Like nearly every other American holiday, Labor Day means a day of respite, a day to disconnect from the grind, a day of our own making. A small number among us will set aside a few minutes to ponder the meaning of Labor Day.
For most of us, Labor Day is the perfect day to purchase new furniture, a new car or take advantage of last-minute sales. It is the last day of summer activities and the perfect day for a picnic or BBQ. While all of those may very well be true, the holiday is a product of some of our darkest days in America – a culmination of the best and worst of times – that have enabled the middle class to have a better life.
The short history of Labor Day
More than 100 years ago a group of men led a strike against the Pullman Palace Car Company. They sought lowered rents on company-owned houses after their wages were cut. There is some debate as to whether the strike was successful. No, they didn’t achieve their desired results, but, 100 years later myself and others are writing editorials about them.
There is a considerable amount of debate around the Pullman Strike. Was it necessary? Did the strikers have the legal right to strike? But, in the end, 30 men and four federal soldiers lost their lives. The men were standing against what they saw as corporate greed. Their legacy and the legacy of other strikers that followed is one of reverence for the laborer.
The last 100 years
Since that time, our nation has enacted numerous reforms on everything from unsafe working conditions to child labor laws. We no longer have children as young as 10 working 14-hour days in coal mines. We have mandated everything from harnesses and hard hats to lunches, breaks and a 40-hour workweek.
For those with a curiosity about the past or wonder just how bad it really was, I suggest a short road trip. This month a museum in Kingfisher will host an exhibit of 25 photos depicting the working conditions of children in the 1920s. This isn’t about the conditions that you and I or even our fathers worked through. This isn’t the stuff of fast food and newspaper routes. These photos are the kind of stuff that Upton Sinclair wrote about. Congress responded to this with the establishment of what is now the Food and Drug Administration.
The next 100 years
I don’t believe the American system is perfect. I don’t believe any system is perfect. But, we have it better than many of our peers around the world. In addition, there is no doubt that we have it better than our fathers and grandfathers.
If history has taught us anything, it is that things change. Progress is made even if at a slower pace than we desire. In the coming years, our nation will continue to grapple with the following: workplace discrimination, equality in pay, increases in benefits and compensation, and a host of other issues.
Senator Marco Rubio said, “No economic system is perfect. But the American Free Enterprise system has empowered millions of people in the past. I know, because I saw it with my own eyes.” There isn’t any country I would rather hang my hat in; nor is there any land other than the great southwest Oklaho- ma that I would rather plant my boots.
Most editorials are a plea to the reader to call on your elected leaders and demand action. This week isn’t that simple.
Instead, I want to ask something different of you, this week. After you have cleaned out the coals in the grill, drained the pool and taken advantage of all the sales, take just a minute to reflect on the holiday.