If you are off from work today, thank the Labor Movement. If you are getting paid to barbecue and have some laughs with friends and family, doing no labor, thank a union on
LABOR DAY!
The Labor Movement was not just a series of strikes, demonstrations and demands for better wages and working conditions, but a war in which thousands of workers lost their lives at the hands of wealthy industrial tyrants bent of keeping American workers underpaid, unsafe and expendable, like so many worn out tools.
Vanquished were sweat shops, child labor, company stores, hazardous working conditions and unfair labor practices.
The 8 hour work day, unemployment insurance, workers compensation for those injured at work, and time and a half overtime pay were all hard-won victories earned by suffering, bloodshed and solidarity, and delivered into law by the Democratic Party.
So kick back and enjoy this well-earned holiday, and take a moment to remember the Joe Hills of this world, and the countless anonymous American workers from every industry who struggled and endured in the Labor Wars, and those who carry on the good fight. Happy Labor Day one and all.
• Suggested Activities: Enjoying the fruits of our labors.