Labor Day
Workers of the world
unite! Those immortal words were written
by Karl Marx in his opus, Das Capital, and although the socialist dream
of creating a society revolving around the working class is quickly fading into
being a historical relic, at least there’s a national holiday designed to
celebrate the worker. Labor Day is an
excellent holiday for the working class, as they not only get a day off to
relax and not think about work, but they also are able to enjoy some time with
their families.
A national holiday that is
different from the other major holidays in this country, the spirit of Labor
Day is best reflected in this quote by the founder and longtime president of
the American Federation of Labor, Samule Gompers:
”Labor Day differs in every
essential way from the other holidays of the year in any country. All other holidays are in a more or less
degree connected with conflicts 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, or nation.”
There is some controversy
about who was responsible for the creation of Labor Day. Many point to the general secretary of the
Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and the cofounder of the American
Federation of Labor, Peter J. McGuire.
He had been quoted as suggesting a day to honor those ”who from rude
nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold.” However, other records show that the
machinist, Matthew Maguire is responsible for the holiday. Regardless of who is responsible for the creation
of Labor Day, this holiday has had a long and rich history that stretches back
to the late nineteenth century.
The first Labor Day took
place in New York City on September 5, 1882.
Informal Labor Day celebrations would take place for many years until
Congress passed an act in 1894 making the first Monday in September a national
holiday. Over the years, the nature of
Labor Day celebrations has taken numerous forms. In the early twentieth century, Labor Day was a bittersweet
event. Despite having a day to
celebrate their role in the American economy, the American worker was battling
for the 40-hour work week and much needed safety provisions. Living in a time where capitalists were
given unfettered powers to treat their workers in anyway that they want, Labor
Day was a day to demand much needed changes.
However, as labor unions
grew stronger in the mid-twentieth century, Labor Day celebrations took on a
more celebratory tone. After achieving
changes in the workplaces, the American worker saw things were great although
they could have been a lot better.
Recently, Labor Day has taken on a more confused tone. Currently the American worker faces an
economic climate where labor unions have become weak due to the fact that
American companies are more than willing to move their operations overseas for
cheaper costs. At a time when the
American worker is seeing many of the changes that they had worked so hard to
obtain get taken away, Labor Day seems almost bittersweet. With anti-union corporations like Wal-Mart
becoming an increasingly large employer and politicians that don’t try to hide
their disdain for the needs of the American worker, Labor Day is now a time to
reflect on where American society is heading.
Although Labor Day is designed to be a day to celebrate the American
worker, there is now a need to recognize that the other days of the year seem
to be a day to kick the American worker in the face.
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