Salute to American Workers on Labor Day

By: Joe Mauricio

 

Labor Day has always been referred to traditionally as a joyful official holiday, marking the lazy days of summer slipping away. We watch scenarios of swimming pools closing, grandparents saying goodbye to visiting/vacationing grandchildren until the harvest holidays of Thanksgiving, Christmas or Hanukkah, parents hurrying up to pack/unpack for planned vacation, or rushing to buy the essentials needed before schools starts. This is the time that we witness the days growing shorter, and soon leaves to begin falling to welcome the colorful autumn season. The boys of summer baseball wrap- up the season until next year’s games; to be replaced by the exhilarating excitement of high school, college, and professional football season that beckons to the lovers of this great American sport.

Dramatic changes have happened in 2020, affecting our many events and celebrations due to the Covid-19 pandemic, including the Labor Day holiday. The festivities seen, observed and enjoyed in the forms of parades, picnics, parties and fireworks have mostly disappeared as ruined by the devastating pandemic. And, many Labor Day 2020 celebrators have been subjected in observing the new normal to wearing a mask and 6-feet distancing rule.

Labor Day has been a part of our heritage since the late 1900’s when it was created by the labor movement and became a federal holiday in 1894. It pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers and is traditionally observed on the first Monday in September, thus giving many working population a fun extension of a long three-day weekend.

Although the modern times of our so-called LABOR has been replaced by technological and scientific advancements, mostly in the computer field, our life in America can still be described as “a lot of work,” regardless of any chosen profession or work that we do. This month, on September 7, 2020, we pause to honor American workers, those who have built this country’s infrastructure, those who contributed to bettering our society, and those who faithfully do their jobs for the sake of our country.