Ahh, Labor Day... a day set aside to honor all the hard work we put into our jobs. A day where the bosses have to pay us NOT to work. And it's a Monday so we get a long weekend. Isn't it just wonderful!?!
But why do we even have a day set aside in the calendar just to honor workers?
That one is easy peasy to figure out if you know anything about workers' unions. Back in the Gilded Age, the late 1800's, business and industry were booming in the United States. There were factories springing up all over the place and plenty of workers lining up to work. But it was all about the owner- how much money did the factory make, how could the owner cut costs or safety to increase profits? The poor workers often got screwed in this.
Suddenly, workers began to realize that there were safety in numbers. There were a whole lot more workers than there were owners. Workers began to bind together in unions. That way, workers could push for better working conditions. If their demands weren't met, union workers would go on strike. Strike= no workers= no profits.
It was a rocky road for early unions, more downs than ups. But there were plenty of strikes that made owners and the government stand up and realize that workers were important. Keep workers happy= more profits.
After the 1894 Pullman Strike, President Grover Cleveland pushed Congress to quickly formally adopt Labor Day as a Federal holiday honoring the hard work of America's working class. Labor Day was actually signed into law with only 6 days of discussion (pretty fast for Congress!).
Now, Labor Day seems to be synonymous with the end of Summer. No more wearing white until Easter, the weather is beginning to cool (thank goodness!) and the foliage is on the verge of showing its beautiful Fall color scheme. And even more important, Labor Day weekend marks the beginning of the college football season.
So enjoy your sleeping late, your picnic, your Two and a Half Men marathon on FX, whatever floats your boat today and get ready to get back into the swing of things tomorrow.
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