Another Labor Day is upon us!  Many of us will be gathering again with family and friends to say so long to the dog days of summer and get ready to usher in another fall.  Yes, the last big hurrah to a wonderful summer will be celebrated with togetherness, around the grill. 

The Labor Day celebration started as a parade to honor the working class, and to spend time with family and friends.  It has now become a tradition in the modern U.S. workforce. Why is Labor Day important and why the celebration?  Labor Day, as we know it grew from the hard work of labor unions more than a century ago, originating from the idea of Peter J. McGuire, (Co-founder of the American Federation of Labor) and Matthew Maguire, (Secretary of the Central Labor Union, NY).  In 1887, New York and Oregon led the way to make the Labor Day holiday official and in 1894 Congress passed the act to make the first Monday in September of each year the day we celebrate.

Labor is not just the other half in labor-management.  Labor unions are the negotiators and watchdogs for the American workforce.  Collective bargaining is bargaining for employee’s fair wages and respectable working conditions.  “Labor” is not only applied to the holiday today, it is associated with professional unions, federal unions, and even in academic departments in colleges and universities. 

So, enjoy your holiday, because you deserve it for your role in today’s Veteran Affairs’ workforce.   This holiday reflects your hard work, dedication, and caring for our veterans.  Have a safe weekend and I hope you enjoy the extra time with family, friends, and neighbors, but let us not forget our veterans who are abroad, and hope that they will be able to be home soon.