Professional Choice Insurance Wishes You a Happy Labor Day!
Men are made stronger on realization that the helping hand they need is at the end of their own right arm.
~ Sidney J. Phillips
I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.
~ Thomas Jefferson
All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.
~ Martin Luther King Jr.
Work is no disgrace; the disgrace is idleness
~ Albert Einstein
What do you think of when you think of this holiday, Labor Day? Do you think, “Fantastic, I get an additional day off of work?” Do you think of the end of summer and the beginning of school? Do you think of parties, parades and bbq’s? Or perhaps, are you interested in the history that made Labor Day a nation wide holiday? When I think of Labor Day I actually think of all of the above, however, the history is what interests me the most. I feel that it is important to know who the founders are, as well as the origin of the holiday’s we celebrate. It tends to make each holiday more meaningful. I believe that Labor Day is a unique holiday and most likely hits home for all Americans right now, due to the difficult economic crisis we currently are experiencing. Let’s learn a little more about Labor Day and what made this holiday possible today.
Labor Day is a celebration of workers to commemorate their uphill struggle throughout history, along with their many incredible triumphs. History.com wrote a very interesting article about Labor Day and its past. Did you know that, “In the late 1800s, at the height of the Industrial Revolution in the United States, the average American worked 12-hour days and seven-day weeks in order to eke out a basic living. Despite restrictions in some states, children as young as 5 or 6 toiled in mills, factories and mines across the country, earning a fraction of their adult counterparts’ wages?” This must mean that I need to start gearing up my young kids, so I can put them to work in a few years J. Due to the unfair and unsafe working conditions many individuals had to endure at this time, labor unions started speaking up and organizing strikes to protest the poor working conditions. Numerous strikes became violent and resulted in the death of some, such as the Haymarket Riot of 1886 in Chicago. The first Labor Day parade that was held in the US was on September 5, 1882. On this day 10,000 workers took an unpaid day off and marched from City Hall to Union Square. It would take more than these rallies and parades however to catch the attention of the US government.
According to history.com, twelve years later, “On June 26, the American Railroad Union, led by Eugene V. Debs, called for a boycott of all Pullman railway cars, crippling railroad traffic nationwide. To break the strike, the federal government dispatched troops to Chicago, unleashing a wave of riots that resulted in the deaths of more than a dozen workers. In the wake of this massive unrest and in an attempt to repair ties with American workers, Congress passed an act making Labor Day a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.” Despite the rich history of this holiday the true founder of Labor Day has yet to be determined.
The United States Department of Labor talks briefly about who could be the founder of Labor Day. Some believe that Peter J. McGuire was the first to suggest the holiday. Peter McGuire was General Secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a cofounder of the American Federation of Labor. In regards to the celebration of workers to mark this holiday, he stated, “who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold." Others believe that Matthew Maguire, a machinist, later the Secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists, as well as Secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York, was the first to suggest the holiday in 1882. I guess we are left to decide for ourselves who the true founder of Labor Day is.
I know that there are countless persons out there who labor day in and day out and are shown little gratitude for what they do, or perhaps see little compensation. Please know that everyone here at Professional Choice Insurance is grateful for all those who make an effort for what they have. Employment is earned and hard work should be expected, it should not be an entitlement. All that we have becomes more significant and consequential to us if we earned it by the sweat of our own brow.
Today is a day to celebrate, which means lots of parties and bbq’s. Please make sure before going out today that you have quality California Home Insurance, California Auto Insurance and California Health Insurance policies. The bbq can be dangerous and if you have a lot of friends over you want to make sure your home is covered as well as yourself. On the road others may not be as safe as all of us would hope for and you want to make sure your car and more importantly you, have the coverage that is necessary. Call us today for a free California Insurance quote. From everyone at Professional Choice Insurance, we hope you are having a very fun and safe Labor Day holiday!!!
