Other than punctuating the end of summer, Labor Day has for many lacked meaning associated with other holidays. Properly understood, it is the holiday that celebrates not only labor, but also the ideas, job creators, and institutions central to the flourishing of the United States and its people.
Colonial America certainly benefited from the fact that early settlers were a self-selecting people willing to cross a dangerous ocean and start life over in the new world. Because they were tough, willing to sacrifice and take risks, these settlers were predisposed to work hard and forgo immediate gratification. The Puritans not only prospered, but within a generation or two, many of their descendants achieved surprising wealth that in many cases was created from nothing.
It was Alexis de Tocqueville, whose ever-relevant classic Democracy in America — published in 1840 — pointed out that in contrast to Europeans, Americans regard work as “positively honorable.” In part, which was attributable to Christian influence in America. The Bible makes more than 450 references to the value and importance of work — specifically referring to work as a virtue more times than it refers to other virtues, such as prayer, faith, hope, joy, forgiveness, mercy, grace, or peace. Thus, it was and still should be widely recognized that work is good for the soul and necessary to a fulfilling life with dignity and meaning.
The idea of a “Labor Day holiday” was conceived in America in the 1880s by labor union leaders who sought recognition for the accomplishments of American workers. Congress voted to establish Labor Day as a national holiday to celebrate workers’ contributions to national prosperity and well-being. But as the U.S. laborers’ standard of living rose above those in the rest of the world, the tie between Labor Day and labor unions diminished.
Labor union membership peaked as a percentage of the entire American labor force at 26% in 1953. Today, the share of workers belonging to unions hovers around 10.5%. What is striking now is union membership ratio of government workers — at about 34% — is more than five times higher than the union membership ratio of private-sector workers — at about 6.1%.
Since government produces little and is heavily unionized, while the private sector is thinly unionized and produces most of the goods and services that people want, it is natural for many to perceive that non-unionized workplaces are more highly correlated to productivity than those that are unionized. And just as the private sector economy has moved away from unionization, it is entirely appropriate to recognize the need for a broader perspective and narrative about the meaning of the Labor Day holiday.
Rediscovering America, was a #1 Amazon new release in history for eight straight weeks. Reach him at scottp@discovery.org
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