This is the year of the pandemic that literally halted employment for many and changed the meaning of leisure time. As much of the work force has been forced work remotely, or masked in shared office building, others have resorted to unemployment benefits, savings, or loans. And for those who have not received any of the aforementioned, homelessness. Yes, the bulk of this year has been more than a painful existence for many. However, many have found a way to reinvent themselves, taking an entrepreneurial path. And today on Labor Day, in spite of the warnings about Covid19 and it’s resurgence on this day, many have flocked to the beach to hold on to what is left of their summer!
I have celebrated labor day every year I can remember. It was always the Monday preceding the first day back to school. But why do we celebrate this holiday and what are its origins? In the early 1880s, a lot of new immigrants came to America, who were mostly unskilled and cheap labor, and were exploited as a result.
The average work day was 12 hours. Many worked six and seven days a week.
Child labor was regulated and children as young as 6 years old worked in the mills with unsafe conditions, many times causing maiming and sometimes even death.
The first Labor Day was September 1882. The founder was Matthew McGuire, who helped organize a march and demonstration, affirming laborers rights. Ten thousand people march on that first Tuesday in September.
This event triggered a national Labor day in 1894 as a result of a strike that took place by the Pullman workers in Chicago. This strike halted the operation of the American railway system. This forced the federal troops to come out and stop the strike. Many were killed from this violent strike.
The politicians during that time wanted the laborers on their side, and as a concession passed legislation, authorizing a labor day: The first Monday in September. Today it has become a patriotic holiday as opposed to a celebration of Labor Day. Because of the labor union we have paid holidays, an eight-hour day, paid vacations, and healthcare. But for most of us it has become the mark of the end of summer with barbecues, picnics, beach parties, turning it more into a holiday of consumption more than a celebration of labor laws.
“No work is insignificant. All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
On February 12, 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr. gave a speech in Memphis at the Sanitation strike headed by 700 Black sanitation workers as a result of poor pay and unsafe working conditions. Here’s a part of that speech:
So enjoy your Labor Day, but remember that this holiday came from the hardworking immigrants, minorities, children, who protested and lost their lives so that we would have certain rights as employees in America. Labor day is not just an opportunity to say goodbye to our summer, more than it is a chance to remember those who fought for our labor laws we have today!
