August 31, 2006
Labor Day: It's a Celebration of America
By Stan Dyer
Every year, Labor Day comes and goes taking our memories of summer with it. We enjoy the warmer weather, we enjoy the time off, and we enjoy the holiday as the official end of summer. Few of us, however, ever seriously consider the labor aspect of the holiday and what that means. More than just the holiday marking the end of summer, Labor Day is a celebration of the people who really built this country. It's about the workers who work day after day with little recognition and for small remuneration to keep this country running and strong. It's about you, it's about me, and it's about the history of this great nation. Labor Day is a celebration of America.
Think about it. Where would any of us be without the many workers who make our products, package them, load them to be shipped, drive them to the market, and work in the stores that distribute them to the consumers? Wherever there is wealth, success and independence, there are workers to credit. No one does it alone, and no one can do it without the support of workers. From this country's beginnings and on into the future, our mutual success depends on an abundant supply of loyal workers.
When the Nation's freedom needs protecting, it's neither the politicians nor the generals who pick up the guns and drive the tanks. It's the workers. Politicians and generals use money from workers' taxes to buy worker made products to outfit and send workers and the children of workers to the battlefields. It's as true now as it was in 1776.
When scientists decide another planet really isn't a planet, workers are there again. Workers' taxes fund the scientists' educations, fund the scientists' projects, and buy the telescopes the scientists use to gaze at the stars and planets. Workers also provide the goods and services that allow the scientists to concentrate their efforts on their studies and their projects instead of their basic needs.
When Thomas Jefferson was busy writing the Declaration of Independence, he could do so because there were workers tending his fields and giving him the free time he needed. When George Washington was at Mount Vernon with his feet by the fire, his soldiers, his workers, tried to survive the brutal winters at Morristown and Valley Forge. Washington, too, had his workers in the field freeing up his time. The workers never got the credit, but their contributions were just as valuable to the fledgling nation.
Workers dug the Erie Canal, workers piloted the steamboats, and workers engineered the trains. They kept the economy of the young country moving. Later, workers built the skyscrapers, workers built the bridges, and workers built the rest of the economy. The strength of workers made this country strong. To preserve this "Great Experiment", hundreds of thousands of workers sacrificed their lives in every war beginning with the Revolutionary War, through the Civil War, through World Wars I and II, through Korea, through Viet Nam, and still today with the Conflict in Iraq. Workers made the country strong and proved they would make the ultimate sacrifice to keep it strong. That deserves some recognition.
Labor Day began in 1882 as a celebration of the worker hosted by the Knights of Labor. Five years later, five states, including Colorado, voted to make Labor Day a state holiday. Finally, in 1894, Congress voted to make Labor Day a national holiday celebrated each September. It's fine that the holiday is associated with the end of summer, but it's important not to forget the focus of the event and the importance of workers to this country. American history teaches that workers built this country, workers made this country strong, and workers keep this country strong. This Labor Day, and every other day, celebrate labor and celebrate the worker. After all, it's a celebration of America.