OUR VIEW: A Somber Labor Day for America

A quick look at the website of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (bls.gov) provides an unsavory snapshot:

Unemployment stands at 9.6 percent, payroll employment was down 131,000 as of July and productivity was down 1.8 percent while unit labor costs increased 1.1 percent in the second quarter of 2010.

Government employment fell, as 114,000 temporary workers hired for the decennial census completed their work.

An alternate measure of unemployment, one that includes discouraged workers no longer actively seeking jobs and part-time workers who want full-time jobs, increased to 16.7 percent in August from 16.5 percent in July.

Officially declared a national holiday by Congress in 1894, Labor Day is an outgrowth of the labor movement of the late 19th century. In those days, workers generally put in much more than the 40-hour, five-day work weeks we have come to think of as standard, so a holiday to honor workers was a welcome break in the routine.

We arrive at Labor Day 2010 with far too many Americans having the day off not in celebration but because they are without employment.

According to the Labor Department, the day is intended to be “a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.” Many have come to treat the three-day weekend as the final fling of summer, but this year not as many will be as far-flung.

The stagnant state of our economy has put a damper on such road trips, with many families opting to stay home this year despite Wednesday’s announcement from the Energy Department that gasoline prices are at their second-lowest level in five years. The good news, reported by Charles Wallace on dailyfinance.com, is “some economists predict that (fuel prices) could drop much further in the months ahead.”

As you take time today to finish off the last of those summer projects, fire up the grill one more time or just put your feet up for a day free of spreadsheets, bosses’ demands and deadlines, consider those who have fallen victim to our current economic crunch.

While Labor Day’s origins are as a celebration of workers’ contributions, this year it might be fitting to treat it as a celebration that you have those daily workplace demands to face.

Many people would gladly trade places with you.

— From the The Sedalia Democrat, a Freedom Communications newspaper