It is Labor Day here in the US. Labour Day in Canada. It is a day in which we should honor all workers. Already celebrated celebrated by many of the states, Labor Day became a federal holiday in 1894. In the past, Labor Day was marked by parades and speeches, much like Independence Day. Now the celebration of the holiday is more muted. Perhaps we have forgotten just how workers were treated in the past with child labor, long hours and unsafe working conditions.
Today, Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer almost as much as it marks a celebration of workers. In the past almost all businesses were closed so their workers could celebrate the day. Now many of them stay open on Labor Day hawking big sales and savings. Labor Day heralds the official beginning of fall sports with the first seasonal NFL and many college football games beginning in earnest after Labor Day.
When I was a child, Labor Day meant putting away white shoes, hats and jackets until Easter. And you wouldn't be caught wearing seersucker again until Spring, no matter how hot the September weather. (Remember seersucker? Well, look around next summer. It's making a big comeback. In fact, the Australian Olympic team wore seersucker jackets in the 2016 Rio Olympics.)
This Labor Day, stop for a moment and honor the past workers who led to the changes in the workplace that all of us enjoy.
Then go out and enjoy the picnic or outing.
I hope you have good weather in which to celebrate.
9 comments:
I remember seersucker......a comeback. My Mother would have said everything goes full circle :)
Labour day is a good thing to celebrate.
Did you have your hot dog ?
So do I remember seersucker ... and I agree everything does go full circle!
All the best Jan
I remember seersucker! It'll be interesting to see that make a comeback. I remember when stores and businesses were closed on Labor Day, but certainly not anymore. We had to go to our local food co-op today to pick up a few things. The cashier said to us, "You know what I'm doing on Labor Day, I'm laboring."
Sadly anymore is is almost a non-holiday. Only govt offices and banks close, businesses have sales. Thank goodness we no longer have the dreadful working conditions.
It's a pity that many have forgotten the gains made by the labor movement.
As for post Labor Day fashion -- I remember going to the Homecoming game in Florida in a beautiful wool dress with jacket and sweltering fashionably in the Thanksgiving day heat.
I am a huge and unabashed fan of Seersucker. I hope it comes raging back and never, ever leaves us again.
As a proud Union daughter and Member, Labor Day is always a Day Of Rest and gratitude for me. I grew up just blocks away from US Steel, where my dad worked his whole life, and where he went on strike at least twice in my memory. The latter memories were not good ones, that's for certain, for lean times in a big family were hard. And he was, of course, the breadwinner.
My union(s) are the professional teachers' unions. Even retired, I still identify as an educator, and I'm heartbroken whenever I see any of my colleagues working without a contract and having to serve a strike notice. It's a terrible environment for Labor right now.
It's true that almost everyone, including me, tends to forget the real reason for Labor Day. Thanks for the reminder. I always feel vaguely sad on Labor Day, wishing that summer could go on forever.
We actually were grateful for some hard rain over the weekend. We all felt scared about illegal campfires but the rain helped dampen our worries.
My high school was so crowded we went to half day shifts. I got a job as a carry out boy in a local supermarket (1959) and joined the retail clerks union. Then on to other jobs and union membership including the Minnesota Education Association (teacher union). My heart is still with unionism today and sad at the unconscionable disparity between workers and the one percent....:(
Thanks for your comments, everyone!
Cheryl - My mom said the same thing. And yes, thank you. I did have my hot dog and it was delicious.
Jan - My son recently bought a blue seersucker suit. He loves it in the hot weather.
Robin - Businesses seem so competitive some are rarely closed at all.
Patti - Amen to that.
Vicki - No matter what you're wearing, any game tonight will be sweltering here in NC. Remember when we used to dress up for college games?
Nance - Unions did so much good for so many workers. It's a shame so many of them are now unrealistic in their demands. Our county lost its biggest employer several years ago because of excessive union demands. I wish today's unions would remember the workers and make better decisions.
KB - I also lament the passing of summer. But not nearly as much as I did in WI.
Troutbirder - AMEN. There is no way any one person could be worth millions in annual salary.
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