Here is the scenario: 10,000 people risked getting fired from their jobs to join a march down the streets of New York City on a work day. They marched from City Hall, to Union Square to 42nd street, which is a long way.
When they reached Wendel’s Elm Park, which is at 92nd and 9th Avenue, a very long way, they were excited to a fevered pitch. Instead of violence, they stopped for rousing political speeches and broke out into picnic groups. Did this happen this year? No, the scene we just described is the story of the first U.S. Labor Day, Tuesday, September 5, 1882.
Those people had plenty to be excited about because they were protesting the twelve-hour work day. Labor Day is about more than barbecues and picnics; it’s a day to honor the American worker. Those 10,000 workers made their point, but it took a little time; the Adamson Act of 1916 established the 8-hour work day.
The idea of a nationally celebrated day for honoring workers did not take nearly so long. On June 28, l894, Congress passed a law that transformed the first Monday in September into a legal national holiday. Palm State Mortgage has departed from its normal financial format to bring you and your family our best wishes, and some fun facts behind the celebration of Labor Day.
1. Labor Day Was Not Always About Picnics! It was about recognizing labor, workers and human rights. Americans also struggled to conquer the seven-day work week, and the establishment of laws forbidding the employment of five and six-year-old children in both mines and factories.
2. You might be wondering what state started legalizing the holiday even before it was national. That honor goes to Oregon, with 50 other states fast following her example.
3. Perhaps this blog is not so unrelated to finance as we might think, for without a fair work day and fair pay, no one could afford a mortgage or live the American Dream of home ownership.
4. Let’s take a closer look at the people we are celebrating, the workers. Over 155 million people over 16 years old are American workers. With a little smile, we almost have to wonder if they have to work in order to afford their cars, because more than 3 million workers spend an hour and a half in the commute, one way, daily. Seriously, most of us, the sensible ones, drive 25.3 minutes to and from our jobs.
5. We are glad that the old-fashioned rule about not wearing white after Labor Day has been unofficially repealed by the fashion industry. The reason the rule became such a tradition in the first place was that Labor Day marks the end of the summer season.
It suddenly occurred to us that you can not spend all three days eating barbecue, and if you are house-hunting, the extra time off from work might allow you to drive around and investigate some neighborhoods. We suggest you also might go over your budget so that we can help you find the perfect loan when your mini-vacation is over. Naturally we have some helpful hints from previous blogs which won’t take much time for you to read.
Happy Labor Day! We hope you and your friends and family enjoy picnicking, golfing, camping, our great Florida water sports, or just lounging a little. Your friends at Palm State Mortgage want to see you week after next, so we remind you to drive safely, and drink responsibly.
