American Labor Day

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debodun said:
Will occur on Monday, September 5th this year (always the first Monday in September). Just another excuse to goof off. ;) It was not one of my favorite holidays when I was a kid. It meant school was starting soon.

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In today’s life, schools have messed up how life use to be. Now schools start in the middle of August so they can get more days off throughout the school year. My friends grandchildren seldom have a 5 day school week.

Another friend of mine has a daughter who is a senior in high school this year. Her whole first semester, she doesn’t have to go to the classroom 1 day or even for 1 period. Instead, she has one class online 3 days a week and goes to college 2 days a week. Don’t ask me what classes or anything about her schedule because I am as confused as anyone else is from the way it used to be. She was trying to explain it to me about how she doubled up on subjects the last few years so she would have an easy senior year. She wants to join the Navy as soon as she graduates.
 
Been There said:
In today’s life, schools have messed up how life use to be. Now schools start in the middle of August so they can get more days off throughout the school year. My friends grandchildren seldom have a 5 day school week.
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Maybe it's about location. When I was in school, school started the first Wednesday after Labor Day, and unless it's changed this year it's the same for my grandkids.
 
JaniceM said:
Maybe it's about location. When I was in school, school started the first Wednesday after Labor Day, and unless it's changed this year it's the same for my grandkids.
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That's about the latest that I have heard. Many schools are starting prior to Labor Day. Our local school here started this past Wednesday. I want to get out of this area. It is so overcrowded. As much as I don't like the idea of going back to Ohio, I did like that little farming community that my grandparents raised me in. Not a lot of traffic or people.
 
JaniceM said:
Maybe it's about location. When I was in school, school started the first Wednesday after Labor Day, and unless it's changed this year it's the same for my grandkids.
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Yes, I also remember Wednesday after Labor Day. Didn't you go to elementary school in NYC or am I confusing you with someone else?
 
SeniorBen said:
Labor Day grew out of the labor union movements of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. I'm going to watch a documentary about Eugene V. Debs over the weekend to learn a bit more. There are two available online.
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Those who know how hard workers had to struggle to achieve the working conditions we now enjoy also know why their efforts are celebrated, not just in US but in UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and many non English speaking countries as well. They did this against tremendous opposition and backlash from vested interests. Intimidation included ostracisation and verbal abuse at the lower end of the scale, loss of employment, bashings and even murder at the other end.

Even today unions are vilified by some and regarded as nothing more than a bunch of organised thugs. This makes me angry every time I hear a politician refer to "union bosses" in the same way that they talk about "mob bosses". The head of the ACTU* in Australia is a mild mannered woman who is extremely reasonable and who serves the members. She is their spokesperson, not the boss.

We are about to have a 2 day national skills summit to examine the crisis we are currently suffering from a shortage of skilled workers for businesses across a number of industries as well as hospitals and schools. The ACTU leader and a spokeswoman for the Business Council are both in agreement about changes to the system that are necessary and this is a good sign as far as I am concerned that the skills summit will be productive for business, workers and the economy.

*ACTU Australian Council of Trade Unions.
 
SeniorBen said:
Interesting painting. There are two families running towards the unused table — one from the top and one from the left — that look like they're about to get into a fight over who gets to have their picnic on it. Hopefully, they're not armed. There could be trouble.

Then there is a cannon pointing towards the water with two stacks of cannon balls at the ready. This park could be the site of Revolutionary War battles... perhaps on the Hudson River.

From the looks of the cars, this looks like the late '40s or early '50s
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This post prompted me to go back and really look at that picture. I wonder if it's inspired by an actual park or created from the artist's imagination. There's also what looks like some sort of watch tower. Interesting.
 
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