What Did You Do on Labor Day?

Well, I hope you had a wonderful 3-day weekend and enjoyed the Labor Day. I, like many Americans, celebrated Labor Day by having a few friends over for a pool party, a scrumptious BBQ and lots of drinks. Unfortunately, we never talked about Labor Day and the reason for our gathering.

As I mentioned in my 4^th of July blog, it seems our summer holidays are mostly celebrated with some water activities by the pool, the lake, or the beach accompanied with big BBQ and drinks. In addition, we spend some of our Labor Day weekend in the malls enjoying huge “sales” on stuff that perhaps we really don’t need.

The true meaning of these holidays are starting to fade and there is less of the tradition that’s being passed on to the next generation.

Labor Day was established in 1894 by Congress and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

So are we truly celebrating the contributions of the workers that have made this country so prosperous? I don’t think that by dipping in the water and having hot dogs and burgers we are appropriately honoring them. Also, I don’t think we are honoring them by making them work extra-long hours on Labor Day so we can enjoy a big shopping day at the mall.

Maybe a better way to celebrate their contributions is to recognize and appreciate their hard work at the work place. Maybe on the Friday before the Labor Day weekend, we all should take the time to recognize our team members and thank them for their accomplishments. Maybe we should have our BBQ celebrations on the same day at work, and publicly recognize their efforts. Maybe the stores don’t have to be open long hours and can shorten their shifts so the workers get some well-deserved time off. Maybe we should publicize and talk more about the workers’ productivity and teach our children about it. Maybe we should take pride in how our labor force and their productivity has made this country as one of the top performing economies in the world.

And maybe we should consider to call it something more positive than Labor Day when discussing it. Workers Day? Workforce Day? Employees Day? Team Members Day? Appreciation Day? Recognition Day?

I guess it doesn't matter what we call it as long we don’t forget about its true meaning and what it has done for us and our country.