On Monday the nation will celebrate Labor Day, recognizing the contributions of everyone who works for a living. This holiday, like the 40-hour work week or the internet, was such a brilliant idea that more than one group or individual have been given credit for it.
The U.S. Department of Labor says the holiday “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.” (See https://www.dol.gov/general/laborday/history.)
But the DOL adds, “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 credit Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a cofounder of the American Federation of Labor. Others give credit to Matthew Maguire, the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, N.J., and later secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York.
As for the 40-hour week, 8-hour work day and weekends, labor unions spent decades working toward that standard, but some give the credit to Henry Ford, and to capitalism and competition for the best workers in a free market.
Employers recognize the value of good employees, and that is something educators at Barton Community College try to impart to future job seekers.
Apparently, some folks don’t learn the lesson right away. A recent ad in the Great Bend Tribune warned certain people NOT to apply, specifying, “No drama.” Another ad said the company is looking for people who “know how to work” and “have enough self-pride to be punctual, goal oriented, quality conscious and gratified to know they earned their paycheck rather than (thinking) of it as a gift.”
To paraphrase Proverbs 31: “A laborer of noble character who can find? He or she is worth far more than rubies.”
Here’s to American labor, the value of the worker and the value of work itself. If you have the day off on Monday, enjoy it. If you are working Monday, this Labor Day is dedicated to you, too.