"Labor Day"

Monday is Labor Day, the unofficial end of summer, the last holiday before Thanksgiving. Meat will be burned on a mass scale all across America. Kegs of beer, cases of soda, drums of ice tea and lemonade will be poured down the throats of millions of Americans as they bid farewell to summer. Children will complain of the end of leisure and the beginning of school. Mothers will rejoice at the peace of a quiet home from 8:00 til 3:00!

What are we really celebrating on Labor Day? My Dad was a working man and very proud of the work he did. He said to me "Always give your best on any job; you should always be able to stand on your work", and he was right. No one can argue with results. Labor Day was conceived to honor the social and economic achievements of American workers. The words "American Made" had been the standard around the world for many years, until we shipped most of our manufacturing jobs to foreign lands (thanks NAFTA).

Labor was first recognized by the "Knights of Labor" in 1882, in New York, with a parade. It took place on the first Monday in September; the "Knights" made a resolution to hold all future parades on that same day every year, as the Socialist Party held a celebration on May 1st, to honor working class people and the "Knights" didn't want to be identified with socialists or communists. In 1887 on February 21st, Oregon passed a law to officially designate a Labor Day holiday; by 1894 the United States Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September a legal national holiday.

American labor is now facing a great challenge. What can they do in this stagnant economy to try to put America back to work? Organized labor has many lucrative contracts and because of our shaky economy, they are almost impossible to fulfill. We all know the stories of CEOs of giant corporations with huge salaries and retirement packages, and most people are enraged by the bloated compensation some of these people receive. I understand the attitude of resentment from the American working man, especially in these times. America has become successful through the efforts of both American labor and the vision of the American investor. Each of us is obligated to take on a share of the burden of healing our badly bruised economy; not only the CEOs, but also the labor unions. Congress must look long and hard at our trade deficit, and the wisdom of retaining the NAFTA agreement. American goods need to be made in America, by Americans, and our Congress must respond now!

We need joint responsibility from management, labor and government. Not government control; but government responsibility to aid America in the competition from foreign lands. We drove jobs away; now, we must try to recover them. We are on the precipice of great financial distress, unless we begin to put America first by both worker and owner; the next Labor Day may not be a very pleasant holiday!

(I'm taking a long week-end, so I'll talk to you on Tuesday, enjoy your holiday)