By James B. Ewers Jr. Ed.D.
I have some fond remembrances of Labor Day when I was coming of age. The kids in my neighborhood were out playing all summer long. The days never seemed to end, and we were as happy as could be.
Celebrating Labor Day in Winston-Salem NC also meant the start of a new school year. That brought on mixed emotions. I would be happy to see my friends and teachers at school and unhappy to stop playing as much outside.
It was a day off work for adults. Some had outdoor activities while others simply relaxed. Life was good and everybody had joy and happiness.
As I grew older, I understood more about the significance of Labor Day. With research, I found out this was a meaningful day in the American workforce.
Records show that Labor Day was created as a federal holiday on June 28, 1894. The president during this period was Grover Cleveland. The first parade was held on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York.
A direct quote about Labor Day says, “The holiday is rooted in the late nineteenth century, when labor activists pushed for a federal holiday to recognize the many contributions workers have made to America’s strength, prosperity and well-being.”
The American economy in my opinion has always been the envy of other countries. It was built on vision, fair wages and a strong workforce. People wanted to work and employers wanted to hire them.
There has always been a high degree of pride within our workforce. It was important that men and women wanted to be with their respective companies.
We will celebrate Labor Day on Monday, September 7th. Celebrations will take place and speakers will extoll the history of our labor force.
Over time, America has had stalwart labor organizers whose causes resulted in more jobs and better working conditions. Our history books highlight the accomplishments of men like Samuel Gompers and women like Mary Harris Jones also known as Mother Jones.
According to published reports, Samuel Gompers was the first president of the American Federation of Labor and Mary Harris Jones was a strong advocate for coal miners and textile workers.
If you are traveling by train for a weekend getaway, you cannot forget A. Phillip Randolph. He led the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. An African American, Randolph led the organization to win a famous collective bargaining agreement.
African American women also played prominent roles in the labor movement. The National Association of Wage Earners founded by Nannie Helen Burroughs created an initiative in 1921 to assist African American domestic workers. Addie Wyatt was a part of the United Packinghouse Workers of America and the first Black woman to hold a major international union office.
As Labor Day comes, the question is how is our American economy? It gets an average grade according to some pundits. This is based upon average job growth and higher price points for consumer goods and services.
However, Rebecca Christie, senior fellow at the Brussels think tank Bruegel said, “Americans are very solutions-oriented and much more comfortable with taking a short-term risk in service of a long-term advantage.”
What will be the threats and opportunities for the labor force and the American economy in the coming months? I don’t know if there is a clear answer to that question.
Celebrating and honoring Labor Day is an important tradition in the United States of America. Despite some changes in our economy, our American workers deserve congratulations for a job well done. If you have friends or family members in our workforce, give them a surprise gift or take them out to dinner.
