QOD

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1. Not Brian says:

   August 29, 2008 at 8:04 am

   It is supposed to be a remembrance of the American worker’s fight (through strikes, demonstrations and riots) against child labor, excessive workdays, dangerous working conditions, and abuse against workers. It was an Anarchist and Socialist holiday, it was a nod from the government to the concerns of workers at a time of great tension. It was about the proletariat pushing back against the powers that be to create the conditions that would spawn the middle class.

   Now it means you stop wearing white and it’s time to get your stuff out of the summer rental.

   I guess the meaning for me is how little our holidays actually commemorate anything.

2. donviti says:

   August 29, 2008 at 8:19 am

   it means I can get drunk on Sunday and not worry about the hangover e(a)ffecting me on Monday at work.

3. Joanne Christian says:

   August 29, 2008 at 8:48 am

   Not Brian–I am SO GLAD you said it!!! I remember going to the Labor Day parade in Wilmington, with all the workers and the big picnic afterwards….do they still have the parade w/ the union members marching within their specialties? I still remember “coveting” the pins the electricians threw out of that little “lightning bolt guy”….it was a day we all knew what it meant. But this blog crapped on Memorial Day around here…and I think it’s because they didn’t know the true purpose..and let folklore take over…so thank you Not Brian for starting it right off to the purpose. However, I disagree w/ the celebration (through strikes, demonstrations, and riots). I gave a “workshop” about 5 years ago on the significance of this holiday..and my summation was through research was more of a “picnic” time-off day (New York City-the epicenter at the time)for the workers and not an atagonistic event–all though the employers may have been mad.

4. Joanne Christian says:

   August 29, 2008 at 9:04 am

   Hef–Or another words…only 4 days that week being (a)effected by a hangover at work and not 5?
   I thought you might cut back w/ a new job…and probationary period and everything…..I can’t keep writing you job recommendations/references…some personal responsibility man!!!!!

5. anon3 says:

   August 29, 2008 at 9:05 am

   My father was a union organizer in the 40’s, 50’s, 60’s,! Labor Day meant that union workers who fought, got beat up, lost jobs in attemps to organize unions to “collectively” bargain for their rights, was meant to “celebrate their hard won gains”.

   In the last few decades they have been taken over by political parties, the rank and file have no real voices, and labor day has become a parade for politicans to showcase themselves.

6. mike w. says:

   August 29, 2008 at 9:14 am

   “and labor day has become a parade for politicans to showcase themselves.”

   Don’t they pretty much do that everyday?

7. JohnnyX says:

   August 29, 2008 at 9:18 am

   I’ll be honest, for the majority of my life Labor Day meant to me “oh shit, the summer really is over and I really do have to go back to school now…ugh…”

   Of course I appreciate the real reason for the holiday a bit more now.

   Regarding the Phils – it seems they are just bound and determined to fuck this thing up. Part of me will be incredibly pissed if they fail to win their division because they had a much better chance at it this year especially considering how poorly everyone else in the NL east has played at times. Then again, another part of me knows that should they make the playoffs they don’t have a chance in hell of winning the World Series anyway (and it appears barely any chance of even winning their first series if it’s against the Cubs). So in a way it’s kind of like – what’s the point of getting to the playoffs, I know they’re just gonna get their asses kicked.

   I probably sound too pessimistic, but I haven’t had much from the Phillies in my lifetime to make me feel otherwise. After all, they made it to the World Series when I was 2 years old (83) and then 12 years old (93) – losing both times. And of course after ’93 the next time they even made it into the freaking playoffs was…last year…ugh…

8. Not Brian says:

   August 29, 2008 at 6:46 pm

   Joanne –

   I’ll admit I am quick to take a cynical view of things, but here is the history of the holiday as I understand it:

   There was a union of tailors and other such tradespeople and shopkeepers. They were based in New York, were a relatively small but influential organization, The Knights of Labor ( http://www.knightsoflabor.org/ ) . They had the first parade on the first Sunday of September in 1882 as a day off for laborers to get together. They then decided to do it annually. The Knights of Labor were very conservative as unions went back then – largely as they were tradesmen and did not really represent the workers who were most disadvantaged.

   The moderate approach did little to improve conditions for the average worker. Later that decade strife between the more radical unions, the government, and businesses intensified.

   In 1884 there was a general strike was scheduled for May 1st 1886 by an international group of unions who demanded that the 8 hour workday become a law. The idea was for all of these unions to strike until the governments of the world backed down.

   The strike took place and there were clashes between violent anarchists and police (the Chicago Haymarket incident) and in some cases violence against peaceful demonstrations.

   Eventually the 8 hour work day became law as a result of the strike. The unions were pushing for a day to commemorate workers – May Day – to commemorate the strike and commemorate the dead. Because of fear that it would be used to commemorate the violence and lend more legitimacy to the international socialist organizations that organized the strike, the US decided to use the day set by the Knights of Labor as they were neither threatening or socialist.

   Labor Day in nearly every nation worldwide is celebrated on May 1st, largely to commemorate the success of the strike and the violence associated with it in the United States.

   We have the socialists to thank for the labor law reforms that would later spawn the middle class in the United States…

9. Joanne Christian says:

   August 30, 2008 at 1:51 pm

   Not Brian–THANK YOU for going to all that extra trouble in delineating the European/US efforts…especially the whole May Day piece…which in fact underscores why it was more “merriment” here…to separate us from the conditions that were still existent across the pond; it would not be such a “heavy” holiday, it was a day to rest, relax, enjoy…as only in America. The violence associated prior is a HUGE piece, but the conditions, length of day, and child labor piece were monumental..and much more progressive in resolution than what was happening elsewhere….Management was not looking to bite off the world’s troubles, and join in the world’s march–yet loved those immigrant workers!!! Give ’em a day at the end of the summer to all go to Coney Island…..!!! A worker also could/would have been less productive on a hot, humid September day in an overcrowded factory or mill, than a beautiful temperate May day. Thank you for YOUR deep resource…and appreciation for the holiday…of which I am OFF this year.