Why Do Americans Celebrate Labor Day?

September 6, 2021 — bunkerville

By Mustang

Even though the seed to recognize “Labor Day” was only first planted in 1882, the history of this holiday is already mired in myth and controversy.  The descendants of two men with similar last names argue that it was their great-grandfather who came up with the idea.

United States stamp: Labor Day“United States stamp: Labor Day” by karen horton is licensed under CC BY 2.0

One story is that at an assembly of the Knights of Labor (KOL) in New York City, Matthew Maguire urged the establishment of a national holiday to recognize the contributions of men whose labor made American industries successful.

The second claim is that Peter J. McGuire, a vice president for the American Federation of Labor (AFL) made the proposal after viewing a similar celebration in Toronto, Canada.  Both accounts took place in 1882.  Both men thought that a day set aside between Independence Day and Thanksgiving would be an ideal time to have such an event.

Now if true, then both men were clever enough to avoid celebrating Labor Day on 1 May, since “May Day” was the date chosen by European socialists and communists of the Second International to celebrate International Worker’s Day — joined, of course, by anarchists, fascists, and labor activists seeking recognition.

In fairness, neither Matthew, Peter, nor any European labor activist could have imagined the long-term effects of Marxism in 1882.  On paper, the ideologies proposed by Karl Marx and Frederick Engels does seem enlightened; in its application, however, Marxism became an entirely different animal.

In any case, the notion of setting aside one day out of the year to recognize the contributions of American labor seemed innocuous and who doesn’t want a day off from work with pay, a parade, a picnic — even if you have to listen to men give political speeches?

So, the labor unions had their first parade in the United States on 5 September 1882 and a good time was had by all.   Interest in Labor Day spread across the United States.  In 1887, Oregon became the first state to designate Labor Day as an official holiday, and by 1894, thirty additional states made similar pronouncements.  In 1894, Congress passed a bill designating Labor Day as a federal holiday on the first Monday in September.  The bill became law over the signature of President Grover Cleveland (Democrat) on 28 June.  Of course, the law only applied to federal employees, so when other states failed to recognize Labor Day, unions began organizing strikes and work stoppages on that day.

In 1909, the AFL convention earmarked the Sunday preceding Labor Day as “Labor Sunday.”  The AFL wanted to dedicate a day to the spiritual and educational aspects of the American labor movement.  Labor Sunday never quite caught on, however.  Most people in 1909 didn’t appreciate having their religion politicized.

Today, Labor Day marks the official end of summer and the official start of football season, where young men who earn a skillion dollars a day playing a game begin “taking a knee” in protest of their unhappy circumstances in America as black people.

Every American likes having a long weekend, but not every American appreciates celebrating communism — particularly given the direction of the US government since the presidency of Barack Obama.  Culturalist Matt Barber (an attorney and blogger at BarbWire.com) reminded us about the relationship between Marxism/Socialism and Labor Day in 2016:

“How about some Commie ketchup on that burger?  It’s extra red.  A little Marxist mustard for your dog?  What about a pinch of socialist sauerkraut on the bubbling bratwurst?

“I know, I’m a killjoy, and, call me a hypocrite, but I’m grilling out Monday anyway.  Still, fellas, while you’re sweating over that sizzling Weber this three-day weekend, just be sure to tip a stein to old Karl [Marx], Vladimir [Lenin], and Josef [Stalin].  Without those genocidal schmendricks, you’d be stuck in your cubical Monday, just like every other day, playing Candy Crush and checking fantasy football […]

“Actually … hard work has nothing to do with it.  Labor Day is about “labor,” and “labor,” since the 19th century at least, has been, and yet remains, one of the primary “progressive” euphemisms exploited by leftists (aka, Democrats) to further the redistributionist goals of the global socialist movement.”

Wow.  And I thought I was a hard ass.  But, he does have a point.  I’m certainly not advocating that we curtail a long weekend … only that we stop to consider what the US government has contrived to do to laborers in this country.  We no longer produce anything in America.  Most of our industrial laborers are now involved in manicuring the lawns of wealthy bankers or opening car washes where you end up doing most of the work yourself.  With people on your side like the Congress, who needs enemies?

In any case, Mr. Barber concluded with:

“And so, as we enjoy friends, family, food, and fun this extended Labor Day weekend, let’s heed the advice of Marxist.com and remember that this particular holiday — this workers’ paradise for a day — was ‘conceived of and celebrated by socialists and militants within the labor movement.’

“A socialist movement, mind you, that thrives from within the freest nation on earth (for now at least) — a nation made great, in large part, by the very capitalism unions, and the Democrats they fund, so hate, and desperately seek to destroy.”

Something to remember and think about.  While the United States sent its young men and women into harm’s way to fight communism (1950-1975), while young Americans were dying from communist bullets and shrapnel, as mothers and wives cried, Americans back home were celebrating communism and socialism on the first Monday of September.  It’s hard to imagine that our nation could be so obtuse.

Sources:

  1. A&E Television, history online.
  2. Green, J.  Death in the Haymarket: A Story of Chicago, the First Labor Movement, and the Bombing that Divided Gilded Age America. Random House, 2007.
  3. “Labor Daze — Pride, Chaos, and Kegs on Labor’s First Day,” US Department of Labor, online.
  4. Barber, M.  Labor Day Celebrates Marxism.  Christian Post, 5 Sep 2016 online.

Mustang also blogs at Fix Bayonets and Thoughts From Afar

For the best in conservative news push the button.

Bunkerville wishes everyone a wonderful Labor Day.

Posted in Unions. Tags: , , , , , . 20 Comments »

Could the British Labor Party Corbyn Win the British Election?

June 3, 2017 — bunkerville

Could Labour’s Corbyn Actually Win the British Elections? | The Nation

Theresa May seems to shrink by the day, with her lead now in the single digits, while Corbyn has found his voice. So goes the headline. A guest post by Mustang gives us his thoughts on the matter:

British Elections

British elections are nothing if not fascinating.  At present, elections are in full swing, with voting to occur on 8 June.  While I am not at all surprised leftists vying for control of the House of Commons, I am amazed that a leading labor contender has any hope at all gaining a position in Parliament.

Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the labor movement and a former leader of the opposition is one of those leftists who despite communism’s horrendous track record continues to embrace policies guaranteed to destroy a nation’s economic viability and social stability.  What makes Corbyn an astonishing study is that for a time, he was not even able to maintain the confidence of other important labor leaders.  In 2016, labor MPs passed a vote of no confidence [in Corbyn] (172 to 40), but within a few months Corbyn did retain his party’s leadership with 62% of the House’s labor vote.  Corbyn’s record is one that leaves me scratching my head.

Writer Kate McCann recently told us in the Daily Telegraph, “Labour has drawn up a secret plan to allow thousands of unskilled migrants to enter the UK following Brexit.”  Corbyn intends to reinstitute a visa scheme that allows unskilled workers to move to the United Kingdom —where they will compete with British workers in such areas as farming and industrial production.  No doubt the long-term plan, if this arrangement is ever re-implemented, will set the stage for wage increases, growth of minority populations, and raising the cost of goods and services to consumers.  Increased prices will curtail spending, and this in turn will increase levels of middle class unemployment.

My conclusion is that Corbyn’s plan is no more than an assault upon the middle class, which in any civilized society is the engine of a vibrant economy.

Corbyn’s background is probably typical of those involved with the so-called progressive movement: he became entranced with socialist ideals and the British labour movement while still a young lad and has been stuck on stupid ever since.  As an aside, I think we ought to dispense with such terms as “progressive” because the word suggests something other than what it is.  Again, turning to the man who would know, Vladimir Lenin instructed us, “The purpose of socialism is communism.”  In this sense, Corbyn has much in common with Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders: he has never seen a mass-murdering communist he didn’t adore.

The question remains: who in their right mind would vote for a man like this to represent them in Parliament, and why would any middle-class voter support an avowed communist?  The answer probably lies, as it does in the United States, in how much free stuff Corbyn is willing to offer in exchange for votes.  My bet is that large numbers of minorities living in the UK will turn out for more free stuff.  Again, where does all this inane thinking originate?  Schools?  At church?  From consuming stagnant water?

As I said earlier, British elections are fascinating; I’ll be watching the results of the upcoming competition with interest.

Posted in Government. Tags: , , , , , , . 15 Comments »

NLRB plans on stopping businesses from ever moving

April 8, 2014 — bunkerville

How soon are we going to realize that we are living in a totalitarian state? The infamous NLRB that Obama has pinned his high hopes on destroying any vestiges of a free state is back at it and wants to condemn businesses from ever moving their business. I was surprised to read at present, the Courts can already mandate a business remain in its present location. And just who is Mr. Griffin?

Richard Griffin, the new general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board, wants to give unions a veto over a unionized employer’s decision to relocate. If Griffin has his way, and he most assuredly will, some unionized businesses will be pinned in place at the discretion of their unions.

Mr. Griffin previously served as General Counsel for International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE).  He also served on the board of directors for the AFL-CIO Lawyers Coordinating Committee, a position he held since 1994.  Since 1983, he has held a number of leadership positions with IUOE from Assistant House Counsel to Associate General Counsel. From 1985 to 1994, Mr. Griffin served as a member of the board of trustees of the IUOE’s central pension fund.

Unions can contest the employer’s decision, but they have no right to participate in it or otherwise delay it absent a court order enjoining it.

 

Griffin’s intent was disclosed in a memorandum he sent the agency’s regional directors ordering them not to act on cases presenting issues “of concern” to him — and there were many such issues — without receiving guidance from his office. Griffin’s guidance will be to order an employer to be prosecuted not on the basis of what the law is but on the law as Griffin would like it to be. This will give the board an opportunity to change the law.

Under current law, it is perfectly legal for a unionized employer to relocate some or all of its facilities and eliminate bargaining-unit work if the move is motivated by economic gain — not by a desire to retaliate against employees for their union activities and support. A desire to escape the consequences of unionization, particularly high labor costs, is considered an independent, innocent motivation, not an unlawful one. Big Labor loathes this law; Griffin intends to help unions nullify it.

Under longstanding NLRB law, a unionized employer is not required to bargain with the union over a relocation decision that is motivated by labor-cost savings if the employer determines that bargaining would be futile — that the union could not offer labor-cost savings that could change its decision. Unions can contest the employer’s decision, but they have no right to participate in it or otherwise delay it absent a court order enjoining it.

More ate 

 

Posted in Unions. Tags: , , , . 18 Comments »