So long summer of 2018.
You sizzled us, you soaked
us, you satiated us. And like every other summer season, your sprint to Monday
– Labor Day – seemed a blur.
For many, Labor Day is
all about capturing that last blast at the beach, backyard barbecues,
school retail bonanzas and the grudging realization that sun-soaked play
days are no more.
But the day has a
deeper meaning and marks a pivotal moment in U.S. labor history — and
it had a pretty violent start.
In the late 1800s, the state
of labor was grim as U.S. workers toiled under bleak conditions: 12 or more
hour workdays; hazardous work environments; meager pay. Children, some as young
as 5, were often fixtures at plants and factories.
The dismal livelihoods
fueled the formation of the country’s first labor unions, which began to
organize strikes and protests and pushed employers for better hours and pay.
Many of the rallies turned violent.
Congress, at the urging of
Cleveland in an overture to the labor movement, passed an act on June 28,
1894, making the first Monday in September “Labor Day.” It was now a legal
holiday.
In the coming decades, the
day took root in American culture as the "unofficial end of
summer" and is marked by parades, picnics and family/friend time.
Post offices, banks, courts, federal and state offices are closed.
Some herald the new
beginnings that dot the post-Labor Day months – football in full
swing, election season in high gear, the first frost, fall's colors.
Have a blessed and safe holiday!
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