Labor Day

hello, friends,

so, this morning when i woke up and started thinking about what i was going to teach today (we had classes all day), i was reminded of a few things that my old neighbor in chicago used to say about labor day. i say "old neighbor" because, well, it was studs terkel and he is, indeed old. he also used to live in my neighborhood when i lived in chicago.

at any rate, studs, who always wore red white and blue, talked a great deal about the significance of labor day. he provided me (and anyone else waiting for either the bus or the el) with some information about the holiday that i seemed to have forgotten from my childhood schooling. here's a little bit of info you should know:

Labor Day: How it Came About; What it Means

"Labor Day differs in every essential way from the other holidays of
the year in any country," said Samuel Gompers, founder and longtime president of
the American Federation of Labor. "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, race, or nation."
Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor
movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American
workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers
have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

More than 100 years after the first Labor Day observance, there is
still some doubt as to who first proposed the holiday for workers.

Some records show that Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the
Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a cofounder of the American Federation
of Labor, was first in suggesting a day to honor those "who from rude nature
have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold."

But Peter McGuire's place in Labor Day history has not gone unchallenged. Many believe that Matthew Maguire, a machinist, not Peter McGuire, founded the holiday. Recent research seems to support the contention that Matthew Maguire, later the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, N.J., proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor
Union in New York. What is clear is that the Central Labor Union adopted a Labor
Day proposal and appointed a committee to plan a demonstration and picnic.

The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5,
1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union.
The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on
September 5, 1883.

In 1884 the first Monday in September was selected as the holiday, as
originally proposed, and the Central Labor Union urged similar organizations in
other cities to follow the example of New York and celebrate a "workingmen's
holiday" on that date. The idea spread with the growth of labor organizations,
and in 1885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers of the country.

Through the years the nation gave increasing emphasis to Labor Day. The
first governmental recognition came through municipal ordinances passed during
1885 and 1886. From them developed the movement to secure state legislation. The
first state bill was introduced into the New York legislature, but the first to
become law was passed by Oregon on February 21, 1887. During the year four more
states — Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York — created the Labor
Day holiday by legislative enactment. By the end of the decade Connecticut,
Nebraska, and Pennsylvania had followed suit. By 1894, 23 other states had
adopted the holiday in honor of workers, and on June 28 of that year, Congress
passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday
in the District of Columbia and the territories.

The form that the observance and celebration of Labor Day should take were outlined in the first proposal of the holiday — a street parade to exhibit to the public "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations" of the community, followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of the workers and their families. This became the pattern for the celebrations of Labor Day. Speeches by prominent men and women were introduced later, as more emphasis was placed upon the economic and civic significance of the holiday. Still later, by a resolution of the American Federation of Labor convention of 1909, the Sunday preceding Labor Day was adopted as Labor Sunday and dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.

The character of the Labor Day celebration has undergone a change in
recent years, especially in large industrial centers where mass displays and
huge parades have proved a problem. This change, however, is more a shift in
emphasis and medium of expression. Labor Day addresses by leading union
officials, industrialists, educators, clerics and government officials are given
wide coverage in newspapers, radio, and television.

The vital force of labor added materially to the highest standard of
living and the greatest production the world has ever known and has brought us
closer to the realization of our traditional ideals of economic and political
democracy. It is appropriate, therefore, that the nation pay tribute on Labor
Day to the creator of so much of the nation's strength, freedom, and leadership
— the American worker.

never let it be said that this blog perpetuated ignorance.

on another note, as some of you may have been emailed, cordelia and i have been struck by the pain of the animals and their owners in the areas impacted by hurricane katrina. there are so many worthy organizations that deserve our help and financial support, but cordelia and i hope that you will join us in supporting the humane society of the united state. you can contribute to them by visiting their website at http://www.hsus.org/.

i am completely amazed that this site has now recorded over 1,000 readers! give yourselves a giant round of applause and get ready to buy me some gin and tonic -- we're cool.

finally, there have been many requests for photos. i have, in fact, gotten the pictures out of hoc (target) and will, hopefully this weekend, be able to post some of the great pictures from my trip to japan.

stay tuned.

our thoughts and prayers are with all of those folks down south -- remember, god was NOT punishing the sinful ways of new orleans. sometimes, nature just happens.

in the meantime,

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky