I decided to find out if anyone who knew the true meaning of labour day I must admit shyly I didn’t know its complex roots well maybe in 1967, Mr Sheldon a history teacher at south high school gave us a labour day lesson.
Rita Rosano my secret crash since casa Loma elementary school was a great pastime in the class and distracted me from social studies on how I would eventually marry her. I never remembered or happened to Mr Sheldon’s labour day lesson to verify my own historical deficiencies and give labour day proper credit
I have completed my own unscientific investigation with family and close friends my little circle of friends didn’t include history teachers worker representatives elected officials lobbyists or anyone who was somehow involved in the union I also asked the young barista of Dutch brothers coffee I asked this simple question:
“What does worker’s day mean to you?”
Without exception their first reaction was a strange scooby-doo head tilt with a rubber reaction here is a sample of their answer it has to do with labour that means we have a three-day weekend summer vacation is over.
I blame myself for not educating my children more on worker’s day its importance to workers’ rights and why it is such an important day in American history like the many freedoms and privileges we currently enjoy the birth and importance of labour day can easily be lost in the cascade of many national holidays at the tip of the hat to Mr Sheldon god rests his soul
I share this informal shortened history lesson. According to dictionary.com the first workers day celebration took place in new York city on September 5th 1882 to honour American workers whose labour laws were not taken for granted at the time approximately 10 000 union workers marched in the parade this was the height of the industrial revolution when the average American worked 7 days a week 12 hours to live a basic life according to history.com in the wake of massive anxiety and in an attempt to restore relations with American workers congress passed the law that would make workers day a statutory holiday in the district of Columbia and its territory 6,
On 28 may president Grover Cleveland signed the law how labour day became a national workers holiday as a study of political tactics boycotts strikes and unfortunate death but this path has also created the rights and freedoms of many workers that many of us now enjoy and take for granted this is what labour day means to me when you think of labour day you automatically think of your maternal grandma she gave up her life to live with us to help my father raise me and my seven brothers and sisters her vacation was a night of hand watering our front yard while smoking lucky strife my dad usually has 10 to 12 hours and the idea of relaxing is to sit in a lawn chair and have course while watching him play baseball in the backyard with his neighbours