The People's Day

So it’s Labor Day. This is my favorite holiday, though that isn’t saying much, since I don’t really like any of the others particularly. But Labor Day is my day; for the good Socialist it’s like Christmas and Thanksgiving and Easter all rolled into one .

Most people don’t even really think about what Labor Day is all about, because Charlie Brown never had a special with Linus walking on stage to give a speech about the true meaning of Labor Day. Most folks just get drunk and have cookouts and ogle people wearing revealing clothes for just about the last time 'til spring. When I was younger this bothered me a little bit, kinda the way the born-agains get mad over Santa Claus. Veterans complain that no one remembers them on Memorial Day, and I suppose I wanted something similar to bitch about. I mean, why isn’t everyone singing the praises of Eugene Debs and Big Bill Haywood and Mother Jones?

But I’ve evened out on that some as I’ve gotten older. The principal reason for this is that, after years of reflection on the history of organized labor in this country, I’ve come to realize that our Labor Day activities really do honor the day properly. In order to explain why, I’ll have to tell you the story of Labor Day. I promise to keep it short.

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The struggles of organized labor began in force in the 19th century, and it was (and remains) a long and bloody struggle. Every gain that was made by American workers was the result of a desperate fight, every day, step by step, and gradually the workers started to make progress (things like weekends, pensions, and workplace safety rules) and increase their bargaining power and political protection. Still, they had such a long way to go. They felt that they needed something, not only to recognize the steps forward that the movement had been able to take, but to grab the attention of American workers and rally people to the cause for all the work still undone.

Some clever boy (I don’t know who; actually, it might have been a clever girl) had the brilliant idea of calling a general one-day work stoppage. It seemed a little bit crazy at first, effectively striking without any demands, but the idea spread and had broad appeal among the laboring class. So, the leadership of various organizations got together and decided to go ahead with the idea. They settled on the first Monday in September as the target date.

I don’t think management took all this talk very seriously. But on that first Monday, back in 1882, thousands and thousands of workers just plain didn’t show up at their factories or their shipyards or wherever. The Central Labor Union in New York had arranged a picnic and demonstration. A huge crowd of workers gathered and the meeting turned into an impromptu parade through Manhattan, stopping outside the houses of the great capitalist families, like the Astors. A wonderful time was had by all; I imagine the mood was something like that at the first Thanksgiving.

The whole thing went so well that someone suggested they do it again the following year. And it went well again, and they did it the year after that. It caught on all over the country; by 1885 most of the nation's industrial centers observed the holiday. Every year they did it, and every year the number of workers taking the day off grew and grew, until American industry found itself crippled on the first Monday of each September.

Finally, Congress (which as a body would much rather follow than lead) decided to give official notice to this new tradition, and in 1894 they declared that the first Monday every September would be Labor Day, a Federal holiday (a few states had already recognized the day). Once the holiday was codified, most industries followed suit, and they got to feel very good about themselves, because they were being so nice to the workers, giving them a day off and all.

But nobody gave these workers this holiday. They took it. For the first and only time in American history, the people gave themselves a holiday. And the original proposal for the holiday talked about how it should be observed: a street parade to exhibit to the public "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations" of the community, followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of the workers and their families. [A big thanks to the Department of Labor for some of this information.]

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So, that’s where Labor Day came from. And if you want to know how best to celebrate the day, do it by doing whatever you want to do. Go to the beach, go to the movies, get stoned, make love. Hang out with your friends, catch a show, take a long drive through the countryside or a hike in the mountains. Rampage in the park with a bottle of wine and a frisbee. Drink whiskey and eat lots of good food, or just fucking sleep all day. What ever you feel like doing, do it, and make sure you're frivolous and stupid about it. This is your day, the day of the American worker, and the way to honor it and the men and women who fought and suffered and died to give you this day, and the rights you enjoy which are represented by this day, is to enjoy yourself. That was, in fact, their intention.

Me, I’m gonna sleep ‘til about four, and then I’m gonna make myself one of my special shrimp pizzas, and then I’m heading for the bars. And my first drink will be to those who came before and made all my joys and freedoms possible. And then I'll have a whole lot more drinks, and celebrate my day, our day, in the manner that suits me best. And really, I'm pretty sure that's all they'd want in their honor.