September 6, 2021 is Labor Day: Day of rest marks 139th birthday

This past year has been a challenging one for Americans. Employees across the nation had to deal with the stress of the pandemic along with the closure of businesses, offices, and schools.

Workers in all industries have shown exceptional flexibility and dedication in implementing public health measures, including physical distancing, wearing a mask, and sanitizing hands and surfaces, among others. Many had to adapt to working from home, and others were forced to change their schedule to meet increasing or decreasing workloads.

Work was a dirty, muscle-straining business in the 1880s. Vacations were rare and days of rest were few. Between the 4th of July and Thanksgiving, people worked six or seven days a week without a break.

The idea of a holiday during this period grew out of a celebration in honor of the working class by the Knights of Labor in 1882, 139 years ago. We really don’t know if many people took the day off in that year, but two years later, they did. The Knights held a big Labor Day parade in New York City in 1884 and passed a resolution to hold future parades on the first Monday in September.

That’s how it all began.

The age of machinery and computers has made work less physically taxing. But we still need a Labor Day, maybe as much or more than ever before. There are a lot of jobs that require hard physical work, and those that don’t, still tax a person in other ways.

Today, in the 139th year since the Labor Day idea was born, we encourage all to have a pleasant, safe, and restful weekend. You deserve it. We all do.

Thank you for your good work since last year at this time. Your exceptional adaptability, resilience, and hard work deserve to be highlighted this year. As employers in the region, we would like to honor all workers and express our sincere gratitude to them. Thank you to all our employees.