by Carol Fisher-Linn
Eat your fill of hot dogs and put away those whites.
Let’s first solve the “Why?” about wearing white after Labor Day. Emily Post (American authority on social behavior called the social propriety shots for all of us into the late 1950’s) declared that wearing white meant you were on vacation, in summer holiday mode. Since September marks back to school time, holidays are over, and whites get packed away. Mystery solved.
There is also tradition about your favorite summer food. According to bestlifeonline.com, Labor Day is the unofficial end of hot dog season. The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council says that between Memorial Day and Labor Day, Americans will eat 7 billion hot dogs. Couldn’t find an official fall season food, but there are always hot chicken wings with bleu cheese, hot mulled cider, pumpkin pie, pot roast, and hot chocolate. What are your fall comfort food favorites?
As much as we love summer, fall has an unrivaled deliciousness about it that summer can’t compete with. There are those comfort foods, but there are also the cozy bulky sweaters, corduroys and blazers, real shoes and warm woolen socks, rich colors surrounding us in our hills, the crisp air, an abundance of veggies in every town square, the warmth of a good bourbon or scotch trickling down our throats in front of a roaring fire, and the camaraderie in closer quarters as we gather indoors as the weather changes.
(usually 3 days with a 4-hour catchup during the week), it was not so in the late 1800’s. America workers were regularly working 12 hours a day, 6 or 7 days a
week, with children as young as 5 and 6. They were working in dangerous mines, mills, and factories. (Read The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair). 3) There is also
tradition about your favorite summer food. According to bestlifeonline.com, Labor Day is the unofficial end of hot dog season. The National Hot Dog and Sausage
Council says that between Memorial Day and Labor Day, Americans will eat 7 billion hot dogs. 4) Emily Post (American authority on social behavior called
the social propriety shots for all of us into the late 1950’s) declared that wearing white meant you were on vacation, in summer holiday mode. Since September
marks back to school time, holidays are over, and whites get packed away. Mystery solved. (BUT YOU CAN ALWAYS DRINK WHITE AFTER LABOR DAY.)
But can we get serious for a few moments to really grasp what this holiday is all about? Let’s travel back to September 5, 1882. From old photos, it looks like it as a perfect day for a parade. About 20,000 people showed up for the event and it was estimated that about half of them – 10,000 workers – took UNPAID leave to march in the very first Labor Day parade in America from Union Square to NY’s City Hall. It is said that a lot of beer was involved. Some things never change. You see, although a twelve-hour day may be more common in 2023, (usually 3 days with a 4-hour catchup during the week), it was not so in the late 1800’s. America workers were regularly working 12 hours a day, 6 or 7 days a week, with children as young as 5 and 6. They were working in dangerous mines, mills, and factories. (Read The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair).
Now, you might love the unions or hate them, but almost 150 years ago, they saved lives and improved conditions for the working folk, and for America. So, in September 1882, the unions of New York City decided to have a parade to celebrate their union members, and to show support for all unions. This holiday emerged out of the labor movement and the idea quickly spread across the U.S. (Labor Department, Library of Congress). That NYC parade inspired other states to follow suit. President Grover Cleveland signed an act in 1894 establishing the federal holiday; most states had already passed laws establishing a Labor Day holiday. Parades were the norm in those days. Today, celebrations take place more in neighborhood yards and community parks.
Union popularity has ebbed and flowed. In 1884, there were about 300,000 union members in the workforce (50+ million total residents – 38 states). By the mid 50’s unions had organized one out of every 3 non-farm workers in America. They were at their peak. By 1983 there were 17.7 million members and by 2017 there were 14.8 million. Union workers on average have higher earnings than their non-union counterparts, with union employees averaging $1,216 per week as compared to $1,029 for non-union workers. (National Law review) Today, the largest union is National Education Association of the United States (NEA) – 3,002,516 members.
Thanks to American labor, the nation’s standard of living is raised and accounts for roughly 16.6% of global manufacturing (China 28% – we moved to #2 position in 2010}, and its output is valued at $1.8 trillion. It is only fitting that America pays tribute on Labor Day to the American workers who give America strength, freedom, and leadership.
BTW: If all this doesn’t give you enough reason to celebrate Labor Day, remember that it also marks the beginning of the NFL season. Go Bills!