Labor Day Unveiled: Origins & Opinions | X Talks

it's Monday September 2nd 2024 and this is another episode of X talks The Daily Show Monday through Friday where we discuss trending topics on X give you a brief background discuss I give you my opinions on it and then you drop your comments and let me know what you think now September 2nd may not seem like a significant day to most people around the world but if you're an American it's the first Monday of the month and you know what that means we're going to be talking about Labor Day that's right the National American holiday where we celebrate our unions and our history and rights to be preserved for American workers so it is trending number one on X and I thought it would no be no better time than to talk about Labor Day and give you a brief history on it it's always nice to refresh why we celebrate certain things and to keep the Traditions alive and to have an honest and open conversation about what's going on so I have pulled up here from the US Department of Labor which we all trust the government right um with the history of Labor Day so we're going to run through that real quick here so observe the first Monday in September Labor Day is an annual celebration of the social and economic achievements of American workers the holiday is rooted in the late 19th century when labor activists pushed for federal holiday to recognize the many contributions workers have made to America's strength prosperity and well-being so early adopters um before it was a federal holiday Labor Day was recognized by labor activists in individual states after Municipal ordinances were passed in 1885 and 1886 a movement developed to secure legislation New York was the first state to introduce a bill but Oregon was the first to pass the law recognizing Labor Day on February 21st 1887 during 1887 four more States Colorado Massachusetts New Jersey and New York passed laws creating a Labor Day Holiday by the end of the decade Connecticut Nebraska and Pennsylvania all followed suit by 1894 23 more States had adopted the holiday and on June 28th 1894 Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday so ready to get confused a little bit because I've read this a couple times and I'm still kind of confused Maguire versus Maguire who founded Labor Day uh who first proposed the holiday for workers it's not entirely clear but two workers can make a solid claim to the founder of Labor Day title some records show that in 1882 Peter J McGuire General Secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and joiners and a co-founder of the American Federation of Labor suggested setting aside a day for a general holiday for the laboring classes to honor those who from rude nature have delved and carved all the Grandeur we we behold but Peter McGuire's place in Labor Day history has not gone unchallenged many believe that machinist Matthew McGuire not Peter Maguire founded the holiday really they got to have the same name spelled differently competing against who created Labor Day come on recent research seems to support the contention that Matthew Maguire later the Secretary of local 344 of the International Association of machinists in Patterson New Jersey proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as Secretary of the central labor union in New York according to the New Jersey Historical Society after President Cleveland signed the law creating a National Labor Day the Patterson Morning Call published an opinion piece stating that quote the souvenir pen should go to Alderman Matthew mger of this city who's the Undisputed author of Labor Day as a holiday end quote both McGuire and Maguire attended the country's first Labor Day Parade in New York City that year I imagine that Spider-Man meme where they're both pointing at each other as the creators of Labor Day that's what I envisioned when I read that article uh the first Labor Day Parade September 5th 1882 um the first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday September 5th 1882 in New York City in accordance with the plans of the central labor union the central labor union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later uh September 5th 1883 by 1894 more 23 more States had adopted the the holiday and on June 28th 1894 president Grover Cleveland shout out Buffalo signed a law making the first Monday in September of each year a national holiday a national a nationwide holiday we're not going to read any of this that's the end of it so that's just a brief history of what the uh Labor Day holiday is all about now like I say I always like to give my opinion and kind of the counter idea so we can discuss here so with Labor Day I think with a a lot of holidays that we observe in the United States sometimes we forget the reason why we're celebrating it so you know something that I wanted to do today is talk about this because I want to we have to understand Our Roots you can't get disconnected from your country's past uh you got to take it with you the good and the bad right it's what molds us so our country's workers were treated very unfairly for a long time and this is in my opinion a necessary uh step in the evolution of our country it created the work week vacations paid time all that stuff now there are some negative aspects to labors that some argue or to unions that some argue now um so first of all political influence you know you have unions that vote party lines so some have said that unions have the pendulum has basically almost swung too far to the other other side you know we have uh situations now where we are seeing unions have a little bit too much political influence like the United Auto Workers Union for instance for instance um and also a a criticism of unions as well is that uh they create a lot of rigidity in the marketplace you know with strikes and things like that so it doesn't allow companies much flexibility uh in the way of their operations so you know if we demand a higher wage we strike company shuts down you know and they're almost at the whim of the Union so you know that's another argument against unions saying that you know they they have a little bit too much power and not everybody is in unions so the impact of being in the union versus a non-union employee can really have different benefits to the you know benefit of the Union employee but much of the Chagrin of the nonunion uh employee as well so you know I think there is a delicate balance we need to strike with unions and you know this day and age sometimes I think we get caught up in how easy we really have it you know like yes no one really wants to go to work 40 hours a week right no one really wants to sit behind a computer I mean I've seen the meme a million times that uh basically just being a manager now is just sending emails and having meetings all day you're not really doing any work you're just talking about talking about talking about talking um but you know let's you got to roll your sleeves up you got to be proud of what you do and you have to you know contribute to Society at least that's my opinion so if you really love what you do you don't work a day in your life right that's the cliche thing you always hear how many people actually get to do that not many right I know many of you have passions outside of what you you know are doing for your typical 9 to-5 or whatever hours you're working but keep in mind that that job does Supply the money for you to pursue those Endeavors outside of that career and never say never maybe you'll get there maybe you'll get to that point where your passion is your source of income but until you get to that point whatever you do do it well do it hard and be proud of it you know what I mean um so I think sometimes in today's day and age you get lost in the sense that like I don't want to do this therefore it's evil and I'm forced to do it well not really like we're in the United States of America we can figure out ways to make money there's very creative ways that you can get to get money like have you ever watched Shark Tank these stories are wildly uh they're impressive they they strike a cord with you when you watch them you know you have people that quit their day job to go live on you know a couch of their friend to work 24 hours a day to start their own business you know it's not impossible it's it's difficult but without hard work you know you don't get really great rewards so I think that we have to not lose sight that like no one owes you anything you know that's that's what I think I'm getting at with all this is no one really deserves to just work minimally and get max pay you know what I mean no one deserves to like well I go to my job N9 to5 therefore I deserve a six figure salary well you got to earn it you know prove to your employer that you know you deserve to be paid or you know paid for your time in that company what you're worth you know prove what you're worth you know a lot of times you hear people say you know work for the job that you want not that you have you know going above and beyond to prove that you deserve what you get Is Not a Bad Thing folks remember that you know a lot I I hate the idea that I hear a lot of people say when they're like well I'm not going to do it I'm not paid for that well okay then you're just going to be stuck where you're at Forever you know go above and beyond prove that you're the hardest worker in the room and I can guarantee it's going to get you places you may not even know where it's going to take you but it will take you places so be the hardest worker in the room it is and again it's this ying and the Yang of the universe you know there is a place for unions and there is a place to celebrate the fruits of our labor and how far we've come from the child labor days and the six day workday weeks and no vacations and all that stuff um on the other end of it remember no one really owes you anything it's on you to go out there prove yourself go to work work hard and be proud of what you do you know so on this Labor Day take the time to enjoy the day off celebrate the fact that we are not I know it's crazy I sound like a crazy person right saying the 40-hour work week is the wor you know it's not the worst thing in the world because some people are like it's career suicide listen you choose to go to work I know you have to go to work for most people but at the same time you're choosing where you can work you can work anywhere so figure it out choose a goal that you want to have and work towards that goal take that mindset with you when you go to work every day and be grateful for the fact that people for hundreds of years before you have fought for you to have the rights that you have right now in the United States of America while you're at work you we're standing on the shoulders of giants remember that this country is great be proud of what you do and work your tail off because this truly is the line of opportunity and I know at least I'm proud to be an American and to have the uh benefits of what our forefathers and all our families have done for us to get us to this point so that's it for today I hope you enjoyed this brief history on Labor Day and in the description in the comments below let me know what you think you could probably disagree with I mean I'm sure a lot of you disagree with what I just said I welcomed it I welcome it so so please let me know what your thoughts are and uh that's it for today I don't know if I'm going to be able to create content on X talk every day this week I'm traveling to Buffalo on Wednesday uh Buffalo New York where I'm from I run to the Buffalo Bills home game every first game every home opener so I run 17 miles I live stream it so you got to make sure to subscribe to this channel here set alerts because I'll be going live Sunday morning real early hop in the Stream say hello and uh I'll definitely be making one of these tomorrow so until tomorrow I'm Goldie here in Dallas Texas and I will see you for another X talks thanks for watching