Happy Labor Day!

Like many Americans, I had yesterday off to celebrate Labor Day. Labor Day is, of course, the day we get off on the first Monday in September to celebrate our nation’s dogged work ethic – not to be confused with the state holidays in January (Martin Luther King Jr. Day), February (President’s Day), May (Memorial Day), July (Independence Day), October (Columbus Day), November (Veteran’s Day and Thanksgiving), or December (Christmas). And if you’re in Massachusetts, you also have Evacuation Day in March, Patriots Day in April, and Bunker Hill Day in June.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor – and you’d think they’d be an authority on the topic – Labor Day was started by either Peter J. McGuire or Matthew Maguire, depending on which records you believe. As you might expect from someone who came up with an idea that involved a day off of work, both were organized labor leaders. Labor Day started on September 5, 1882 in New York City with a picnic and demonstration, leading to a long tradition of parades and barbecues.

Luckily, the SEIU engaged in a Take Back Labor Day campaign - to make sure we all knew the true meaning of Labor Day/hold concerts and advocate for their membership dues-funded political agenda. (No word on whether or not anyone was visited by the ghosts of Cesar Chavez, Jimmy Hoffa, and Samuel Gompers.)

Organized Labor, what are you cooking up to make my life better next? New and Improved Democracy! Every so often, organized labor dredges up the Employee Free Choice Act, which allows bosses to peak over workers’ shoulders on unionization votes. After all, we all know real democracy depends on transparency.

As an aside, I spent my Labor Day weekend at my parents’ house. While there, I fixed a sink, which means I proudly took work away from a unionized plumber who probably would have charged an arm and a leg in parts, labor, etc. I worked for ice cream.