The Mysterious Holiday

Everybody complains that we have lost the meaning of certain holidays.

But I think most of them are reasonably clear.

Christmas is about the birth of Christ, and Easter is about his death and resurrection.  Yes, there is some Winter Solstice and Spring ritual stuff thrown in, Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, but I think we're clear on the holiday's intent, in both cases.

Valentine's Day is a celebration of love, and a way to demonstrate affection to new love, and to long-time, enduring loves.

Martin Luther King's Day is a recognition of the progress on civil rights in this country and a celebration of the power of non-violence in the cause of social justice.

Memorial Day is about the sacrifice our soldiers have made throughout the years.  It grew out of African Americans around Charleston (I believe) honoring the Union war dead, who had given their lives in the cause that would free them.  It has grown to encompass all the military dead, and veterans and soldiers in general.

The Fourth of July is about the founding of this country and our Declaration of Independence from England.  There is a lot on this holiday also about our troops and the sacrifices they have made to obtain and maintain our freedoms.

Veterans Day is a recognition of those who served in the military and the sacrifices they have made to defend our freedoms.

Labor Day, of course, is about the end of summer and cookouts and the last big trip to the beach.  There is some vague notion that it is about work (hey! Labor...duh!), but mostly as a source of jokes that on "Labor" Day, we have the day off.  The fact that it's a celebration of the progress in the workplace that we enjoy due to the hard work of unions and organizing is virtually completely lost or utterly minimized.

But please, take a brief moment anyway.

If you enjoy the 40-hour workweek, take a moment to thank the unions.

If you like getting overtime, take a moment to thank the unions.

If you like having vacations or personal time, take a moment to thank the unions.

If you like having benefits at work, such as health care or a pension plan, take a moment to thank the unions.

If you are grateful that nine-year-olds aren't working in coal mills or textile mills, or other places twelve to eighteen hours a day, take a moment to thank the unions.

If you like a safer workplace, take a moment to thank the unions.

If you like being paid a decent wage, take a moment to thank a union.

If you think these things are being eroded away, do not blame the unions.  Blame yourself, for buying into the cultural zeitgeist that vilifies them and diminishes their importance.  Without their countervailing influence, things will get worse for workers, not better.

Unions can do horrible things (Jimmy Hoffa, anyone?).  They have to be checked and balanced, just like everything else in American society.  But that does not mean they should be muzzled and eliminated.

And the fact that the benefits they have won for American workers are being eroded puts a lie to the propaganda that unions were needed in the past, but they are not needed now. It is a never-ending battle, and surrender is not an option.

It is not enough to talk about the dignity and importance of Labor and the American Worker.  That dignity must be fought for and earned every day.

Please, remember the power and love of Christ.  Celebrate love.  Cherish our progress in civil rights.  Honor the founding of this country.  God bless the troops.  And God bless the American Worker, and the unions who have fought so hard to recognize and enhance their dignity.