Why do we celebrate Labor Day?

Why do we celebrate Labor Day? The true meaning and significance of Labor Day, much like many other holidays, has been largely forgotten by many Americans. I do not pretend to be very knowledgeable about our Labor history or the origins of Labor Day, but I did look it up on the Internet and learn about it this morning. What I found is that Labor Day is more than just a day off or a long weekend. It is a day that is intended for us to honor and recognize the contributions of all working people, both those with jobs and those who are struggling to find them in this current climate where our unemployment rate hovers in the double digits across the country. At a time when so many people are unemployed, Labor Day also reminds me that having a job is a valuable thing.

Observed on the first Monday in September, Labor Day was created by the labor movement during the height of the Industrial Revolution in the late 19th century and became a federal holiday in 1894. Back then, the average American laborer worked 12-hour days and seven-day workweeks in order to survive. Does that mean that Labor Day is a relic, and no longer a meaningful holiday? Labor or being a worker in today’s job market has not become easier, it is just different because the majority of our workers are no longer unionized, blue-collar, or manual laborers. This does not mean that they do not work hard, in fact, these days many workers are working longer hours than ever to adapt to the global economy and ever-changing communications technology. Knowledge workers are perpetually tethered to their Smartphone’s and are always virtually at work.

In this decade, we saw taxpayers bailing out Wall Street while some greedy individuals continued to receive million dollar bonuses for their failures; all the while working families struggled to live paycheck to paycheck. We also saw our U.S. tax policy reward companies for shifting millions of jobs overseas in order to take advantage of workers that labored for mere pennies a day. Countless American workers saw wage cuts, loss of basic health care benefits or lost their jobs altogether while numerous corporations posted record profits. These are clear and compelling examples of corporate greed and reasons why we need to take another look at the true meaning of Labor Day. The examples should also make it clear to everyone that we need to celebrate the social and economic achievements of the American worker while also continuing to fight to help restore our country to the “land of opportunity” our parents and grandparents created for us. I have confidence that the working middle class will survive and will continue to provide the foundation for this country’s greatness. In memory of the true heroes who fought for the rights we all enjoy today, it is our duty to stand up now and to honor all of those who will follow us. That, I believe, is the true meaning of Labor Day.