Happy Labor Day

For many of you out there this is the last great bang before school begins....but for some of us this is a break after three weeks of being in school already.  Here in the South, for the most part, we begin sometime  in early to mid-August and then get out before Memorial Day...unless we miss school because of some freakish snow storm or tornado.  I like this schedule.  I grew up in a system where we DID start the Tuesday after Labor Day and got out in June....if we had not missed school because of a hurricane.  But Labor Day is more than the last hurrah before the end of summer.  That is...Labor Day is supposed to be more than the last hurrah before the end of summer.  So I had to ask....what exactly is Labor Day.  From the name of it, it sounds like we should Labor on this day....but that is not the case at all.  The first Labor Day was held in 1882. Its origins stem from the desire of the Central Labor Union to create a holiday for workers. It became a federal holiday in 1894. It was originally intended that the day would be filled with a street parade to allow the public to appreciate the work of the trade and labor organizations. After the parade, a festival was to be held to amuse local workers and their families. In later years, prominent men and women held speeches. This is less common now, but is sometimes seen in election years. One of the reasons for choosing to celebrate this on the first Monday in September was to add a holiday in the long gap between Independence Day and Thanksgiving. So there you have it.  I remember as a child growing up in an IBEW union household we often did have family picnics on Labor Day with the company my dad was working for.  Those eventually stopped, but the family/friends picnic continued.  We would have huge cookouts in our backyard or up at Juno or Jupiter Beach with family and friends.  I remember loving the chance to gather with friends and family for cookouts.  Those were/are some of my most favorite memories.  So, today as you celebrate this day I hope you enjoy family, friends, the day off, the last hurrah before summer ends....and stay safe.

Labor Day Salute

Today is Labor Day.  To me as a child it was the official end of the summer.  As a teacher it is the last holiday from school now before Veteran's Day in November.  I have always loved this holiday...I grew up in a union household.  My dad was a member of the IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers) so when I was a child it meant the annual Labor Day Sasser cookout.  My dad would get up early in the morning and cook ribs, pork chops, hamburgers, and hotdogs while my mom would be inside preparing potato salad, slaw, baked beans, and banana pudding.  My mom made the best banana pudding in the whole world.  She would top it with merengue and the merengue would be so perfectly browned there would even be a small tear drop on it.  I could not wait to dig into it.  Family and friends would begin gathering around 1 and we would eat at 4.  By 7 everyone was gone and the house was clean again.  Tomorrow would be the first day of school...when I was younger.  As I grew older it still meant a massive bbq and school would be the next day....but it was not the first day anymore.  My school system starts in late July, no later than mid August.  This weekend was not much different.  Amanda's kids were here and we had the big chicken bbq on Saturday.  It was fun visiting with everyone.  Ramona and her family came from Panama City(missing out on Lee), David and Suzanna came from Louisville, KY and we don't see them as much....so playing with all the babies was fun.  But this morning I wondered just how many people know exactly what Labor Day is and why we celebrate it.  We all know that Labor Day is the first Monday in September but did you know that it was a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers?  The day is actually supposed to be a tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. The sad part is look where we are now.  Unemployment is high, plants are closed and sitting idle, America is in debt.  I don't think this was the American Dream.....and who fouled it up?  No one know who really proposed the holiday.  Some say that Peter J. McGuire, the general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a cofounder of the American Federation of Labor was the first one to suggest it.  Others say it was Matthew Maguire a machinist who founded it.  What is certain is that someone proposed it and it came to be on Tuesday, September 5th, 1882 in New York City. A year later on September 5th, 1883 the second annual holiday was celebrated.  In 1884 the holiday was moved to the first Monday and dubbed the workingman's holiday.  Government recognition began as municipal ordinances passed from 1885 to 1886.  It was not until 1894 that Congress passed a law making the first Monday of September a legal holiday.  You know the vital force of labor has added materially to the high standard of living we experience.  The group Alabama puts their salute in a song called 40 Hour Week and if you take time to listen to the song you will see just how important the blue collar and hardworking Americans are to who we are as a nation.  So, on this 2011 Labor Day I want to salute all the people in America who work for a living:  to the firefighters, steel mill workers,  auto workers, pipe fitters, plumbers, carpenters, electricians, masons, painters, mail carriers, teachers, preachers, waitresses, cooks, policemen, SAHM's, EMT's, nurses, janitors, and the list goes on forever....Thank you for all you do...today and everyday!  I learned something from my father once....it pays to know who makes your life easier....so know your janitors name....mine is Gene and believe me....if it weren't for him I would be lost.  He gives me a pleasant environment to work in.  I also know the school secretary....she keeps our school running smoothly.  It is not just one person who makes a business run like a fine oiled machine....it is a series of people.  Thank again to you all!  Happy Labor Day!