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| (Image from IMPACT Branding & Design) |
The Democracy Of God!
(Or, "The Glory Of God Is Work")
I don't mean to 'belabor' this point,
in the sad, sad case that you are
one of those 'shirkers,' but
The Glory Of God Is Work and
The Pride Of God Is For His Workers!
-Paul Whiting
(a.k.a., Small All White in the Forest)
"I am no barrier to its sun; the light and I are as one!"
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My Writing About The Right Of Any Employee To Join A Labor Union: I am totally in support of any employee's right to freely join a labor union (without any forced unionism, of course), because of the many valuable benefits that are offered to labor union members, not to mention the fact that labor unions have a long and proud history of winning many victories on behalf of all employees. –Paul Whiting (written May 6th, 2012 and revised September 5th, 2022)
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My Writing About Anti-Union: Anti-union is anti-worker! –Paul Whiting (written April 4th, 2015 and revised September 5th, 2022)
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My Writing About How I Am Pro-Union: I am pro-union and pro-worker! –Paul Whiting (written October 16th, 2021 and revised September 5th, 2022)
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My Writing About Pro-Union: Pro-union is pro-worker! –Paul Whiting (September 5th, 2022)
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My Poetic Notes:
The reason that I wrote this poem can be summed up with the following statement: "The Glory Of God Is Work and The Pride Of God Is For His Workers!"
And this poem was also published on my "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer" blog (please see the hyperlink below for the blog), since I feel that the message in this poem applies to the message that I am trying to convey through "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer."
This poem was written in Portland, Oregon.
-Paulee
https://paulwhitingwriting.blogspot.com
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September 5th, 2022 Update, Written On September 4th, 2022: Happy Labor Day, everyone!
In celebration of Labor Day, and out of respect for the work that is done each and every day by our U.S. Military Personnel, I made a one-time donation to the USO (United Service Organizations), because "the USO works to keep America’s military heroes connected to family, home and country as they make immense sacrifices to protect our nation."
And I made this donation for Labor Day in response to an email that I received from the USO today, September 4th, 2022, with the subject line, "If it wasn’t for the USO, I wouldn’t be here," which stated the following:
Paul, according to USO volunteer Gene Maynard, he might not be here if it weren’t for the USO. "My parents never would've met," he said. "That's really the full circle."
It was at a USO dance in Chicago nearly 80 years ago that Maxine, a shy girl visiting from Iowa, met Norm, a dashing combat engineer who had just enlisted in the U.S. Army. What followed was a whirlwind romance cut short by the difficult reality of World War II.
Two months after that dance, Norm arrived on Omaha Beach just six days after D-Day. Over the next year, Norm and his unit made their way through the country, attacking German-occupied strongholds and coming under frequent fire themselves. They faced several close calls, including one where Norm was shot in the head — but miraculously, he survived.
When the war in Europe ended in May 1945, Norm continued to serve in Paris. Then, his unit was notified that they were about to be deployed to Japan, where the war in the Pacific theater raged on. Norm worried that he'd never see Maxine again, but just before his unit was set to depart, Japan surrendered, and the war was over. The moment he arrived back home, Norm asked Maxine to marry him.
Today, their son Gene chooses to volunteer with the USO because he knows firsthand how much our support means to service members like his father and to loved ones back home like his mother.
Norm and Maxine wrote to each other almost every day during his deployment, leaving behind hundreds of love letters and several photos from their time apart. Gene knows how meaningful those moments of connection were for his parents, and he's proud to be a part of the USO's mission to keep today's service members connected to family, home and country through every step of their military journey.
You are an important part of this mission too, Paul. We'll be sharing inspiring stories like this one all month long to give military supporters a chance to deepen their connection with service members and military families — so stay tuned!
Thank you for being a part of this patriotic community,
The USO
The USO works to keep America’s military heroes connected to family, home and country as they make immense sacrifices to protect our nation. But our work is only possible because of the generous support of patriotic Americans like you. Will you make a gift today so the USO can continue supporting troops around the world as they risk their lives to keep us safe?
DONATE NOW***
***[I used to include hyperlinks contained within the email messages, or the text messages, to which I am referring in these "Activism Updates"; however, I could not figure out how to include the aforementioned hyperlinks, regarding some relevant action that I had taken—such as signing a petition, sending a letter or message to my representative(s) in Congress, signing a USO 'Thank You' card, and/or making a donation—without including my personal information.]
And I made this one-time donation on the USO.org website in order to support the USO's statement, "Our service members keep our nation safe. And we work hard to keep them connected to home — but we can’t do that without support from military supporters like you. Our troops are counting on you to be a part of this important work for our country."
In addition to that, I already make a recurring monthly donation to the USO in order to show my support for our U.S. Military Personnel! You see, I usually make one-time donations to the USO each month—as often as I can manage when they request a donation via email or text message. Therefore, I am planning to continue making one-time donations to the USO in the future, as often as I can manage to make donations, in addition to making the aforementioned recurring monthly donation.
By the way, did you know that the USO is a not-for-profit organization and not part of the Department of Defense (DoD)? The following description of the USO is from their 'About Us' webpage:
"The USO is not part of the federal government. A congressionally chartered, private organization, the USO relies on the generosity of individuals, organizations and corporations to support its activities, and is powered by a family of volunteers to accomplish our mission of connection."
So, that is why I 'volunteer financially' as a member of the "USO Home Team" through a recurring monthly donation, as well as through one-time donations to the USO each month!
–Paul Whiting (written September 4th, 2022, revised November 18th, 2022, revised November 24th, 2022, revised December 18th, 2022, revised December 29th, 2022, revised January 1st, 2023, revised April 16th, 2023 revised April 21st, 2023, revised April 27th, 2023, revised April 28th, 2023, revised May 17th, 2023, revised July 28th, 2023, revised September 27th, 2023, revised November 18th, 2023 and revised May 4th, 2024)
[I feel like I need to clarify why there are so many 'revised dates' on this 'update,' just like there are often times so many 'revised dates' on other 'updates' similar to this one! You see, I really try to keep my writing consistent as possible across all of my blogs. Therefore, as I am writing, I try to use the same phraseology wherever possible with regard to similar types of my writing so that, when I am editing my writing, I can change all of the similar writing at the same time and in the same way! Thus, a lot of the revisions indicated above, after my name (–Paul Whiting), and shown right after the original 'written date,' are often times due to these aforementioned consistent-writing revisions.]
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September 4th, 2023 Update, Written On August 30th, 2023: Happy Labor Day, everyone! In celebration of Labor Day, I made a one-time donation to the USO (United Service Organizations), because "America’s brave service members ... sacrifice so much for us, it’s our patriotic duty to do everything we can for them."
And I made this donation for Labor Day in response to text message that I received today, August 30th, 2023, from the USO (United Service Organizations), which stated the following:
𝐔𝐒𝐎 𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇 𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐑𝐓: Before you enjoy your long weekend, keep our troops in mind as they sacrifice so much for us.
Paul, thousands of service members are currently deployed around the world, missing celebrations, first days of school and so much more - all to keep us safe and free.
The USO is there to support them through thick and thin, but we can't do it without patriotic Americans like you. So we've set an end-of-month goal to deliver support to deployed troops, and a generous group of USO supporters is MATCHING all gifts up to $25,000 for a limited time only, so please: Rush a donation now before this opportunity expires to have it doubled to support our troops around the world >>***
***[I used to include hyperlinks contained within the email messages, or the text messages, to which I am referring in these "Activism Updates"; however, I could not figure out how to include the aforementioned hyperlinks, regarding some relevant action that I had taken—such as signing a petition, sending a letter or message to my representative(s) in Congress, signing a USO 'Thank You' card, and/or making a donation—without including my personal information.]
And I made this one-time donation on the USO.org website in order to support the USO's statement regarding this limited match opportunity:
"Incredible news: Until midnight on Aug. 31, [2023] all gifts up to $25,000 will be MATCHED to reach our end-of-month goal for America’s brave service members. As they sacrifice so much for us, it’s our patriotic duty to do everything we can for them, so please don’t waste this rare opportunity. Give now to DOUBLE the value of your gift for our troops!"
In addition to that, I already make a recurring monthly donation to the USO in order to show my support for our U.S. Military Personnel! You see, I usually make one-time donations to the USO each month—as often as I can manage when they request a donation via email or text message. Therefore, I am planning to continue making one-time donations to the USO in the future, as often as I can manage to make donations, in addition to making the aforementioned recurring monthly donation.
By the way, did you know that the USO is a not-for-profit organization and not part of the Department of Defense (DoD)? The following description of the USO is from their 'About Us' webpage:
"The USO is not part of the federal government. A congressionally chartered, private organization, the USO relies on the generosity of individuals, organizations and corporations to support its activities, and is powered by a family of volunteers to accomplish our mission of connection."
So, that is why I 'volunteer financially' as a member of the "USO Home Team" through a recurring monthly donation, as well as through one-time donations to the USO each month! –Paul Whiting (written August 30th, 2023, revised September 27th, 2023 and revised November 18th, 2023)
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September 4th, 2023 Update: I was doing my usual reading of Time Magazine articles from one of their daily emails that I received today, September 4th, 2023, when I noticed a Time.com article titled, "Want to Honor Labor Day? Check Your Paystub." (By the way, I am a subscriber to Time INSIDER Digital Magazine.) An introduction to the article can be found below:
"Want to Honor Labor Day? Check Your Paystub" from Time Magazine
By Elizabeth Tandy Shermer | September 2, 2023
There’s a better way to honor Labor Day this year than shopping, hitting the beach, or BBQing. Take a few minutes to look at your paystub.
Most Americans don’t anymore. Paystubs or payslips used to come with the physical checks that Americans would get every two weeks or once a month. Now, a lot of Americans get their pay directly deposited into their bank accounts. They have to go looking for information on how much they earned and what was deducted for taxes, 401(k) contributions, and other employee benefits.
There are a lot of good reasons to check your paystub. First and foremost, there’s a problem with a wage theft in this country. Americans also need to make sure that they are getting the employee benefits (like health insurance) that they signed up for. Equally important, however, is that the many deductions on a paystub are a powerful reminder of how hard and long Americans have fought for shorter hours, livable wages, and better working conditions, all of which made life on and off the job a whole lot better.
The Federal Income Contributions Act (FICA) deduction, for instance, captures the meaning of Labor Day better than any picnic. When Americans get their first paychecks, many probably asked, like Rachel Green on Friends, “What’s FICA? Why’s he getting all my money?”
Congress passed FICA in 1935 so that employees and employers could pay for the much more well-known 1935 Social Security Act. This landmark legislation included a lot more than federal pensions, or what most Americans mean now when they say the words “Social Security.” Labor Secretary Frances Perkins addressed Americans on Feb. 25, 1935 over the radio to explain that the most important part of the bill before Congress was insurance against unemployment. She called it “the greatest of all hazards.” At the time, unemployment was 20%. More than 10 million Americans could “plunge into destitution and dependency” while they searched for a job.
There would also be money for “old-age security” in President Franklin Delano Roosevelt Administration’s broad plan for economic security (which also included support for the blind, child welfare, and public health). But Roosevelt did not take credit for that legislation. Three years after passage, when that law had already helped millions, Roosevelt attributed its success to the American labor movement. “The underlying desire for personal and family security was nothing new,” he insisted in a radio address on August 15, 1938. ...
Please see the hyperlink below for the article:
https://time.com/6309751/labor-day-paystub-essay
And I decided to highlight this article from Time Magazine for you, my readers, to consider reading too! –Paul Whiting (written September 4th, 2023 and revised September 23rd, 2023)
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September 4th, 2023 Update—Continued: Labor Day is today, September 4th, 2023, since Labor Day is yearly (annually) on the first Monday in September.
And I received an email from National Today yesterday, September 3rd, 2023, with the subject line, "Cheese Pizza, Beer, and Plenty of Books. This Week on National Today", which stated, in part, the following:
THIS WEEK ON NATIONAL TODAY
We honor American workers’ contributions to our country... While we enjoy picnics and parades, let’s remember to honor the unwavering commitment of the workforce that propels the economy forward on Labor Day. ...
... Monday 4 September
Labor Day
Summer's final fling has arrived in the form of Labor Day.
Read more:
https://nationaltoday.com/labor-day
And, after I read the email above, I clicked on the hyperlink to the referenced webpage, which can, in part, be found below:
NATIONAL TODAY
Labor Day – September 4, 2023
[Observed in the] U.S.
Summer’s final fling has arrived in the form of Labor Day. Yes, most of us get the day off, but this holiday triggers mixed emotions. While summer still has 21 calendar days left, it’s time to get serious. School’s starting and there’s a sense that summer vacation is over. So what’s behind Labor Day — and how did it earn a place as a federal holiday?
Let’s take a look.
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WHEN IS LABOR DAY 2023?
Labor Day always falls on the first Monday in September, which means anywhere from September 1 through September 7. This year it's September 4 in the U.S. and Canada. However, this is not the case for most countries — the majority of which celebrate on May 1.
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HISTORY OF LABOR DAY
Do you get weekends off work? Lunch breaks? Paid vacation? An eight-hour workday? Social security? If you said “yes” to any of these questions, you can thank labor unions and the U.S. labor movement for it. Years of hard-fought battles (and the ensuing legislation they inspired) resulted in many of the most basic benefits we enjoy at our jobs today. On the first Monday in September, we take the day off to celebrate Labor Day and reflect on the American worker’s contributions to our country.
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LABOR DAY HISTORY
There’s disagreement over how the holiday began. One version is set in September 1882 with the Knights of Labor, the largest and one of the most important American labor organizations at the time. The Knights in New York City held a public parade featuring various labor organizations on September 5 — with the aid of the fledgling Central Labor Union (CLU) of New York. Subsequently, CLU Secretary Matthew Maguire proposed that a national Labor Day holiday be held on the first Monday of each September to mark this successful public demonstration.
In another version, Labor Day in September was proposed by Peter J. McGuire, a vice president of the American Federation of Labor. In spring 1882, McGuire reportedly proposed a “general holiday for the laboring classes” to the CLU, which would begin with a street parade of organized labor solidarity and end with a picnic fundraiser for local unions. McGuire suggested the first Monday in September as an ideal date for Labor Day because the weather is great at that time of year, and it falls between July 4th and Thanksgiving. Oregon became the first U.S. state to make it an official public holiday. 29 other states had joined by the time the federal government declared it a federal holiday in 1894.
Maguire or McGuire? Read more on this unusual coincidence in our FAQs below.
What is the Haymarket affair?
On May 4, 1886 — at a time when most American laborers worked 18 or even 20 hours a day — tens of thousands of workers protested in cities all across the U.S. to demand an eight-hour workday. Police in Chicago attacked both those peaceful protests and a workers planning meeting two days later, randomly beating and shooting at the planning group and killing six. When outraged Chicagoans attended an initially peaceful protest the next evening in Haymarket Square, police advanced on the crowd again. Someone who was never identified detonated a bomb that killed a police officer, leading cops to open fire on protesters and provoke violence that led to the deaths of about a dozen workers and police.
The Pullman strike
Ironically, Chicago was also the setting for the bloody Pullman strike of 1894, which catalyzed the establishment of an official Labor Day holiday in the U.S. on the first Monday of September.
The strike happened in May in the company town of Pullman, Chicago, a factory location established by luxury railroad car manufacturer the Pullman Company. The inequality of the town was more than apparent. Company owner George Pullman lived in a mansion while most laborers stayed in barracks-style dormitories. When a nationwide depression struck in 1893, Pullman decided to cut costs the way a lot of executives at the time did — by lowering wages by almost 30% while he kept the rent on the dormitories he leased to his workers at pre-depression levels.
Railroad boycott
These conditions ultimately led workers to strike on May 11, 1894. The walkout gained the support of the nationwide American Railroad Union (ARU), which declared that ARU members would no longer work on trains that included Pullman cars. That national boycott would end up bringing the railroads west of Chicago to a standstill and led to 125,000 workers across 29 railroad companies quitting their jobs rather than breaking the boycott.
When the Chicago railroad companies hired strikebreakers as replacements, strikers also took various actions to stop the trains. The General Managers Association, which represented local railroad companies, countered by inducing U.S. Attorney General Richard Olney, a former railroad attorney, to intervene. Indianapolis federal courts granted Olney an injunction against the strike, a move that allowed President Grover Cleveland to send in federal troops to break it up.
A few days later, Cleveland realized that he had to act quickly to appease the country’s increasingly agitated labor movement. But he didn’t want to commemorate the Haymarket incident with a May holiday that would invoke radical worker sentiment. So Cleveland harkened back to the first established September 1882 holiday and signed into law that Labor Day in the U.S. would be celebrated on the first Monday in September.
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LABOR DAY VS. MAY DAY
Communist and socialist factions worldwide eventually chose May 1 as the date to mark the Haymarket affair. A 1904 conference issued a plea that trade unions stage rallies on the first day of May — demanding to make the eight-hour workday standard. They organized the action in the name of “universal peace.” The 1st of May is a national, public holiday in many countries across the world, generally known as “Labour Day,” “International Workers’ Day,” or a similar name – although some countries celebrate a Labor Day on other dates significant to them, such as Canada, which celebrates Labor Day, like the U.S., on the first Monday of September.
Here’s the U.S. Department of Labor’s official tribute to U.S. workers on Labor Day:
“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.” ...
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... LABOR DAY TIMELINE
1882
It’s Unofficial:
10,000 labor workers march through Union Square in New York to protest poor working conditions and low wages.
1884
A Date is Set:
The first Monday of September officially becomes Labor Day, with the Central Labor Union pushing other organizations to follow suit and celebrate.
1894
Congress Approves:
Labor Day is approved as a national holiday by Congress, and President Grover Cleveland signs it into law.
2009
Let’s Not Forget Women in Labor:
President Obama restores the rights of women to sue over pay discrimination with the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. ...
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... LABOR DAY BY THE NUMBERS
162 million – the number of Americans (over 16) in the labor force.
40% – the percentage of U.S. workers who belonged to labor unions in the 1950s (that dropped to 11% by 2018).
1894 – the year Congress officially made Labor Day a federal holiday.
86% – the percentage of Americans planning Labor Day weekend travel who will do so by car.
41% – the percentage of Americans who plan to barbecue over Labor Day Weekend.
818 – the number of U.S. hot dogs eaten every second from Memorial Day to Labor Day. [I'm vegan, so the hot dogs that I eat over the summer are Plant-Based!]
$685 – the average kid’s back-to-school expenses.
$55,000 – the median U.S. household income.
705 million – the total number of U.S. unused vacation days (2017).
80% – the percentage of Americans who would take time off if their boss were more supportive. ...
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... LABOR DAY ACTIVITIES
1. Read up on the history of Labor Day
Labor Day has a rich history that directly impacts the working conditions we experience today. So in between rounds of BBQ at your Labor Day celebration, take the time to discuss the U.S. labor movement and its contribution to our country's current work culture.
2. Buy an American-made product
When you're doing your Labor Day shopping, take the time to read the labels. Consider buying products that say "Made in the USA" to show your support for American workers.
3. Watch a movie about labor unions
Many of us get Labor Day off. What better way to relax than to stretch out on the couch and watch a movie about the American labor movement? There are tons of union-themed movies to choose from. "Norma Rae" ring a bell? Side note: Unions play a major role in the entertainment industry.
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5 LABOR DAY FACTS EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW!
1. It’s on May 1 in other countries
Most countries around the world celebrate Labor Day on May 1, and it is called International Workers’ Day.
2. Stores remain open
While most schools and offices are closed on Labor Day, retail workers and shopkeepers don’t get the same break, as the holiday is huge for sales and shopping.
3. Third most popular holiday for outdoor cookouts
Labor Day is right behind the Fourth of July and Memorial Day in being the most popular holiday for barbecues and cookouts.
4. Labor Day marks the unofficial NFL kickoff
99.4% of the time, the NFL’s first official game of the season is on the Thursday following Labor Day.
5. Union members today
In 2017, there were 14.8 million union members, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, while in 1983, there were 17.7 million.
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WHY WE LOVE LABOR DAY
A. We're hard workers — we deserve the day off
Statistics show that Americans work longer hours than citizens of most other countries — 137 more hours per year than Japan, 260 more per year than the U.K., and 499 more than France. And our productivity is high — 400% higher than it was in 1950, to be exact. So we totally deserve that day off.
B. It's one last chance to grill
Labor Day is widely considered to be the unofficial last day of summer. Before the air turns cold and the leaves start to fall, it's our last chance to grill some steaks and wear shorts.
C. It's the reason we can say TGIF
Labor Day is a time to celebrate the benefits we enjoy at our jobs — including weekends off. The concept of American workers taking days off dates back to 1791, when a group of carpenters in Philadelphia went on strike to demand a shorter workweek (10-hour days, to be exact). It wasn't until 1836 that workers started demanding eight-hour workdays. So nine to five doesn't sound so bad after all.
Please see the hyperlink below for the post:
https://nationaltoday.com/labor-day
–Paul Whiting (September 4th, 2023)
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September 4th, 2023 Update—Continued Further: I was doing my oftentimes daily news searches on Google today, September 4th, 2023, when I noticed three different articles on various news websites, including USNews.com, NPR.org, and APNews.com!
No. 1: The U.S. News & World Report article that I read today is titled, "Have We Forgotten the True Meaning of Labor Day?" An introduction to the article can be found below:
"Have We Forgotten the True Meaning of Labor Day?" from U.S. News & World Report
The first Labor Day was hardly a national holiday. Workers had to strike to celebrate it.
By The Conversation | Sept. 1, 2023
The Conversation is a nonprofit news organization bringing knowledge from academia to the wider public. Articles are written by scholars who are experts on issues of public interest, assisted by editors who help unlock the knowledge. The Conversation was founded in 2011 and has newsrooms in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, and France.
By Jay L. Zagorsky
Labor Day is a U.S. national holiday held the first Monday every September. Unlike most U.S. holidays, it is a strange celebration without rituals, except for shopping and barbecuing. For most people it simply marks the last weekend of summer and the start of the school year.
The holiday’s founders in the late 1800s envisioned something very different from what the day has become. The founders were looking for two things: a means of unifying union workers and a reduction in work time.
History of Labor Day
The first Labor Day occurred in 1882 in New York City under the direction of that city’s Central Labor Union.
In the 1800s, unions covered only a small fraction of workers and were balkanized and relatively weak. The goal of organizations like the Central Labor Union and more modern-day counterparts like the AFL-CIO was to bring many small unions together to achieve a critical mass and power. The organizers of the first Labor Day were interested in creating an event that brought different types of workers together to meet each other and recognize their common interests.
However, the organizers had a large problem: No government or company recognized the first Monday in September as a day off work. The issue was solved temporarily by declaring a one-day strike in the city. All striking workers were expected to march in a parade and then eat and drink at a giant picnic afterwards.
The New York Tribune’s reporter covering the event felt the entire day was like one long political barbecue, with “rather dull speeches.”
Why was Labor Day invented?
Labor Day came about because workers felt they were spending too many hours and days on the job.
In the 1830s, manufacturing workers were putting in 70-hour weeks on average. Sixty years later, in 1890, hours of work had dropped, although the average manufacturing worker still toiled in a factory 60 hours a week.
These long working hours caused many union organizers to focus on winning a shorter eight-hour work day. They also focused on getting workers more days off, such as the Labor Day holiday, and reducing the workweek to just six days.
These early organizers clearly won since the most recent data show that the average person working in manufacturing is employed for a bit over 40 hours a week and most people work only five days a week.
Surprisingly, many politicians and business owners were actually in favor of giving workers more time off. That’s because workers who had no free time were not able to spend their wages on traveling, entertainment or dining out.
As the U.S. economy expanded beyond farming and basic manufacturing in the late 1800s and early 1900s, it became important for businesses to find consumers interested in buying the products and services being produced in ever greater amounts. Shortening the work week was one way of turning the working class into the consuming class. ...
Please see the hyperlink below for the article:
https://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2023-09-01/have-we-forgotten-the-true-meaning-of-labor-day
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No. 2: The NPR (National Public Radio) article that I read today is titled, "Labor Day is now a key to Election Day for Democrats and Republicans alike." An introduction to the article can be found below:
"Labor Day is now a key to Election Day for Democrats and Republicans alike" from NPR
Ron Elving | September 2, 2023
"Labor Day" is one of those holiday names we repeat so often we stop thinking about what the words originally meant. Some people set aside time to remember the human price of war on Memorial Day. Most of us give some kind of thanks on Thanksgiving. But the only ritual for Labor Day is taking the day off, and many see it only as the three-day weekend that marks the end of summer.
Yet Labor Day is as political in its history as the Fourth of July or the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. The first Labor Day celebration on the first Monday of September was in New York City in 1882, an era when labor activism was often illegal and always dangerous. Workers and police alike were killed when a labor protest near near Chicago's Haymarket Square turned violet in 1886, and federal troops fired on strikers in that city's Pullman Strike of 1894. Later that year, in a bid to calm a rising storm, Congress made Labor Day a legal holiday, and President Grover Cleveland signed it into law.
Over time, Labor Day became the American version of May Day or International Labor Day, an occasion to celebrate working people and their causes, often associated with the political left. For the major U.S. political parties, it also became the unofficial starting gate for fall election campaigns of the old-fashioned kind – largely done outdoors in person with no screens of any kind.
For generations, Labor Day activities organized by unions were seen primarily as Democratic affairs. Working-class voters were the heart of the coalition Franklin Roosevelt rode to four presidential victories (1932-1944). FDR rewarded them with the National Labor Relations Act of 1935, enshrining in law the right to collective bargaining and giving labor unions a new level of recognition and clout.
But many of FDR voters or their descendants began drifting away from the Democrats in the economic expansion and relative affluence of the postwar era. The trend strengthened in the late 1960s as many grew disillusioned with the promises of President Lyndon Johnson's Vietnam War and his "Great Society" programs.
Many working-class voters turned to Richard Nixon, who built his "Silent Majority" around them in 1968 and 1972. Even more joined the ranks of "Reagan Democrats" carrying Ronald Reagan to a pair of landslide wins in the 1980s. And the demographic category provided the surprising surge that elected Donald Trump in 2016 (and came close to doing it again in 2020).
Abandonment or "walking forthrightly"?
This is all part of the long postwar pattern by which the Democratic Party has departed from its traditional geographic and demographic bases. It is no longer surprising that elements of the Republican Party have eagerly embraced voters in those bases who felt the Democrats had simply abandoned them. Reagan was perhaps the most famous former Democrat who made a habit of saying: "I did not leave my party, my party left me."
The most obvious driver of this was the Democrats' move away from their historic roots as a Southern, rural party committed to states' rights. After a century of struggle among its factions, Democrats gradually followed the direction of a young speaker at the 1948 Democratic Convention. That was when Hubert Humphrey, later to be a senator and vice president and presidential nominee, called on the party to "get out of the shadow of states' and to walk forthrightly into the bright sunshine of human rights." ...
Please see the hyperlink below for the article:
https://www.npr.org/2023/09/02/1197271638/labor-day-2023-elections
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No. 3: The AP (Associated Press) News article that I read today is titled, "From strikes to new union contracts, Labor Day’s organizing roots are especially strong this year." An introduction to the article can be found below:
"From strikes to new union contracts, Labor Day’s organizing roots are especially strong this year" from AP News
By Wyatte Grantham-Philips | Updated September 1, 2023
NEW YORK (AP) — Labor Day is right around the corner, along with the big sales and barbecues that come with it. But the activist roots of the holiday are especially visible this year as unions challenge how workers are treated — from Hollywood to the auto production lines of Detroit.
The early-September tribute to workers has been an official holiday for almost 130 years — but an emboldened labor movement has created an environment closer to the era from which Labor Day was born. Like the late 1800s, workers are facing rapid economic transformation — and a growing gap in pay between themselves and new billionaire leaders of industry, mirroring the stark inequalities seen more than a century ago.
“There’s a lot of historical rhyming between the period of the origins of Labor Day and today,” Todd Vachon, an assistant professor in the Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations, told The Associated Press. “Then, they had the Carnegies and the Rockefellers. Today, we have the Musks and the Bezoses. ... It’s a similar period of transition and change and also of resistance — of working people wanting to have some kind of dignity.”
Between writers and actors on strike, contentious contract negotiations that led up to a new labor deal for 340,000 unionized UPS workers and active picket lines across multiple industries, the labor in Labor Day is again at the forefront of the holiday arguably more than it has been in recent memory.
Here are some things to know about Labor Day this year. ...
Please see the hyperlink below for the video:
https://apnews.com/article/labor-day-history-unions-organized-cb4ef1bb135e6deebb29fb87a13b8824
And I decided to highlight these articles from U.S. News & World Report, NPR and AP News for you, my readers, to consider reading too! –Paul Whiting (written September 4th, 2023 and revised September 23rd, 2023)
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This "Small All White in the Forest" Post No. 123 was edited on May 4th, 2024.
"Poetry is using the fewest words possible in order to describe all that is possible to describe." –Paul Whiting [June 1st, 2022]
