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| Robert Dilenschneider |
Labor Day, which this year falls on Monday, September 1, is that special day when we celebrate the laboring people of America, the men and women whose hard work and ever-increasing productivity have made ours the greatest economy the world has ever known.
Let us pause, therefore, as we go about our various activities on this special holiday to salute our nation's workforce and its irreplaceable contributions.
The idea of a day to celebrate American workers dates back to September of 1882 when a parade was staged by New York City’s newly formed Central Labor Union. It was a time when the industrial revolution was transforming the nation and countless thousands of workmen were flocking to urban centers for factory jobs, and so the idea caught on quickly. In 1894, President Grover Cleveland signed an act of Congress making Labor Day a federal event to be observed on the first Monday in September.
Labor Day is a a day for parades, picnics, barbecues, trips to the beach or the pool, and, for many, taking advantage of those Labor Day sales.
It's also a pivot point for most of us — the unofficial end of summer and summer vacations, everybody (or almost everybody) back at work, and the new school year just around the corner. Coming soon there's a new season for TV shows, Broadway productions and movies made with Oscar nominations in mind. And just ahead is autumn weather, Halloween, Thanksgiving and, in the distance, Christmas.
Labor Day also marks the start of a special time for sports fans. The U.S. Open enters its climactic week, the race to make the MLB playoffs goes into its final days, and the new NFL season kicks off just three days after Labor Day, on Thursday the fourth.
Given its historic role in honoring millions of Americans past and present, this day has always been a special occasion. I hope that for you and all your friends and family it will be particularly so this year.
Have a wonderful Labor Day.
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Robert L. Dilenschneider is the Founder and CEO of The Dilenschneider Group, an international communications firm.
In this holiday season, let us all remember the surest way to overcome the name-calling, mistrust and entrenched divisions which now trouble our nation, and the world is for each of us to exercise civility in our daily lives.
Events in the last month have revealed stunning displays of hypocrisy among the left and the right, demonstrating that both groups are now caricatures of themselves operating outside of reality.
