A better place for all

To appreciate next Monday, Sept. 4, it might be good to hop into a time machine and return to the 1880s and the Industrial Revolution in America.

If you happened to be unlucky enough to have just arrived in the U.S., you would probably have found it hard to land a job. And if you did land a job in a factory, you might be forced to work 12-hour days, seven days a week and have your children join you to make ends meet.

The working conditions weren’t good back then, to say the least.

People took notice. And they took action.

The fine state of Oregon was the first to pass legislation recognizing Labor Day. That happened on Feb. 21, 1887. More states followed Oregon’s lead.

There were strikes and rallies. And there was violence, including in Chicago, where several police and workers were killed in what is called the Pullman Strike.

By 1895, President Grover Cleveland had made Labor Day a federal holiday after one deadly strike had ended.

Interesting how that tragedy has been commercialized over the years in America.

Now, what are we celebrating?

Today, we think of Labor Day as a day that gives us a three-day holiday, Labor Day sales, a time to go shopping, Labor Day barbecues and Labor Day as the last holiday before we send the kids off to school.

We ought to remember Labor Day for what it is – a time to recognize American workers and their labors.

To appreciate next Monday, Sept. 4, 2017, don’t just enjoy the day off, swill beer and flip burgers; take a moment to think about how life has changed in America since the days men, women and children toiled 12-hour days, seven days a week in factories.

Let’s not take that time machine back to the 1880s.

Let’s thank those right here and now who are working hard to make America a better place for all.

All. Not just some.

– Allison Arthur