Happy Labor Day!

http://www.dol.gov/opa/aboutdol/laborday.htm
The History of Labor Day

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, 1883.

In 1884 the first Monday in September was selected as the holiday, as originally proposed, and the Central Labor Union urged similar organizations in other cities to follow the example of New York and celebrate a "workingmen's holiday" on that date. The idea spread with the growth of labor organizations, and in 1885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers of the country.

Labor Day 2011 from DoL

Labor Day History
Pieces of History: A Different View of Labor Day and Labor Icons
Looking back at Labor Day in photos

Tools & Resources

Download our mobile apps, find resources that are available to assist you in your job search, and join our app development challenge.

Accomplishments

Read special reports about the labor force in the recovery and track DOL investment in states and territories.

In the News

Find out where Labor Day is in the news through TV appearances, opinion and editorial items, and articles.

http://www.scholarsandrogues.com/2011/0 ... ellencamp/
Happy Labor Day: S&R salutes the American worker with selections from Whitman, Springsteen and Mellencamp
Posted on September 5, 2011 by Samuel Smith

America became the greatest nation on the planet for a period of time thanks to its workers, not its CEOs or its bankers. Our character is defined by our Main Streets, not Wall St. And you never heard of a Protestant management ethic, did you?

Today S&R honors the worker, and we begin with Walt Whitman’s “I Hear America Singing.”

I HEAR America singing, the varied carols I hear;
Those of mechanics—each one singing his, as it should be, blithe and strong;
The carpenter singing his, as he measures his plank or beam,
The mason singing his, as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work;
The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat—the deckhand singing on the steamboat deck; 5
The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench—the hatter singing as he stands;
The wood-cutter’s song—the ploughboy’s, on his way in the morning, or at the noon intermission, or at sundown;
The delicious singing of the mother—or of the young wife at work—or of the girl sewing or washing—Each singing what belongs to her, and to none else;
The day what belongs to the day—At night, the party of young fellows, robust, friendly,
Singing, with open mouths, their strong melodious songs.

Bruce Springsteen, who early on in his career was one of the most powerful working class voices our popular culture had ever heard, sings about the “Factory.”
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John Mellencamp, the Springsteen of the Midwest, speaks for the farmer.
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Another year, another awesome Labor Day weekend - have a fantastic one everyone!