Thank Goodness It's Monday #424

“MOST PEOPLE LIKE HARD WORK.

PARTICULARLY WHEN THEY’RE PAYING FOR IT.”

That quip concisely sums up one of the persistent dilemmas of the modern age. It originated with reporter, public relations executive and humorist Franklin P. Jones (1908 - 1980).

And it’s one of the real reasons underlying the establishment of, and ongoing need for, observing Labor Day, isn’t it?

Not to be overly analytical about it, but … 

As analysis originator Sigmund Freud saw it: 

“No other technique for the conduct of life attaches the individual to reality as laying emphasis on work: for his work at least gives him a secure place in a portion of reality, in the human community.”

So as I see it, these two divergent realities create a bit of conflict, especially in the world of “modern” capitalism that began to flourish in the middle of the 19^th Century.

To oversimplify --

• The holders of “capital” want the most work for the least expense.
• Workers must work, but capitalist demands of “too much for too little” destroy any sense of humanity and community.

Thus working people are sometimes forced to organize themselves and their work lives in ways that they perceive are more beneficial for their “conduct of life”.

 

And that inevitably leads us to –

Jersey Shore Boy

(born in Cape May NJ)

Uriah S. Stephens (1821-1882)

First leader of the

Noble Order of the Knights of Labor 

Labor Day. It’s generally accepted that the first major Labor Day observance in the United States was September 5, 1882, by the Central Labor Union of New York (a branch of the Noble Order of the Knights of Labor, a secretive labor union founded in 1869 by a clique of Philadelphia tailors.

Their initiation oath -- “We mean to uphold the dignity of labor” – certainly anticipates Freud’s insight:

 

Labor Day became a Federal holiday in 1894.

 

And it was a Jersey Boy (like me) – born-in-Caldwell, NJ (1837) President Grover Cleveland – who, in 1894, signed the legislation that made Labor Day a federal holiday.

 

Not to “belabor” the point (yes, an intentional pun; I was “working” up to it), and before we get to a Labor Day 2013 TGIM Takeaway or two, here’s a quick look back at what moved Grover to act:

 

Following the deaths of a number of workers at the hands of the U.S. military and U.S. Marshals during the Pullman Strike in the summer of 1894, legislation making Labor Day a national holiday was rushed through Congress unanimously and signed into law.

 

Cleveland and other politicians put reconciliation with the labor movement as a top political priority. The September date was originally chosen by the CLU of New York.

Unlike more strident May Day Socialist/Communist “Labour” observances around the world on May 1, the form for the September celebration of Labor Day in the US was outlined in the first proposal of the holiday: A street parade to exhibit to the public "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations," followed by a festival for the workers and their families.

 

And now, we all celebrate.

 

No matter if you describe your “collar” color as white or blue.  No matter if you are part of an organized labor group or not. Labor Day marks the traditional “end of summer” … back-to-school signal … beginning of football/NASCAR/ season.

TGIM TAKEAWAY: While these days we seldom relate to fairly valuing the sort of “sweat of your brow” physical effort that labor organizing in the 19^th Century was about, we still have strong views on the value of the individual’s contribution to the world of commerce and the disparity between wealth classes, real or imagined, in our democracy and around the world.

Assuming this is a day you have the good fortune to be able to celebrate, sometime between checking out your local Labor Day parade or similar civic celebration and the last official beer and burger before someone winterizes that pool, appreciate what we all have gained since the first Labor Day largely as a result of the protests and efforts of workers of the world uniting.

 

Here’s a thumbnail roundup:

• Child-labor laws
• The 8-hour day/40-hour week
• Requisite time off or compensation
• Public education
• Minimum wages & other compensatory assurances
• Occupational safety & health protections
• Medical benefits
• Birth & dependent care allowances
• Unemployment safety nets
• Social Security
• Name your own favorite (Equal Pay Act, Civil Rights Act, National Labor Relations Act, ERISA pension standards, all have a foothold in what can be viewed as the labor movement.)

LABOR DAY 2013 ACTION IDEA: This Labor Day let us remember the sacrifices endured, and the challenges faced, by organizing and organized workers. Collar color notwithstanding, let’s acknowledge our indebtedness to this group of people who have played a significant role in making the American workplace what it is today and who strive to extend that success.

 

LABOR DAY 2013 IDEA IN ACTION: In the spirit of Labor Day, rather than looking for scapegoats to blame for some of the world’s most profound economic problems, let’s resolve, starting tomorrow, to insist our politicians work on – not just blather about -- getting people back to work in a way and at a wage that gives them “a secure place in a portion of reality, in the human community.” 

“Uphold the dignity of labor.” Real working people know the most straightforward way to get our economy moving as it should and to keep it moving forward is to put more money back in the hands of working families, who will in turn spend their money locally.

 

Be bold! Speak up. Act on your ideals.

“A government for the people must depend for its success on the intelligence, the morality, the justice, and the interest of the people themselves.” Grover Cleveland said that.

Important note in closing: Many parts of our Jersey Shore and other vacation-centric communities that were hard hit by SuperStorm Sandy last fall are planning on extending their “season” beyond Labor Day to make up for lost business.

Please get out and support them if you’re able.

 

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373

tgimguy@gmail.com 

P.S.  “A man’s work is his dilemma; his job is his bondage, but it also gives him a fair share of his identity and keeps him from being a bystander in somebody else’s world.” Journalist and essayist Melvin Maddocks (1924 – 2008) made that appropriate-to-the-day observation.