There was an article on the internet by the Atlantic Magazine about how Labor Day was established and it was quite interesting. Labor Day was meant to honor not just the individual worker, but what workers accomplished together through activism and organizing. Labor Day in the 1880s was in many cities more like a general strike than a leisurely day off. But unions and the labor movement played a vital role in the creation of this holiday. They fought for fair wages and to improve working conditions, as is well known, but its political efforts was what transformed American society. Organized labor fought against child labor and for the eight-hour workday and the New Deal, which gave us Social Security and unemployment insurance. Labor Day began, not as a national holiday, but in the streets, when, on September 5, 1882, thousands of bricklayers, printers, blacksmiths, railroad men, and others took a day off and marched in New York City. “Eight Hours for Work, Eight Hours for Rest, Eight Hours for What We Will” read one sign. “Labor creates all wealth,” read another. The movement for the holiday grew city by city and eventually President Grover Cleveland made it an official national holiday in 1894 to appease the workers after a huge Pullman Strike. The labor movement’s foundational values of self-determination is what makes Labor Day a typical American celebration, and it shows how when we fight for what we believe, we always win. (A reminder that there will be another prayer conference call like last Monday at 8:30 am central time. You can also hear it on your computer or phone at tv.emic.org. or phone in at 515-739-1539, access code 275432#.)