Labor Day was suggested and created by a union of machinists.  According to the Department of Labor (DOL) website, there is a dispute if the founder was the McGuire who was a carpenter or who was a machinist. Research supports that the founder was most likely Matthew McGuire, machinist and member of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, N.J.

The site also says that in the late 1800s, Colorado was among the second group of states to adopt the holiday in celebration of workers who labored for the good life. By the turn of the Twentieth Century, Labor Day was a national holiday.

Today we might think of Labor Day celebrating the moms and dads who work at Mcdonald’s, Wendy’s, Sonic or Burger King. We might think of those cashiers at Safeway or City Market, too. Those who work for long-term care organizations should be remembered, as well.  The whole of hospitality workers including maids, wait staff, cooks, desk concierges, and bus drivers should all be thanked for their services.  Visual and performing artists are laborers, too. The reporters and managing editors of news agencies should be remembered too as they bring us news from the courts, schools, hospitals, and all stories with verification.

But don’t forget, years ago, a century ago, even 40 years ago, these workers had more of the American dream because they could afford to feed their families and house their families on a single paycheck; remember that the dime bought plenty of food for the table and overall, the paycheck could cover more than it does today. In the Valley, we all know people who have to work more than one job. We know families where the moms and pops both work to provide an average home with meals. 

Our seniors have long worked in retail, education, medical and transportation or served in all aspects of our military; but they too are troubled by the short life of their paychecks and Social Security that they labored for all their working life.  Some seniors may be able to buy food for their dog, but not be able to put nutrition into their own mouths.  Counselors even recommend that it would be better if doctors could actually prescribe food and food be delivered to patients. 

The DOL website concludes: “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 pays tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation’s strength, freedom, and leadership — the American worker.”

So, as a community, a city, a state, a nation we should honor those who labor with salaries that allow workers to own their American dream and live with a roof over their heads, food for their bellies and gasoline for their vehicles. (The dream shouldn’t be exclusively for the top 1% of the country; it should be for all of us.)   After all, we are the UNITED States of America.