25 to $15. If we did, it would be a raise for 40% of Black women. It’s about the entire community—work connects all of us—and good, union jobs means support for local schools, businesses and opportunities.— Elizabeth Shuler, AFL-CIO (2021)