Labor Day is celebrated around the world in many different forms and on many different dates.  Today is the first Monday in September and today is when we here in America celebrate Labor Day.  For many, this represents the end of summer so many people (sober and drunk alike) flock to any activity dealing with summertime for that final “Hurrah!!!”  Today I will be spending time with my family cooking hotdogs and hamburgers on a grill.  Yum!

Many will celebrate today and may not even know why.  Personally, I was not sure what Labor Day was other than the obvious holiday designation.  I knew it had something to do with the labor movement but not the details.  So I turned, like anyone would, to Labor Day – Wikipedia to fill me in.

It honors the American labor movement and the contributions that workers have made to the strength, prosperity, laws, and well-being of the country.

FYI:  Normally I tell my students Wikipedia is a horrible source to quote in any document, I think in this case its ok for a good strong overview of the history of Labor Day.

As we take a moment to reflect on why we celebrate Labor Day, especially in today’s political environment, we should keep in mind one particular source of the holiday.  The Labor Movement was formed in the late 19th century to protect and look out for the interests of the employee.  Two things I believe we have lost over the years:  customer service and respect for the employee.  One place this can be seen is the education industry.  Teachers tend to be asked for the world but provided a grain of salt to achieve it.  Then, when unsuccessful, they are berated and chastised.  I am sure you, regardless of the industry you serve, can think of examples where respect for the employee has become the mythical unicorn farting rainbows.  Maybe its time we had a resurgence of the labor movement.  Workers are the foundation of all products and services that we all enjoy, why should we not care for them?

I tip my hat today to anyone who works as an employee contributing to the strength, prosperity, laws, and well-being of the country.

For my labor day weekend water activity, we went kayaking on Saturday to a busy recreational lake.  It was a beautiful day and fun was had by all.  I am proud to say we faired the speed boats, pontoons, and jet skis just fine.  We bobbed and played in the wakes and never worried about getting squished.