Labor Day

This is Labor Day weekend and I googled it to find it's origins. It was a product of the labor movement and first celebrated as a workingman's holiday in 1882 in New York.

I believe labor day has lost it's original meaning. It is more simply the last weekend of summer. It marks the start of the school year for most young people. It is the last day of our state fair. The last three day weekend to enjoy a trip "up north".

I don't think many of us remember the struggles of working men to get a decent days pay in a safe environment. One thing I do know, my profession of nursing, while not a typical labor job, benefited from becoming organized. When I was a new nurse the job did not pay enough to support a family. It did not pay enough for a nurse to live without sharing an apartment with several others and still own a car. With global economies things have changed. Who would have thought that medical care could be outsourced? People now combine travel with pursuit of cheaper surgery in India and Asia. Many senior citizens get dental care at border clinics in Mexico. Hopefully, we will not go the way of Ford and GM while competing with medical professionals in the world who were trained in the USA.