A moment to recognize the people who make it happen.

Labor Day became a federal holiday in 1894 at a time when factory workers were at their jobs almost 100 hours a week.  Union labor movements fought to provide a shorter work week, more sanitary conditions, and better pay.  It was a hard-fought battle that included strikes, riots, and deaths of law enforcement as well as protesters. 

Today we enjoy a long weekend, but like any benefit, this holiday came at a price. It seems natural to appreciate the people who earn an hourly wage – who deliver supplies, toil in assembly lines, or work on construction sites. That wasn’t always the case. In the nineteenth century we turned a blind eye to their plight. 

This weekend, let’s pause the end-of-summer-back-to-school festivities for a moment to remember the long struggles for workers to earn a fair wage, get overtime pay, cut back to 40 hours/week, and limit child labor to age 14. 

We especially appreciate our craft people on project sites who pour concrete, frame buildings, apply the skin, and install the complex mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems – the list is too long to mention the 40 plus trades it takes to put a building together. 

To these workers, this Labor Day, we celebrate you!  Thank you for your skill and hard work. We couldn’t do it without you. 

–John L. Tocci