It's A Holiday!

Source:  Pixabay.com

Labor, Defined

 

Noun:  expenditure of mental or physical effort especially when difficult or compulsory; human activity that provides the goods and services of an economy; an act or process requiring labor; a product of labor; an economic group comprising those who do manual labor or work for wages.
 
Verb:  to exert one's powers of body or mind especially with painful or strenuous effort; to move with great effort; to be in the labor of giving birth; to suffer from some disadvantage or distress.

 (www.merriam-webster.com)

What is Labor Day

"Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers.  It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country"  (www.dol.gov).  

Why Labor Day Was Established

Labor Day was established in 1894 in response to horrific working conditions engendered by the Industrial Revolution.  Labor legislation has been a work in progress since 1636, and continues today.  In the news currently (a short list) are minimum wage, sexual harassment, and impacts of immigration and tariffs.   

Interesting Facts About 3 Notable Labor Groups

Blacks:  Slavery was abolished in 1865.  Unemployment of Blacks is 6.1% (www.bls.gov), ~double that of the national unemployment rate of 3.7% (www.ncsl.org). 

Children:  Laws protecting children were proposed, passed, and struck down starting in 1916.  In 1938 the Fair Labor Standards Act was passed and upheld, and protected children from many types of labor.  Except agriculture.  Today, hundreds of thousands of children work in agriculture, which is considered the second most dangerous occupation in the US. (www.wikipedia.org).  

Women:  Depending on the source, the gender pay gap is still 78%-94%.  (www.wikipedia.org).  

19 Synonyms For Labor

Activity, job, daily grind, effort, industry, grunt work, accomplish, achieve, take steps, go for broke, do one's thing, undertaking, carry on, stew over, go for broke, take steps, struggle, sweat, achieve. (www.thesaurus.com) 

9 People Who Labor On Labor Day

Police and other emergency dispatchers

Police and other emergency responders

Hospital workers

Retail workers

Restaurant workers

Air traffic controllers

Nuclear power reactor operators

Forest Service workers

Hotel workers

 5 Labor Day Quotes

"Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration.  The rest of us just get up and go to work." -  Stephen King

"Rest when you're weary.  Refresh and renew yourself, your body, your mind, your spirit.  Then get back to work." -  Ralph Marston

"I learned the value of hard work by working hard." -  Margaret Mead

The big secret in life is that there is no big secret.  Whatever your goal, you can get there if you're willing to work." - Oprah Winfrey

"Labor Day means grilling outside!" -  Katie Lee