Labor Day is here. I was a Labor Relations major in college. I learned of how unions work, negotiate, and do battle. The confrontations between labor organizers and companies has a violent history on both sides. My grandfather was a union official in Denver Colorado. My father was a business owner in Seattle Washington. They loved each other but there was no agreement ever as to labor/ management relationships. I offer up that from the early 1900s to mid 1950s unions were instrumental in protecting worker’s rights and safety. Think of the United Mine Workers as an example. Unions can be part of the problem too with unneeded strikes and destruction of business property. Let’s do a little history check.

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.

It had started when the Pullman Palace Car Company lowered wages without lowering rents in the company town, also called Pullman. (It’s now part of Chicago.) When angry workers complained, the owner, George Pullman, had them fired. They decided to strike, and other workers for the American Railway Union, led by the firebrand activist Eugene V. Debs, joined the action. They refused to handle Pullman cars, bringing freight and passenger traffic to a halt around Chicago. Tens of thousands of workers walked off the job, wildcat strikes broke out, and angry crowds were met with live fire from the authorities. During the crisis, President Grover Cleveland signed a bill into law on June 28, 1894, declaring Labor Day a national holiday. Some historians say he was afraid of losing the support of working-class voters.

So while we grill today and watch sports on TV, remember that this day off is based on lifetimes of blood and sweat.