Labor Day

Long History of Hard Work

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Happy Labor Day! I’m not writing a long post today, but I wanted to take a moment to remember and solute the reason for celebrating Labor Day. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, “Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.”  Not to toot our own horn, but I think we have a lot to celebrate.

Quiet steel Mills

Historic Johnstown steel mills helped build America

For generation after generation, Americans and those who have made America home, have worked hard and build something out of nothing. New technology was created to make things easier and help improve our way of life. (I know that at least one of my ones of readers is thinking about the harm to the environment – I’m not necessarily disagreeing, but I am that’s not the focus of the post.) I’m proud to say that my family has been a part of that story for a very long time.

I come from a long line of steel workers, and coal miners, and farmers, and women working inside and outside the home. The story of American Laborers is my story. I am proud to say that I have iron and coal dust in my veins. The people who helped build the United States built my family tree.

While I may not work in a mill, or a mine, or field, I try to live up to the work ethic of those who came before me. I work hard to take care of my family and continue the story they started.

So, thank you to all of those who helped build the country I love. Thank you to those who continue that work.

Blue Collar Labor Day

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gautier steel mill

gautier steel mill (Photo credit: macwagen)

I come from a long line of steel mill workers, assemblers, miners and other manners of true blue collars. Generation after generation working their way through the ranks at the unions. A few became “White Hats” (supervisors) along the way. These were men and women who worked hard their whole lives. Most of them didn’t finish high school — they dropped out help support their families. They were and are tough. I cannot be prouder to continue their legacy.

Labor Day has become about the end of summer. About parties, and pools and picnics. It used to be a little more about the men and women whose blood and sweat literary built the United States. The people who died in dangerous jobs to create a better world. To remember and honor those who fought for safer work environments and to establish the laws we take for granted today.

This Labor Day I want to thank the people out there doing the tough jobs I couldn’t do. Thank you to the people fighting for workplace safety and equality and making sure the laws are followed. Thank you to anyone whoever put in a hard days work on the production line, or down in the pit, and thought that what you did didn’t matter. . .

You see, it did matter. Because if it weren’t for my mom and dad, and my aunts and uncles, and my grandmothers grandfathers, and my great-grandmothers and great-grandfathers who worked those same lines I wouldn’t have been able to go to college. I wouldn’t have been able to learn video production or to tell stories the way I do.

Thank you to everyone who helped build the United States of America figuratively and literally.