SEP 2, 24 .. TODAY IS.. LABOR DAY 2024..
Kit from South Dakota was our guest contributor on our Google blogspot Post yesterday. Below is the link to the Post.
https://bobbacaps.blogspot.com/2024/09/sep-1-24-labor-day-weekend-2024.html
Thanks again Kit for your contribution.
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NATIONAL DAY CALENDAR.. Is the source of all of the information on our “Days”.
LABOR DAY 2024..
Summer’s final fling has arrived. Yes it is Labor Day.
Labor Day always falls on the first Monday in September, which means it can be anywhere from September 1 through September 7. This year it’s September 2 in the U.S. and Canada. However, this is not the case for most countries — the majority of which celebrate on May 1.
Yes, most of us get the day off, but this holiday triggers mixed emotions. While summer still has 21 calendar days left, it’s time to get serious. School’s starting and there’s a sense that summer vacation is over. So what’s behind Labor Day — and how did it earn a place as a federal holiday?
Let’s take a look.
Labor Day began with violence.
On May 4, 1886 — at a time when most American laborers worked 18 or even 20 hours a day — tens of thousands of workers protested in cities all across the U.S. to demand an eight-hour workday. Police in Chicago attacked both those peaceful protests and workers planning a meeting two days later, randomly beating and shooting at the planning group and killing six. When outraged Chicagoans attended an initially peaceful protest the next evening in Haymarket Square, police advanced on the crowd again. Someone who was never identified detonated a bomb that killed a police officer, leading cops to open fire on protesters and provoke violence that led to the deaths of about a dozen workers and police.
Ironically, Chicago was also the setting for the bloody Pullman strike of 1894, which catalyzed the establishment of an official Labor Day holiday in the U.S. on the first Monday of September.
The strike happened in May in the company town of Pullman, Chicago, a factory location established by luxury railroad car manufacturer the Pullman Company. The inequality of the town was more than apparent. Company owner George Pullman lived in a mansion while most laborers stayed in barracks-style dormitories. When a nationwide depression struck in 1893, Pullman decided to cut costs the way a lot of executives at the time did — by lowering wages by almost 30% while he kept the rent on the dormitories he leased to his workers at pre-depression levels.
Labor Day Tid-Bits..
Much like Memorial Day, which marks the traditional beginning of summer, Labor Day generally signifies that the season has ended — even though the calendar says otherwise. Holiday sales, barbecues, and travel tend to rule the day, while children finally adjust to the harsh reality of the “back-to-school” season. As far as U.S. sports are concerned, Labor Day weekend signals that baseball’s pennant races have entered their final stretch, and tennis fans get an extra day to watch the season’s last Grand Slam event — the U.S. Open in New York City.
NFL regular-season games begin the week following Labor Day. 99.4% of the time, the NFL’s first official game of the season is on the Thursday following Labor Day. This year the first game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs is Thursday, September the 5th.
162 million.. the number of Americans (over 16) in the labor force.
40%.. the percentage of U.S. workers who belonged to labor unions in the 1950s (that dropped to 11% by 2018).
86%.. the percentage of Americans planning Labor Day weekend travel who will do so by car.
41%.. the percentage of Americans who plan to barbecue over Labor Day Weekend.
818.. the number of U.S. hot dogs eaten every second from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
$685.. the average child’s back-to-school expenses.
$55,000.. the median U.S. household income.
705 million.. the total number of U.S. unused vacation days (2017).
80%.. the percentage of Americans who would take time off if their boss were more supportive.
We hope all of you are having a pleasant Labor Day Weekend.
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Cap and Patti
- SEP 1, 24 .. LABOR DAY WEEKEND 2024..
- SEP 3, 24 .. LABOR DAY IS OVER.. FALLS ARE A LIFE AND DEATH MATTER..